I'm a fan of the majority of Victor Salva's works, but this is one of the few that really didn't do it for me. However, that's not to say (and I'll mention it all right off the top) that this feels like a very personal and lovingly constructed film from Victor's perspective. You can sense his heart throughout it and, being an LGBT individual himsef, it feels slightly autobiographical having a gay couple in this film, despite a less than positive reception from the father figure.
My issue with this film is that it plays out like a TV movie. Following the heels of the Disney-helmed Powder that would come out 4 years prior, this is a film of much lower quality all around. It has the heart, but it's wrapped up in too many layers to comfortably get to it; it packs in the melodrama, but it's not sure exactly how to approach it from scene by scene. It's got a thriller element, but it doesn't come in until a little later in the movie, at which point it kind of feels out of place, as if Victor was writing a passion project before realizing one night "oh yeah, they paid me to write a thriller" and shoehorning in a little bit of a more suspenseful arc that, while edited in satisfactorily, still doesn't do anything positive for the film.
There are moments where this film genuinely shines, but for the most part it winds up being too scattered to be truly enjoyable. Had it been honed in a little bit more and had the focus of the film been more clearly defined in the earlier drafts of the script, I think this could've been an incredible film. It could also have done well with no thriller aspects whatsoever. If this were nothing more than a story of love, forgiveness and redemption, it would've been a sappy, Hallmarky film but it would've retained enough charm to give it serious rewatchability.
Nevertheless, I view all of Victor's films as steps along the way in his journey through life, but also in his creative evolution, and I'll always be grateful for the films he's given us (and will, hopefully, continue to give us going forward).
My issue with this film is that it plays out like a TV movie. Following the heels of the Disney-helmed Powder that would come out 4 years prior, this is a film of much lower quality all around. It has the heart, but it's wrapped up in too many layers to comfortably get to it; it packs in the melodrama, but it's not sure exactly how to approach it from scene by scene. It's got a thriller element, but it doesn't come in until a little later in the movie, at which point it kind of feels out of place, as if Victor was writing a passion project before realizing one night "oh yeah, they paid me to write a thriller" and shoehorning in a little bit of a more suspenseful arc that, while edited in satisfactorily, still doesn't do anything positive for the film.
There are moments where this film genuinely shines, but for the most part it winds up being too scattered to be truly enjoyable. Had it been honed in a little bit more and had the focus of the film been more clearly defined in the earlier drafts of the script, I think this could've been an incredible film. It could also have done well with no thriller aspects whatsoever. If this were nothing more than a story of love, forgiveness and redemption, it would've been a sappy, Hallmarky film but it would've retained enough charm to give it serious rewatchability.
Nevertheless, I view all of Victor's films as steps along the way in his journey through life, but also in his creative evolution, and I'll always be grateful for the films he's given us (and will, hopefully, continue to give us going forward).