SHELTER
Dir: Jonah Markowitz, USA, 2007, video, 90 min
A favourite on the GLBTI film festival circuit, Shelter has picked up a swag of awards including Audience Awards for Best Film at the Seattle and Tampa Gay & Lesbian Film Festivals.
Forced to give up his dreams of art school, Zach spends his days working a dead-end cooking job and helping his needy sister, Jeanne, care for her 5-year old son, Cody. In his free time he surfs, draws and hangs out with his on-and-off again girlfriend, Tori, and also with his best friend, Gabe, who lives on the wealthy side of town. When Gabe's gay, older brother, Shaun, returns home, Zach begins to surf with him. However, it’s not long before their mutual attraction turns the friendship on its head, and when Zach is encouraged by Shaun to start leading his own life, he’s faced with a struggle to reconcile his own desires with the needs of his family.
Shelter is, at its core, gently observed and beautifully acted, especially by a wonderfully natural Brad Rowe, who made a splash in Billy’s Hollywood Screen Kiss, and Trevor Wright as Zach. (Paul Tonta, 18th Melbourne Queer Film Festival)