Gods Of Olympia

Rating:
Summary: Gods of Olympia
Review: Wow! And I wish I meant that in a good way. I am a big fan of independent film and alternative cinema so very willing to overlook the flaws of low budget film; I'm sorry to be writing this as I'm certain the folks involved with this film put their hearts into it, but it's unfortunately pretty (really) bad. The camera work is poor, though improves as the film continues. The pacing is slow and feels disjointed, as does the plot, which is fairly diffuse. As a gay man, I'm not offended by nudity or lovemaking, but this film gives us essentially hardcore scenes, neither of the quality of good X-rated films, nor with the subtlety of R-rated films (you know what's going on but don't see explicit action.) There are lengthy scenes, such as watching a street person search dumpsters that could be handled in 30 seconds, not 3 minutes, while background music plays loudly--much louder in fact that when the actors speak, so I was constantly adjusting the volume. The acting is also notably inferior. Imagine you and your friends decided to shoot a low budget movie. Everyone has his/her lines memorized, but often the deliveries are off. Though I appreciate the many positive and/or realistic messages--that thru community colleges folks can transform their lives, that sometimes younger persons can be attracted to older persons (the age of their grandfather), that street people can be educated, knowledgeable, trustworthy and safe, that gay teens are sometimes rejected by their families and so forced to live on the streets, etc.--I thought these aspects were often preached, rather than revealed by the story. I really wanted to like this film, enjoyed seeing the community support this film clearly got and hope the folks involved keep trying, but only after further studying their craft.