5/5 Excellent film worth watching many times
  by Enrique J. Perez (Oakland, CA USA)
I love how this film was done. It was a "down-to-earth" tender story about finding love, building a future and that sometimes families are defined through interpersonal interactions more so than by blood. It was about realizing your dreams, manifesting them through multiple challenges, and about the sacrifices that Love sometimes requires. It was realizing that it was better to live honestly, be true to your nature, and of overcoming one's fears. I was impressed by the simplicity of the scenes and the richness in their content. I liked the choice of neighborhoods and the lack of pretentiousness. It was nice seeing it based in San Pedro California near to where I grew up, and at some of the local surfing places I used to go with friends that are not as "straight" as some would like to believe. This film is a definite keeper.

5/5 Shelter Review
  by Misten Lee
Shelter was A Great Story and Well Executed Movie. It was a type of story that could really Hit Home for a lot of People! I thought It was Wonderful! A Little Short, But I Loved every minute of it. I Loved that it told the story from Zachs Point of View. It showed the troubles with coming to the Fact that he actually did like another person and that it Happened to be a Guy. Also liked the fact that you could just look at those two and never even think that they would be a couple. They could actually just pass off as two Best Friends. This Movie could Help One that is dealing with coming out like Zach is doing throughout this movie. They can Relate on the same level. Simply Wonderful! Great Ending!!

It got to my home well before the date that was set. Everything was fine with the movie. No Scratches, and Overall in Great Condition!

5/5 A great movie, worth owning even though the technical presentation could be better
  by Randy Lee (Utah)
Finally, a gay romance flick that isn't completely based around tragedy or a terrible unfolding fate, just a romance between two people that audiences gay and straight can enjoy. I bought this product when it was first released from a retailer here in Northern Utah, and it cost me [...], which leads me to my point: [...] is worth it to experience a film like this. Heck, [...]would of even been worth it. This is one of my favorite romance films, gay or straight, and even though the technical presentation on the DVD is a bit underwhelming (the picture is soft, but the sound is fine, presented in Dolby Digital 5.1), that would be an invalid reason to miss a great of film as this.

If you are buying this DVD solely with the purpose of demoing your Home Theater system in the terms of picture quality, you'll be a bit disappointed. But who am I kidding? This isn't some action flick or a ridiculously high budget and loud special effects extravaganza.

4/5 Heart-warming and enjoyable
  by Rob N (Jersey City, NJ USA)
Shelter doesn't rise to the level of great filmmaking but it's a really nicely made movie that's heart-warming and ultimately enjoyable to watch. To be sure, the script has too many "dudes" and "bros" and lots of guys catching waves. But it's no more a surfer movie that Brokeback Mountain was a cowboy movie. Surely that's part of the storytelling vehicle, but it's the human interactions that matter.

The other downside is that director Jonah Markowitz could have made a sexier film without crossing the line into soft porn. Shelter is tamer sexually than it needs to be. Honestly, would two guys who'd made love all night wake up together the next morning wearing underwear?

I occasionally found the music soundtrack somewhat distracting, even though some of the songs were good.

Still, Shelter is well-made film with a fairly good script, fine performances and excellent cinematography and film editing. The surfing and ocean scenes were beautifully filmed and edited.

So what if it has a somewhat predictably happy ending? Not every story of gay men ends with tragedy or heartbreak. This film deals with subject matter about which I'm personally familiar - dealing with your own sexuality and trying to decide your own future while playing father figure to your sister's offspring.

Zach, played by Trevor Wright, is caring and sensitive while being tough at the same time. His art and his surfing are his escapes from the realities of every day life.

Shaun, played by Brad Rowe, has returned home to lick his wounds after the breakup of his relationship but finds himself falling for Zach, the best friend of his younger brother Gabe. Shaun taught Gabe and Zach to surf and its surfing that brings Shaun and Zach together.

The movie shows how conflicted Zach is about his sexuality. There's the moment when after a night of drinking together he allows Shaun to kiss him, only to wake the next morning running away from what happened. He returns the stares of another surfer in a beach parking lot, but turns away when he becomes uncomfortable. He becomes standoffish with Shaun each time he gets questions about his sexuality from his sister Jeanne, with whom he lives and whose he is father figure.

He initially gives in, but backs away when he's unsure of how to deal with all the pressures in his life while loving another man.

Shaun is patient, but I don't believe overly so. There are moments when Shaun pushes for what he wants but backs away when he realizes he's pushing too hard.

Overall, I see places where some improvements could have made this good movie into an excellent one. Still, it is a good, very enjoyable movie and one worth adding to your DVD collection.





5/5 Just Wonderful!!
  by
A beautifully made and well acted movie. Kinda of like Brokeback Mountian but with a hopeful ending. And when I have shown it to friends they have totally acgreed. I recommned it.