Shelter

I am a fan of Netflix. Anytime I hear/read/see someone recommending a movie I throw it in our queue, and eventually my selection makes its way to the top of my list. I don't remember how or when the film Shelter (2007) was added to our queue, but a few months ago it arrived in the mail...

You have to see Shelter. It's an independent film, which means the pacing is a little slow in parts, and it has a few tired cliches (throwing a Frisbee on the beach, I mean really?!) parts, and I can spot at least two bad acting jobs, but overall this is a very sweet and touching film. I've watched it twice and I appreciated it more the second time.

I really felt connected to the two lead characters, and by the end of the film I want them to live happily ever after. Trevor Wright (who's straight in real life!) plays a confused gay guy trying to be the one stable person in his nephew's dysfunctional and chaotic life. He is trying to live the life he thinks he should live instead of the life he wants to live. He is poor. He works two jobs. He has a girlfriend. He takes care of his nephew, his sister, and his dad. His best friend (who's a rich straight kid) has an older (and already out) gay brother. Trevor's character meets the brother and they fall in love, but of course there's internal and external conflicts to keep it interesting.

This is one of the best gay films I've seen in a long time. Go add it to your Netflix queue right now!