Search - Green Plaid Shirt on DVD

A Powerful Piece

Barry Herem (RavCoast@aol.com) | 07/27/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

""An endearing and sincere drama that chronicles the ten-year life of a gay relationship. Back in 1978, everything seemed possible for several young men. For Philip and Guy, there was the thrill and exhilaration of first love. For their friends Devon, Jerry and Todd, life was still an open book with so many pages yet to be filled. But ten years later, all are gone except for Philip who is left alone, wondering what the hell happened. He tries to make sense of the joys and the sorrows as well as to chart a new direction for the future. Writer/director Natale's feature film debut depicts the lives of five friends in conflict with themselves and each other yet ultimately, the insightful tale is about love and survival. The title is drawn from events around the sale of a shirt which brought each of them together. "A totally refreshing and romantic (even sexy) drama, true to the crises many have endured without being pedantic, mature without losing its vitality. A powerful piece about the force that tear people apart and ultimately keeps them together." Outfest"

Merits repeated viewing

Terry L. Whipple terrtwo@earthlink. | Lakewood, Ohio | 12/27/1999

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This is now my favorite drama about gay men in love; and TRUE love, not fascination, is certainly central here---a rare enough feature as it is. The symbol of that love is the titular item of fabric, worn over the course of ten stormy years, alternately, by the two protagonists, Philip and Guy. The former is the "faithful one.The latter the emotional bruiser in the story. The thoughtful story is non-linear, composed of shuffled scenes divided roughly into two time periods: (1) "Before he betrayed me" and (2) "After he forgave---and more importantly--- forgot." The syntax of the narrative is abetted, more or less, by the appearance or non-appearance of that green shirt, which serves as a sort of punctuation mark along the rough-and-tumble jumble of events in "constant collision": (A) A colon, for instance: in one "after" scene the loving revelation of a slotch of yellow paint on the shirt refers us instantly back to a "before" scene explaining the loving source of that same splotch, providing undisturbed continuity between two periods of time, a transition made possible only by Philip's act of forgiveness. (B) A "comma": When the shirt does not appear in a given scene, the scene is tied to the preceding picture in the sequence in which the shirt does appear. Such as when Linda helps Philip pack Guy's bag for his first (of many) trips to the hospital. We know from the shirt's absence there that the scene falls chronologically after guy's seizure in the kitchen, the topic of that scene which immediately precedes. Rare intelligence in film-making, regardless of genre."

Good film...

masonmc | DC and Miami | 07/12/2000

(4 out of 5 stars)

"I bought this movie upon the recommendation of a friend. Glad I did. Have shared the story with several frinds over time. I see something different each time I watch it. I lost a lover 5 years ago. It is a moving story of friends and lovers and the good and not so good in us we don't let anyone but our closest of friends experience. It is an accurate take on relationships, both in and out of bed.It's great to see a movie where the gay character(s) aren't psycho or totally flaming (although, there are a couple of guys who do spontaneously combust.) The people here are more like people I know. The film was very well done and the characters engaging; some more likeable than others... like in life.The sound was disappointing; otherwise I would have given it 5 stars.I would have purchased it on DVD if available."

A fine story of romance, disillusion, forgiveness and love.

Barry Herem (RavCoast@aol.com) | Seattle, Washington | 09/02/1999

(4 out of 5 stars)

"This is an exceptionally well-written and convincingly acted film about disillusion in romance and forgiveness in love between men. The opening scene immediately sets the tone when we, along with the protagonist, overhear two men earnestly discussing their relationship with a poignancy recognizable to anyone who has loved. From there, in a series of flashbacks, the film takes us through the deeply faulty path of committment between eternal opposites: one who is essentially faithful and another who is not in the late 70's. Many of the lines are memorable which is what particularly gives this film its depth. Early on we are promised a moment which, to paraphrase, cancels all that goes before giving the strength to endure all that is to come. Yes, AIDS, but not before we witness that moment, one of forgivness so beautifully wrought, so lovely as to instruct us in love itself. Written and directed by Richard Natale who unmistakably knows what he's doing. He is notably aided in this by Gregory Phelan and Kevin Spirtas whose feelings fill and fulfill every silence, look and word of this small masterpiece."