Bugcrush (2006)

Excellent but underrated film

Am I Missing Something?

The movie's not perfect, but it sticks the landing of its message. It was engaging - thrilling at times - and I personally thought it was a great time.

Story: It's very simple but honestly that is fine.

Dark. bitter. chilling. a film about dark side of an age. not surprising. only admirable precise. the characters are well known. the atmosphere - created in inspired manner. the loner guy - reflection of the viewer in many cases. because each of us is defined by questions. and expectations. short - a solide film. not a lesson. not a pledge. only a precise, honest portrait. about fascination and secrets, need to be accepted and the answer who is not exactly a reasonable one.

"Bugcrush" is a 35-minute live action short film from 10 years ago written and directed by Carter Smith. The topic in this one is same-sex love (affair) and as so many times with this topic, it turns out a very forgettable film. Expectations must be very low, so that you will not be disappointed by the acting or writing in here. I would be surprised if any of the key players here, no matter if behind or in front of the camera can manage a great career in the coming years. They certainly need to step up their game. A lot. "Bugcrush" is a film that is a mix of weak and mediocre scenes and I cannot recommend the watch. Thumbs down from me for this one.

I watched this tonight as my inauguration to Amazon Instant Video. Never heard of it or the series before, so I went into it having no idea what it was about. I thought it was fantastic and the negative reviews from members of the "gay community" don't surprise me (yes, I am gay.) As another reviewer said, "if you demand that LGBT films provide some kind of cheerful morality tale or insist that every movie with LGBT characters must have some universal gay community message, you'll be disappointed with what you get with this film." All the more reason to watch in my opinion. I don't think the gay community will ever get how self-destructive and detrimental it is to itself.

From beginning to end, this movie is a dark portrayal of youth of today. It opens with the perfect introductions to our characters; the loner, anti-authority focus of our lead's fascination and the obviously small world of Ben, for whom the story is told. From the moment he lays eyes on Grant, you can see the longing in Ben's eyes. The very need to watch every movement is reminiscent of those crushes that most gay men go through as teenagers. Even as his friends warn him from the path he's following, Ben cannot help himself. It was up until this point that the movie was perfect. I felt it lost a point for the ending, which even though I had a feeling was coming to some extent, was still disappointing. I had hoped that it would only end up with Ben falling in with Grant's crowd of under-achieving slackers, but instead it brought us back in time to when all stories about gay people ended in misery. Over-all, it is still a great movie, which is why I wasn't willing to dock too many points for my own disappointment.