Akron (2015)

i know i wasted 90 mins of my life.

Charming and brutal

A lot of fun.

Great story, amazing characters, superb action, enthralling cinematography. Yes, this is something I am glad I spent money on.

It's that sort of movies that you feel happy and refreshed after watching them. The actors played their roles pretty good especially Edmund Donovan his face expressions were perfect as well as his using of body language and the tone of his voice...I see a bright future for him in acting (hopefully). I just really liked the movie, it's a film displaying the life of two gay couple living a NORMAL life not like other movies where something tragic must happen eventually.

I've seen and compared them all--Watercolors, Departure, For My Brother, Latter Days, Monster Pies, Brokeback Mountain, Newcastle, A Single Man, Sons, L.I.E., Beautiful Thing, North Sea Texas, Mysterious Skin, Milk, Closet Monster, Hidden Kisses, The Boys, Hidden Away, Holding the Man, The Way He Looks, Dream Boy, The Journey of Jared Price...you name it, and THIS movie, Akron, ranks above them all. In virtually every category imaginable, it shines. It has extremely attractive young actors who understand their trade. It features passion and frequent heart-wrenching emotion. The plot is well-conceived and carries tension throughout. The filming and production are professional. It has everything, really, except a lot of nudity. It doesn't even become tiresome on a second or third viewing, because the acting is so superb and the emotional power so strong.Edmund Donovan and Matthew Frias are brilliant in their portrayal of Chris and Benny, two college freshmen who fall in love at the University of Akron, but who prove to be as star-crossed as Romeo and Juliet, though unwittingly so at first. By the worst luck imaginable, they learn that they are linked by a tragic event involving their mothers that occurred 12 years before they met.Don't be fooled by the rural settings used in the movie. It's not an apple farm yawner like Fair Haven. This film has pace and is supported by powerful chemistry between two young and very talented actors. The supporting cast members, especially Andrea Burns and Amy Da Luz who play the boys' mothers, bring extra power to the script.Akron's IMDb rating of 6.0 (and lower in the recent past) kept me from watching it until recently, and what a huge mistake that was. It's every bit the equal of Departure and Brokeback Mountain and moves at a quicker tempo than either. You'll wonder, as I do, why its IMDb rating isn't closer to 8.0. Clearly, it suffered from under-promotion upon release. It is one truly beautiful film.

Great movie primarily because of the actors, especially the two who play the central characters.The plot is a bit contrived though entirely plausible. I don't think it's necessary to look for any deep meaning in the behavior of those involved. Obviously a tragedy occurred and it was bound to have a profound effect on all involved and it was something that would not have been fully explored between parents and the very young boys at the time. Likewise it would have been a painful jolt to all involved when it suddenly resurfaced again as the two young men fell for each other at school. Forgiveness and rational thinking are easy to expect in theory, but far more difficult to deal with in reality. One thought that never seemed to have arisen was whether blame should have been shared between both mothers ... Christopher's mother who was driving the car that struck Benny's brother and Benny's mother who apparently allowed the child to run out in front of the car.We never know how long the relationship between Benny and Christopher lasted. The shared tragedy might have been overcome by love and forgiveness, but it would always be a burden that would weigh on them both.It was a well done bit of drama and romance, but it was not anything from which profound meaning could be extracted.

If you saw every gay movie made since 1950, you'd never see one as good as Akron. It's not only the best gay movie made so far, it's one of the best movies period. You have to look at the very best ever--movies like Gone with the Wind and The Godfather--to find any that are better than Akron.Benny and Christopher meet as college freshmen. They get very close very fast. They're both extremely comfortable being gay, loved and fully supported by their friends and families, and they freely demonstrate their affection everywhere they go. It's marvelous to see.There is no homophobia anywhere in this movie, thank God. No bullies, no bashing, no parental disapproval, no coming-out angst. No hiding. No HIV. None of the other "curses" that most gay dramas wallow in. Critics may say Akron is unrealistic, but it's no less real than the negative crap we've already seen plenty of in gay movies.Akron shows a beautifully healthy and positive side of the gay experience that has been completely neglected in movies until now. There ARE families like this--lots of them--we just haven't seen them on screen before. There also is no melodrama in Akron, which is even more remarkable. Nobody overacts or over-reacts. Nobody ever does anything that doesn't feel completely genuine and true and natural and normal.There IS drama, but it's not centered on being gay. It turns out that the two families' paths had crossed in a terrible tragedy many years earlier, and when they discover that connection everything blows apart. The last half of the movie shows how each person in the two families (not just the lovers) deals with the newly-awakened pain.Small, unpretentious movies like this, about human beings relating to each other, don't win awards or sell tickets any more, but they're the only movies worth seeing. If you love blockbusters, you'll hate Akron; but if you love movies, you'll love this one. It's as nearly perfect in every way as a movie can be.