Save Me (2007/I)

User Rating:

6.8/10   

Director:

Robert Cary

Writers (WGA):

Robert Desiderio (screenplay)
Craig Chester (story) ...

Genre:

Drama

Plot:

A sex and drug addicted young man who is forced into a Christian-run ministry in an attempt to cure him of his "gay affliction", where instead he is faced with the truth in his heart and spirit. |

Plot Keywords:

Gay Sex | Friendship Between Men | Forbidden Kiss | Jesus Christ | Prayer Group

Awards:

1 nomination

Cast

Jeremy Glazer	...	Trey
Chad Allen	...	Mark
David Petruzzi	...	Dustin
Arron Shiver	...	Jude
Colin Jones	...	Randall
Stephen Lang	...	Ted
Judith Light	...	Gayle
William Dennis Hurley	...	Bill
Robert Gant	...	Scott
Robert Baker	...	Lester
Ross Kelly	...	Adam
Luce Rains	...	Clerk
Paul Scallan	...	Paul
Carmen Morales	...	Lydia
Forrest Fyre	...	Dr. Wilson

Runtime:

USA:96 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Filming Locations:

New Mexico, USA

Company:

Mythgarden

Movie Connections:

References "Sesame Street" (1969)

Soundtrack:

Anything Like You and Me

A nuanced character study and a minor gem

There is a whole list of things I liked about this movie. Though it has some flaws, they are far outshone by the good.

The setting of the movie and the approach to the characters is brilliant. Most movies that show non-urban, non-coastal US cities fall into a trap of playing the setting and the characters for laughs, or at least exaggerating the local color for effect (witness Coen Brothers movies, for example). This movie didn't fall into the self-conscious exaggeration, which inevitably keeps the audience at a distance. Instead, it shows most things in a very human level--you're not looking down on, or sideways at, or with an outsider's view of the people or situation. This is the water you're swimming in. You're there to witness what is going on without the self-conscious, ironic and "precious" aspects that many directors are afraid to leave behind. This view of the rural West feels very genuine (and I know because I've lived there before).

The acting by Judith Light and Stephen Lang is phenomenal and that by Chad Allen and Robert Gant is very good. The large cast of supporting actors is largely very good, too. It becomes even more amazing that they pulled this off when the movie makers undoubtedly were working on a shoe-string budget. The performances are better than many big budget movies. The script allows for complex characters and the acting is nuanced.

The production values are similarly good for the small budget: beautiful filming, a good musical score and songs that worked just right for the tone.

There is a sense of space and stillness that allows things to breathe and it's a little bit "Zen" once the movie gets going. I didn't find the first few scenes of the movie fit in particularly well with the rest of the tone, but it was a minor annoyance. Some people may be expecting more of an emotional roller-coaster. The script and the direction were taken in a different direction than "hero-against-conspiring-world." You're meant to identify with different aspects of many characters and not only see things from a single perspective. It's harder to maintain a singular emotional intensity based on this focus. I found it quite effective for what it set out to accomplish (not what some reviewers wished it had accomplished instead).

A minor quibble is that some of the quiet lines were hard to hear and understand (though it could've been bad audio compression artifacts since I watched it on Netflix instant watch so it was not full DVD quality).

You really should see this movie if you care about any of the themes it addresses or you love to watch good acting.