Shelter
Tags: romantic, queer

Plot synopsis:
The movie opens with Zach (Trevor Wright) skateboarding, stopping occasionally to take photographs and spray-paint silhouette graffiti. He arrives home and is greeted by his sister Jean (Tina Holmes) and her son Cody (Jackson Wurth). Jean is headed out, forcing Zach to take Cody with him to the diner where he works.At the end of his shift Zach takes Cody to the rich part of town (Zach, Cody and Jean all live together in the poor suburbs) and meets up with his friend Gabe (Ross Thomas). Zach drops Gabe off with some friends who he is travelling with back to college.Zach and Cody head home. Zach goes surfing. That evening he goes home to do some painting.The next day he waits with Cody outside the supermarket while Jean finishes her shift. Cody thinks Zach is his father, since Zach always takes care of him, but Zach reminds Cody he is his uncle.That night Jean heads out again with friends leaving Zach once again taking care of Cody. Zach calls his off-again-on-again (and currently off) girlfriend Tori (Katie Walder) but she is at a party and the connection is bad, meaning they can't understand each other. Jean arrives home with her boyfriend Allen (Matt Bushell) only to be admonished to keep quiet by Zach because Cody has just gone to bed.The next day Zach goes back to Gabe's house to fix a surfboard he has left there, only to find that Gabe's brother Shaun (Brad Rowe) is there. They go surfing together. As they are leaving, Tori arrives and invites Zach down to the beach to hang out with her friends.At the bonfire, one of the guys asks if Zach is gay, since he recently broke up with Tori, who is gorgeous. Zach and Shaun leave the fire and Shaun admits the reason he returned to town was because he just broke up with someone.Zach gives Tori a ride back to his place where they watch a movie. She tries to kiss him but is turned away. She is a little put off, so he tries to make it up to her, but she leaves.Meanwhile, Shaun is hunting around the house and finds a walkie-talkie as well as an old skating movie of Zach and Gabe.He talks into the walkie-talkie and is surprised when Zach picks up. These are the walkie-talkies that Zach and Gabe used to use years ago to communicate across town. Zach starts to draw on his bedroom wall, which he does when he is happy.Zach and Shaun meet up again the next day and go surfing again, at a spot Shaun has kept secret from Gabe and his friends, worried that they would trash it. They surf for a bit then stop for lunch. Zach ignores a call from Tori telling Shaun they are in 'limbo'.They return to Shaun's place and crash on the outdoor furniture, bonding over Zach's art and their mutual connection to Gabe.A playful wrestling match turns serious as Shaun kisses Zach. Zach wakes up the next morning beside Shaun, still outdoors, and immediately regrets what he has done. The normal life he has crafted has now been shattered. He flees.He goes home to find Jean waiting for him to take her to work. On the drive Zach talks about returning to art school. He applied a year ago but didn't get in. At the supermarket he meets Tori again. He tries to kiss her, but she pushes him away.He goes surfing again, this time checking out the guy dressing beside him. He stays out surfing late.
He goes home to shower. Jean talks with him about hanging out with Shaun, who is gay, and says she 'doesn't want Cody around that'. She accuses Zach of being gay too. He dodges the question.At the beach with Tori and Cody, he runs into Shaun again. Shaun wants to talk about what happened between them, but Zach brushes him off. After the things Jean said about Shaun, Zach doesn't want to leave Cody alone with him, but Tori wants to talk about their relationship. Finally, Tori and Zach break up for good.Zach goes home to think and paint. He can't deny his feelings anymore. He drives to Shaun's house and they have sex. The next morning Zach still feels a little guilty, but sticks around until Shaun wakes up. On the drive home he finally accepts what's going on.He starts to draw a huge mural on a nearby shop as a way to express his feelings for Shaun.At home, Jean asks him why he is so happy. She knows he is sleeping with someone, and also knows it isn't Tori. Zach tells her it is no-one. She uses that fact to con him into babysitting again. Zach draws on his wall some more, then gets a call from Shaun inviting him to a meal at his place. Jean wants him to watch Cody, so he turns down Shaun's offer, only to have Shaun invite Cody along too.Zach and Cody go clothes shopping before the meal.Shaun asks Cody what he wants for dinner, then heads out to stock up on groceries, since he doesn't have any of that stuff in the house. He says kids deserve to be spoiled. Later, as Cody sleeps, Zach and Shaun talk about Zach's family. Shaun tries to hug Zach, but Zach pulls away, scared that Cody may see them. When he knows he won't, he finally succumbs.Zach takes Cody home, since Cody doesn't like to wake up in strange places. Shaun offers Zach an admission form for art school.A montage follows showing Zach and Shaun growing closer. Zach completes the mural on the shop wall as well as doing more drawings on his bedroom wall.Shaun and Zach are in bed together when they hear a noise. Gabe has arrived back from college. Zach hides in the bathroom while Shaun distracts Gabe, allowing Zach to sneak out.Gabe visits Zach at work (commenting on the shirt Zach is wearing, which happens to be Shaun's) and the three go surfing. Gabe runs off for some beer. Shaun touches Zach, who rebuffs him, worried that Gabe will see.At home, Jean confronts him about what he has been doing with Shaun. She convinces him that if he cares about their family, that he will break it off.That night, at a party and Gabe's house, Zach sits in the car and is approached by Shaun. He shuns Shaun, telling him he isn't sure that a relationship is what he wants. Shaun replies, 'It seems like what you want'. Both guys get emotional and Zach drives off.The next morning Zach is getting the diner ready for opening when Gabe comes by and tells him he knows all about Zach and Shaun, but that it doesn't change anything between them. Zach says it doesn't matter since he has broken up with Shaun.Confused, he goes to visit Tori, but she is with another guy and can't talk to him.Shaun tries to call Zach, but Zach ignores him. He is looking for his portfolio to send to the art school, but can't find it. Jean offers to help him get a job at the supermarket where she works.Zach watches as the mural he painted is painted over. He feels his life is falling apart.Jean tells him she is moving away with her boyfriend, and that they are leaving Cody behind.Zach learns Shaun submitted his portfolio, and that he has been accepted to art school. He travels to the campus.
Later he meets up with Tori, prepared to tell her everything, but she already knows. In a roundabout way she tells him that even if it doesn't last, love is still worth it.Shaun is packing to leave, when he finds the walkie-talkie left by Zach. They talk, with Zach revealing himself to Shaun in the backyard. He's accepted the different parts of his life and wants Shaun to be a part of it. Zach tells Shaun that he got into art school, and that he got in a year ago, but turned it down because of his family commitments.They go to where Jean and her boyfriend are packing to leave.After the boyfriend maligns Cody, Zach attacks him, but Shaun and Jean separate them. Shaun goes inside to check on Cody, while the boyfriend takes a walk to clear his head. Zach tells Jean that Cody can stay with him and Shaun, or that Jean could stay behind. Jean admits Cody is better off with Shaun and Zach. Jean and her boyfriend leave, then so do Cody, Shaun and Zach.Some time later Zach, Cody and Shaun are all hanging out on the beach, playing, the implication being that everything turned out well.

Review: It was great to watch a film that used characters that stepped outside of the gay stereotypes seen in most films.
It was even better to see a movie that focused on the love (rather than the sex) between the two lead characters.While there are some scenes that scream "low budget," the end product as a whole was very rewarding.
The acting, writing, and directing were all solid.After so many disappointing gay films, I'm thrilled to have a movie like this come along.
Even in this low res screener, Shelter shines as a film with huge heart, and one that's been made with equal care by the actors and all of the film-makers.It's not at all like the angst-ridden abomination of a gay surf flick "Tan Lines".
We want things to work out for them.We understand that Zach is in a bind - he's allowed himself to be the physical and emotional anchor for a progressively more dysfunctional family, but we know that he deserves much better life options.
Don't get me wrong, I'm a huge fan of Brokeback Mt., but I saw a screening of this film at the SF Gay and Lesbian Film Festival tonight and loved it as much as BBM and in some ways appreciated it more.
For my money the acting (with avowed heterosexuals playing the gay roles, as in BBM) was more convincing, the kissing more natural, the sex scenes extremely sexy and moving; another milestone in the realistic portrayal of gay love and sex.
Interesting enough, that film is being shown at the SF LGBT festival and was changed to Shelter Me. Hopefully, the "surfer gay movie" will stand out..
I just saw this movie at the Philadelphia Gay and Lesbian Film Festival.
Because of this I was able to connect to the film better than any gay themed film I've watched before; I was practically giddy when Zach was on the phone with Sean cause I have been in that situation before.Other gay films should be like this one, realistic and with real men that have care more than about how they look in the mirror, we get enough of those twinks from the rest of Hollywood.
SHELTER has become my goto movie when I am feeling down, and a few of my straight friends have found this to be a very inspirational film in their own lives.
When I first watched this film, I was unprepared for and deeply moved by the honest and touching screenplay by director Jonah Markowitz and the superb quality of acting by a fine cast.
Most impressive is the emotion expressed by eye contact achieved between Trevor Wright and Brad Rowe -- something very uncommon and unforgettable in a film of this kind.
I'm not saying those are bad films, they are superb, but Shelter is a really touching, sincere journey through these interesting characters lives that had it's profound, charming aspects with a beautiful message and it didn't have to use extreme tragedy as a gimmick to amuse the audience.
It just mixes in dealing with homosexuality along with all the other problems life brings along the way in a brilliant manner that is very enjoyable; I was so entertained with the story.The main two characters, Zach and Shaun, have amazing, incredible, believable chemistry that was portrayed excellently by the actors to where you feel like this scene is going on right in front of you.
I've stated my opinion on Zach and Shaun, but Jeanne was a believable, stress-filled sister who wishes her life could fit in with her family, and Gabe was the best friend most gay guys wish they had; someone who just saw their homosexuality as no thing, and liked them as a friend for the qualities they share and fun they have.
I have to quote another user in their review: "The beautiful thing about Shelter is that it doesn't rely on inane gay stereo-types (i.e.: flamboyant characters, drag queens, limp-wristed high-pitched voiced effete men, gratuitous sex bordering on pornography, etc.) or heavy-handed subject matter (drug addiction, HIV/AIDS).
It manages all the material so well and creates this serene, lovely atmosphere that we are comfortable with.All I have said is of course in my opinion, but here again, look at all the other positivity it has received, so I feel as if most people got how wonderful Shelter was, and it deserves any praise it gets.
Don't just judge it as a "gay" film; it's one of the best movies I've ever seen in general.
I am a big fan of independent and European film, but this is the only movie I have watched many times in a few days period..
It makes me feel like I need to watch this movie every day just to lift my moods up or get me through the day.
I usually end up turning the screen off in the middle of a film when I get bored, when i don't like where the story takes me or just simply feeling sleepy.
Few days and even weeks after watching this movie, the scenes keep coming back in my head - especially the argument on the car scene - it made me stand still, it made me feel longing for something, it made me smile alone, it made me hope, it made me look at things differently and see life on another perspective.
I do not know if I should be happy that i was able to learn about this movie; confused that I am, I also even hope that i did not get the chance to watch because it just made me realize how empty my heart is right now; I hope things are just the way it was before.
Brokeback is in a different league, it belongs with films like The Wizard of Oz and Sunset Boulevard, it's a masterpiece, a milestone in cinematic history, not that the idiots at AMPAS noticed.I'd seen Tan Lines and swore I'd never sit through another crappy gay surfer flick but I'm glad I took a chance and watched Shelter, this is an outstanding film.
I mean this movie is set in San Pedro, I live several thousand miles north in Toronto, yet the dialogue and the way people live felt right even for me.I too love this film and highly recommend it.
Zach is a truly decent young man with a good loving heart but his sister is adrift in life and without Zach as her anchor you know she'd be lost.
Sometimes a movie resonates and this is one of those times.Don't we all wish we had a great guy like Shaun in our lives?
Unsure of his sexuality, Zach (a really good performance by Trevor Wright) lives in southern California where he works a menial job and enjoys both surfing the waves and creating "street art".
The plot structure is okay but predictable, and reminds me of "Making Love", a 1982 film with the same general gay theme.
The lead character in that film also was a guy named Zach.Overall acting in "Shelter" is quite good.
I have learned this when I started talking about who I really am and my true feelings.This film also shows the complete selflessness Zach has towards his family and loved ones.
But in the end everything is achievable with effort.I am probably;y going to watch this film a few more times because I don't think that I can get bored of it.Shelter shows us that not everything in this world is bad, but when you know you have some magnificent on your hands, grab it with both arms,.
I didn't know quite what I'd be seeing when I watched "Shelter." A lot of gay movies rely on stereotypes for laughs or wallow in their own grief.
Zach is just the right combination of melodramatic and responsible.Setting + photography is appropriate and the music is a great addition but the writing is what makes this film far above average of its genre.
To some extent, yes but I actually find myself having a problem with it because the movie could have achieved greater heights if it was able to explore the coming out tale better if it was able to exploit the journey of the decision process and how hard it was for Zach to come out of the closet which I think is something more unique to gay movies.In my opinion, the two most laudable things about the movie are: (1) Trevor Wright's sensitive performance and amazingly surprising acting ensemble (also notable is Tina Holmes playing Zach's sister).
Actually, every performance I've ever seen of hers is top notch.Brad Rowe (Shawn) likewise is a natural, and contributes a thoughtful, easy going character to the film.
This was my first time seeing Trevor Wright (Zach) and I was extremely impressed with his work.Writer-director Jonah Markowitz takes time in getting to the heart of the story, and when its center unfolds one finds a moving, emotional study of conflicting needs and desires..
But "Shelter" is an engaging story about a young gay artist, played by Trevor Wright, living with his sister and her son and how he feels completely responsible for helping his sister take care of the kid.
One of the truly great gay "love" stories on film..
What are you afraid of????) I've seen dozens of gay films made with "straight" actors on every continent but NA, and THEY are not afraid of real open mouthed, tongue involved, passionate kissing playing gay men, but actors of the USA are deplorably bad at expressing passion and deflate the film no-end.That aside, this is one of the truly GREAT GAY LOVE STORIES on film.
The great gay love films, about true love and affection and devotion, are rare and this is one of them.I'll add RED DIRT, LILIES, LILTING and THE NORMAL HEART to that short list of great gay love films.Brad Rowe is just the most down to earth, decent, loving, patient man in love and Trevor Wright gives an Oscar-nom worthy performance as the confused artist, coming to grips with practically everything in his life all at once.Kudos to the director, to both actors and gratitude to you all.
Shaun, played by the lovely Brad Rowe, encourages Zach follow his dreams a little more and take control of his life.
It takes a little while, but a little soul searching later their friendship soon morphs into a full on romance, all the while Shaun builds up a strong rapport with Zach's little nephew, Cody.There are some lovely comic moments spaced throughout the movie, for example, Zach and Shaun are in bed together after a bit of bonding, when they hear Gabe coming back from college, which results in a rapid hiding of Zach, which could have easily turned into loose farce had the scene pacing been carefully thought out.
I love indie movies, that's why I like to spend hours on the internet finding good ones, that's how I found "Shelter".
I really hoped the film to be good, since there were a lot positive reviews towards it, and I must say, it deserved it...The movie wasn't perfect.
Definitely one of the best movie I have ever seen, and I will keep loving it more every time I watch it..
i think that most people who 'loved' this movie would have called it mediocre at best if the main characters were straight.
Overall i think this movie is fun, nice storyline, good acting, nice script and all together a great film.
The movie has a lovely soundtrack that helps to enjoy the story..
Would she have the same reservations if it was a woman Wright was seeing?Shelter is a nice story about young gay life that doesn't involve, disease or promiscuity.
I'm not big into writing reviews, but in all honesty, this has been one of the Best gay themed films I have ever watched, no sex, just a dude coming to terms with his feelings, and his commitments to family and learning how to deal with it all.
I really hope there are going to be more movies like this one because in most of the others, gay people kind of equal sex and not love and a steady relationship like this one.
The film is technically very well made, and Trevor Wright's acting is wonderful (about the only thing going for it), but the movie seemed 5 hours long to me.
I see as many "gay movies" as I can, and have accumulated quite a collection of DVDs. I think it comes from having grown up and been a young adult and even not so young adult at a time when there were few gay characters in movies, let alone a genre called "gay cinema." As people who know me are aware, I'm pretty forgiving as a theatergoer/film-goer, and often manage to see good even in plays and movies that have gotten mostly negative reviews.Tonight I saw a movie that I can rave about without reservations, Jonah Markowitz' Shelter, a film every bit as fine (in all respects) as those which get nominated for Independent Spirit awards every year.Shelter is the story of Zach, a 20ish surfer/skateboarder/artist with a dead-end job and a dead-end life.
With an older sister more interested in going after the wrong men than in taking care of her 6-year-old son, it falls on Zach's shoulders to be the father figure in young Cody's life.
The return of Gabe's older brother Shaun makes Zach realize something about himself that he'd managed to avoid thinking about, and soon the two end up "more than friends." What makes Shelter such a fine film, besides Markowitz' gifts as a director/writer, the quality of its music, editing, and art direction, and the excellent performances of its cast (and that's already saying a lot), is the way it deals with seen-that-done-that themes in new and non-clichéd ways.
Yes, it's a coming out story, yes, Zach has trouble accepting who he is, yes, Zach's sister doesn't react well to having a gay brother, but no, Zach's best friend doesn't desert him, and no, his girlfriend doesn't have a hissy fit when she learns the truth, and in the end, Zach turns out to be quite a man.Ultimately, Shelter treats its gay romance pretty much like any straight indie film would treat a boy-girl one, and if ever there was a film which shows how "love makes a family," Shelter is that film.Trevor Wright (Zach), Brad Rowe (Shaun), Tina Holmes (Jeanne), Ross Thomas (Gabe), Katie Walder (Tori), and young Jackson Worth (Cody) couldn't be better and deserve to be remembered in award season, as do the filmmakers.Keep a copy of Shelter handy to loan to anyone who bemoans the state of gay cinema in 2008.
With a strong California look and feel as a backdrop, the film is about young Zach (played remarkably by Trevor Wright) struggling with maintaining responsibility to his family while dealing with friends and potentially giving up his academic dreams to be an artist.
And eventually he develops not only the strength to accept himself and Shaun into his life, but become an extraordinary father-figure to his 5 year old nephew, Cody.The beautiful thing about "Shelter" is that it doesn't rely on inane gay stereo-types (i.e.: flamboyant characters, drag queens, limp-wristed high-pitched voiced effete men, gratuitous sex bordering on pornography, etc.) or heavy-handed subject matter (drug addiction, HIV/AIDS).
Instead, Shelter is a riveting family drama and a story of first gay love set in a working class world.
Don't miss this one....The good story, true-to-life writing, great acting, and awesome soundtrack make this one of the best films out there.
And while now, after two years, I can enjoy the movie from a detached position and consider it to be a well-directed and well-acted movie, I still don't really see what the big deal is.And let me just say one thing: "Brokeback Mountain" has NOTHING on "Shelter." Have you ever watched a movie and just instantly fell in love with it?
And the whole thing was just beautiful.Trevor Wright is astounding as Zach, a young man who's struggling with his life on a day-to-day basis with his family, his on-again/off-again girlfriend, and his job.
It was also enjoyable to see gay characters allowed to interact with a young boy and play the Best Uncle role that so many of us carry in real life.
Expecting a rather shallow, coming-of-age-meeting-a-hunk kind of gay film, this movie delivers in many levels.
Very Good - Mercifully Avoids The Irritating Pitfalls Many Gay Films Fall Victim To. If you've been interested in watching a movie with gay characters but cringe in exasperation when you see guys dressing up as women, acting like tarts, courting death by way of promiscuity, taking drugs, feeling sorry for themselves or bathing in suicidal despair, then "Shelter" is the movie for you.
Trevor Wright (who plays Zach) and Brad Rowe (playing Shaun) make this film very likable.
Gay or Straight....Just a "feel good" movie!.
But how was even better.This is probably the best 'gay' film I've seen and look forward to seeing it again.
If you want to see another movie where they are allowed that happy ending, but want a more fleshed out story/characters then I highly recommend 'Maurice.' It is my favorite films of all time, gay or otherwise.
But all this being said, I would recommend watching 'Shelter' if you want a feel good movie that doesn't require much thinking and has nice surfer boys to ogle!.
The film is not like other gay movies I've seen...
Trevor Wright (who is all kinds of attractive) is a brilliant actor and brings the character of Zach to life perfectly.
It would be easy to see this as just a film about love of two gay men but it has a deeper story of the struggles of love between partner but also family and friends.