'Late Summer' by David Ottenhouse [Gay-themed filmed short-subject]

[Part 4 of 4, excerpted from the BOYS LIFE, Volume 5 gay-themed short film anthology]

Adam, a photographer (portrayed as an adult by Augustus Kelly), attending the opening of his very first gallery showing, when asked "How much for that photo?" recalls that special summer spent (as a pre-pubescent twink, portrayed by Erol Zeybekoglu) with his somewhat older cousin Josh, the feelings that were awakened, and the unexpected turn of events that lay behind his having taken his "best ever" photo.

Lushly shot in the Boston area, this short-film emerges as the story of young Adam's unexpected sexual awakening that's so powerful it wrenches in pain.

Christopher Nee (the actor who portrays twink-aged cousin Josh) looks astonishingly like a very young Mark Wahlberg and as a special and unexpected bonus, he appears totally naked, in all his uncircumcised glory, in the film's swimming-hole scene.

Strand Releasing
U.S.A., 2000, 28 min.
Safe Machine Productions
Directed by David Ottenhouse
[EN]
UPC: 712267260225
DvDRip

Like others in a series of truly remarkable short-films I've been uploading here, this too should be considered ample reayounger for supporting 'Independent' Short-subject Film-makers. I strongly encourage everyone to go out and purchase a copy of the retail DvD, and experience for yourself 'first-hand' the artist's vision as he truly intended.

Other short-film subjects included in this anthology include:

FISHBELLY WHITE (U.S.A., 1998, Directed by Michael Burke, 22 min.)

From the maker of The Mudge Boy comes this excellent gay short-film. Beneath a railroad bridge a young rural gay man begins to his explore his gay feelings with the aid of an understanding friend. For you lovers of The Mudge Boy, Fishbelly White is an early short version of the film. Beautifully shot and acted this tale of young gay man in lust with another is outstanding. And for fans of tighty-whities, the railroad bridge scene is a ten.

TIME OFF [aka After] (Israel, 1990, Directed by Eyton Fox, 45 min.)

Eytan Fox's (Yossi & Jagger, Walk on Water) first film, Time Off, a 45-minute drama about sexual identity in the Israeli army, won the Movie Of the Year Award (1990) at the Israeli Film Institute, First Prize in Munich's International Student Film Festival, and was shown on TV in Europe and in the U.S. The only film in the pack with a 'pedigree' is also the driest and perhaps least interesting. While this film may be a letdown and to some pretty boring, don't let it affect your viewing experience as the other three films are so much stronger.

A young soldier is being treated very harsh by his commanding lieutenant. Just before they will be sent out to Lebanon, their battalion gets one day off to relax in Jerusalem. There the soldier finds out the lieutenant has sex in a public park.

DARE (U.S.A., 1998, Directed by Adam Salky, 16 min.)

High school senior Ben secretly lusts after bad-boy classmate Johnny. After Ben gives Johnny a ride home one night, the boys end up in Johnny's swimming pool and have an encounter that breaks the rules and blows Ben's mind. Filmed with elegance and told with élan, Dare is a short film that needs to be made into a feature. The leads are hot, their acting chops impeccable and perfectly cast. Dare is the reviewer's favorite film in the collection, and can't wait to see it again.