SHELTER (2007, USA)

Synopsis:
Forced to give up his dreams of art school, Zach spends his days working a dead-end job and helping ... his needy sister care for her son. In his free time he surfs, draws and hangs out with his best friend, Gabe, who lives on the wealthy side of town. When Gabe's older brother, Shaun, returns home, he is drawn to Zach's selflessness and talent. Zach falls in love with Shaun while struggling to reconcile his own desires with the needs of his family.

Here's the movie:


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After Justin dropped the bomb on me yesterday about his supposed girlfriend I've been melancholy all weekend. (and feel like shit) I just wanted to watch Shelter again because it's an awesome awesome movie, it's gay themed and I wanted to see if there was anything I could learn from it. (in response to my present situation)

First, because in my first meeting with Justin, I remember him telling me stories about how he went surfing in Greece with his brother. The boy likes surfing just like Zach and Shaun in the movie. Second, there's a definate age gap in the storyline. Justin and I have such an age gap between us. I wanted to see if Shaun could teach me a thing or two.

What I loved in this movie: (as per my dilema) I'm living in such a parallel world. Shaun's way older and meets troubled Zach. Zach is going out with a girl (kinda) and confusion about his sexuality surfaces. When he re-meets Zhaun out of the blue, he finds inspiration in him and desires to spend as much time with him as he could. Justin and I are kinda like that. Justin (being only 16) has his own world of troubles. He's not so much into school, doesn't get along with his mother and I'm sure he has other things on his plate. Then he meets me. We don't get to spend a lot of time together, but when we do, he's all smiles. There's probably not a minute that passes that he doesn't glance at me. When I'm doing some work behind his back, he'll make that effort to do a 360 and still look at me. He gets gitty and nervous when he makes the firt move and tries to talk to me. He says "What?" a lot as if he hasn't heard me. He shies away from shaking my hand, and when our conversation goes way longer than he desires, he finds it hard to look into my eyes. He embelishes stories and they start not to make sense when he gets all nervous. These are signs to me. Outside of work, his text messages are hard and one liners. Maybe, he doesn't want his girlfriend finding them. Back at work, all he does is look for me. Confused or what.

The Best parts: I really grew attached with Zach and his ex-girlfriends affectionate "Hey Monkey!" greetings. I mean a monkey isn't exactly th cutest animal in the world, but it worked so well here. It was personal yet lovey-dovey. The first kiss between Zach and Shaun tugged my heart. It was casual yet you can start to feel the romance spark between them...and it was exciting. The mind games that happens after are so real. (I know cause I play this a lot) I'm glad that it was Zach that played the next move, just to give Shaun that heads up that the next ball would be in his court. Shaun was persistent yet not annoying. It had to be baby steps and they needed to take it one day at a time. He knew when to give Zach space and found the perfect moments to be with him again. The spraypainting scene of the wall was very inspiring. Zach was totally inspired and you live for those moments when you've found happiness. The hug was very touching. The love scenes gushy you could melt. And best of all, was the soundtrack music. It brought it in a little closer to the themes and it was really heartwarming. Cody was such a great link. He's like the dog that you can use as bait to attract guys around the park...in a human way.hehe

What they've could've done without: Gennie and the rest of her fucked up disillusions. But I understood her role. She was integral for Zach in finding his own path in life.

I learnt...that I could be more patient like Shaun. A shoulder to cry on, a strong brick wall to lean to, an ear to listen, a smile to inspire, I could be a friend to hang out with and most of all, someone who recognises and encourages peoples potentials.