Search - Half a Person on DVD

Unspoken Feelings

Amos Lassen | Little Rock, Arkansas | 08/28/2008

(4 out of 5 stars)

""Half A Person"



Unspoken Feelings



Amos Lassen



"Half A Person" (Ariztical) is the story of two twenty-something best friends who decide to take a road trip together from their home in rural Canada to the big city of Toronto. Mark (Michael Majeski) is gay and involved in a relationship. He is also very sexy and has the ability to draw people to him; charismatic to a degree, but he also harbors a dark and destructive side. Alex (Nigel Smith) is a straight boy who is an introvert and "desperately single" and is Mark's best friend.

As the two travel through the Ontarian countryside, they experience several mishaps and when they reach Toronto their eyes are opened by two younger girls. They also experience a journey which goes into Alex's past. Ultimately the two young men are forced to look at their unspoken feelings for each other while having to achieve maturity at the same time.

This is a low-budget film which I understand cost about $10, 000 to make and is representative of four years of work by director/writer Adam Santangelo and he has every reason to be proud of what he gives us. Basically he shows us how people outgrow each other and how friendships can change and become unhealthy. He shows how it is possible to love and hate someone at the same time.

What impressed me the most is the honesty of the film as well as Santangelo's love that is felt throughout. It is not a great film but the promise it shows lets us know that there is a new and vibrant film maker among us. Road trips are great ways to explore relationships and we get to know Alex and Mark as they get to know each other.

"

Road trip changes lives of gay/straight buddies

Bob Lind | Phoenix, AZ United States | 10/24/2008

(3 out of 5 stars)

"Best friends since high school, and now in their late 20's, Mark and Alex couldn't be more different, but they strangely seem to compliment each other, as if each was "Half A Person" (2007). Mark is gay, outgoing and charismatic, though the relationship with his boyfriend, Tom, is definitely in trouble due to Mark's immaturity and lack of responsibility. Alex is straight, shy and chronically dateless, fairly conscientious and responsible, but feels that life is passing him by. It's Alex's idea to leave their small town to spend some time in Toronto, but Mark quickly invites himself along, leaving Tom behind. Their road trip is a lot more eventful than Alex imagined (or wanted), thanks to Mark's impulsive actions along the way. They meet two teenage girls on the bus, and later go out with them in Toronto, a move that both realized wasn't very smart, but actually helps each of the young men to realize what they want out of life. Alex also takes a side trip to someone he knew in his past, although this is not very clear in the film.



An ambitious indie film with a relatively simple premise and minimal story development, and the film's low budget is also somewhat evident in the production values, including background noise making dialogue difficult to hear in a few scenes. Would have liked the background of friendship between the gay/straight friends - explored very briefly in disjointed flashbacks - developed a lot more, and a clearer explanation of Alex's connection to Toronto. DVD only includes a few outtakes, which illustrate the rather casual style of the film's writer/director. Film is not rated, would only be a soft R due to"