The Stranger in Us DVD Review

The Stranger in Us DVD Review

By: Lauren

Copy From: Breaking Glass Pictures

Amazon Associate: Buy the DVD from the left picture, we get a small percentage

Official Summary:

In this poetic debut feature, director Scott Boswell explores the pleasures and perils of losing and regaining oneself through the journey of a young, gay man in the wake of a traumatic breakup



Small-town Anthony (Raphael Barker, Shortbus) follows his heart to San Francisco, eager for domestic bliss with new boyfriend, Stephen. Soon Anthony faces a waking nightmare as their volatile relationship reaches the breaking point. Isolated and financially strained, Anthony takes to the nighttime city streets where he meets a strange and alluring cast of hook-ups and wanderers. When he befriends a precocious, young street hustler named Gavin, Anthony finds the human contact he craves, yet his inner struggles continue to engulf him.

Review:
I posted the official summary above so you know the basics of what this film is about. As for my review, I wanted to just state my feelings on the film. After I watched this, I immediately wanted to watch it all over again. It's not something that happens every time I watch a movie of course...just the ones that I really enjoyed or spoke to me in some way. The Stranger in Us, was obviously, one of those films. It's a slightly dark film all around and definitely shows the harder side of being in a relationship (Anthony) and finding freedom and the chance to be yourself (Gavin).

One of the things that I kept thinking about The Stranger in Us is that Adam Perez, who played Gavin, is an amazing actor. I really enjoyed the character of Gavin...and he's definitely the "young adult" point of view as he's 17 through most of it. I just think Perez did an amazing job showing viewers the type of person that Gavin is and who he wishes he could be. He deals with a lot but he also has a very optimistic look on life. He does things that he shouldn't, but he also helps Anthony stay on the right side of life in other ways by not doing drugs, and not going back to Stephen. You look at the type of things Gavin does to survive on his own and you might think he has no respect for himself, but it's not as simple as that. You really get to see the various sides of his life.

The Stranger in Us is set up, editing wise, in an interesting fashion. It took me awhile to follow actually as it has three different times being mixed together. I suppose it's hard to explain, but it gets easier as the film goes on. You just have to keep watching, figure out what is happening and when, and you're good.

I'm not sure The Stranger in Us has a rating, but I suppose with everything included...I would say it's rated R as it can be a bit graphic in parts. You definitely should have a more mature audience viewing this.

I was sad when the ending came, but I also found it to be realistic. Not everything is the way you might wish it to be, and it's definitely not a "happily ever after" end, but again, it seems more real because of this. You can still see the silver lining so to speak. It definitely left me curious about the characters' futures though and I think that's a sign of a pretty good film.