Gay cinema, meet your game changer
For me, Judas Kiss (which I saw at the Frameline Film Festival in San Francisco this past June)represents a huge leap in indie gay film making. After years of coming out stories (who have their place, but are clichéd riddled these days), it was fun to see a movie where no one was suicidal about being gay, was not being beat up because they're gay or just worried they could be gay. It also differs from the others in this genre with its lush cinematography and impressive use of CGI effects (and on such a low-budget I know these movies work with). In this film, screenwriter Carlos Pedraza (the web series Star Trek: Phase II) and director J.T. Tepnapa (the funny short Masturbation: Putting the Fun into Self-Loving and the web series Star Trek: Hidden Frontier) takes a simple idea -what if you could go back in time and change your past- and spins a tale about the paths we choose when we're young, and how (at the time) we never think about the consequences of our actions. From that...
Surprisingly good and creative "coming of age" story with a paranormal twist.
"Judas Kiss" is a rather creative and ambitious story about destiny and second chances. The main character is "Zachary", a 30-something failed movie director (David's character) who reluctantly agrees to help judge a film school scholarship competition at his old alma mater. Being housed in a dorm room for the festival makes this even more of a journey for Zachary, since it reminds him of all the promise and potential he showed back then, which he sold out by making some bad decisions then and since. At a gay bar near campus, he meets a student (played by Richard Harmon) with whom he spends the night. It's not until the next day, meeting the filmmakers, that he realizes the young man is one of the contestants. Even stranger: the young man's name is Danny Reyes, which is Zachary's real name, and the film he presenting is actually one that Zachary made when he went to the school. A mysterious older man clues him in that he is somehow being given a second chance to perhaps change...
A clever, charming gem of a movie.
This film, Judas Kiss, was absolutely amazing, and everyone leaving the film festival theater where I recently saw it was touched by it and its message of regret, redemption, and hope for the future. Judas Kiss has a little bit of something for everyone, but most especially, it is a story that every viewer can relate to... reflection upon one's own life, regret over decisions made, and what you might have done differently if you could. In this innovative film, the character of Zach actually does get a chance to change some things in his younger life. But will his younger self, in that "all-knowing-invincible arrogance" of teenage youth, listen to his older self, and take a different path that will change both of their futures? That indeed is the question in this charmer of a film.
The film has a professional and compelling soundtrack, lighting, photography, and editing, I was blown away by its message of regret, redemption, and the possibility of change. Charlie David, Sean...
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