Review: Shared Rooms

This is a first for me when it comes to reviewing because I actually know one of the main actors and if he’s seen the link on FaceBook I’m sure he’s reading this right now (Hi Justin). But I’ve been reviewing for close to 7 years now so I like to believe I have some semblance of professionalism so let’s do this thing. For the past few years I’ve been venturing into the world of LGBT cinema to gain a better insight into a world I know nothing about, Shared Rooms is admittedly lighter than what I’m usually into but it uses the holiday season to bring about something quite sweet.

Set in the days from Christmas into New Year’s, the film takes on three separate storylines around the L.A. area, husbands Cal and Laslo are dreading loosing the last of their gay friends to adoptive parenthood only for Cal’s 17 year old nephew Zeke (who he’s never met) arrives having been kicked out by his mother after coming out. With nowhere else for the boy to turn, the pair try to figure out how to be parents without the years of practise that comes with it.

Travelling man Dylan arrives home to find that his roommate Julian has been renting his room online and their current guest still has a week prepaid, forcing the two of them share a bed until he leaves. Putting Dylan in a very awkward situation given that he’s been in love with Julian since they met two years ago.

Artist Sid hooks up with a stranger called Gray over an app looking for something quick and easy but the two find themselves spending the rest of the week talking about art, religion and politics, all while being completely naked... as you do.

At 75 minutes long none of the stories are delved into all that much, rather presenting enough material for three situations and letting things play out. The result is a mixed but mostly good bag, the Cal and Laslo storyline is the strongest with the humour of immediately raising a teenager presenting some of the better jokes of the film while also allowing for some good heart-to-hearts.

Dylan and Julian had the weakest storyline for me, it was decently set-up with Julian’s idea to rent out the constantly travelling Dylan’s room inviting a lot of potential but it was let down when it tries to open the romance route, Dylan’s admittance of his love for Julian came a little out of left field, I understand that he’s trying to hide it but a little more build-up would’ve been nice. But even then afterwards the story just sort of meanders around waiting to hook the two of them up by the end, it’s a shame cause I think given the set-up there was more that could’ve been done.

Middle of the pack was Sid and Gray, I wasn’t hugely sold on this one to begin with and not just because of the nudity, it felt a little too ‘indie’ for lack of a better term with both Sid and Gray having that artsy way about them. But the more time they spent together the more comfortable their conversations became, I could almost see them both opening up to each other and while like Dylan their storyline involved a shock reveal regarding Gray’s past, it’s used much more organically and pays off better overall.

Acting mirrored the overall effectiveness of the storylines, Cal and Laslo had the best chemistry of the film and actively played like an old married couple, bickering but never losing that love for each other, Cal played off like the more conservative and caring of the two, his thoughts immediately turn towards protecting Zeke and doing what’s best for him while Laslo has a more care-free way of thinking and a dirty sense of humour to match, thinking more about Zeke’s cooking abilities than his welfare. Not to say he doesn’t care about Zeke, he just better recognises what the boy is going through and allowing Laslo to have the heart-to-heart with him made more sense.

Zeke himself had arguably the best acting in the film, he played awkward and lost very well in the beginning but came into his own once he was able to open up to his uncles. His story about why he was kicked out by his parents is a tough story that surely many young gay kids have faced but Zeke manages to make it feel personal and yet relatable at the same time.

Since there was too much meandering around with their storyline, neither Dylan or Julian is given that much to work with, Julian fares better with a cocksure attitude and tendency to not notice his own nudity but Dylan just came off as a little too bland for my liking, other than travelling we don’t really know anything about him and it shows in a big way.

Sid and Gray had a similar dynamic to Cal and Laslo with Sid being the good-hearted artist and Gray being the mysterious, almost anarchic loner but they complimented each other well. Part of why I wasn’t initially sold by them was that their conversations felt a little too on the nose, for example an early conversation about religion turned towards asking about the whys of cancer, AIDS and Fox News. But both actors eased into their roles as the film went on, I believed their relationship growing from a couple days more than I believed other romances in the film and by the time they were both opening up about their pasts it felt almost natural for them to be at that state and how things unfold from there, especially for Gray, had a nice touch to them.

I’ve not seen anything by director Rob Williams before but I’m surprised this isn’t his first feature, that sounds meaner than I wanted to, what I meant is that the style of this film is very reminiscent of a TV movie, it looked quite cheap and it made it hard not to see the film the same way, I understand not every film can be a blockbuster but the unfiltered look definitely hurt it.

That being said the film isn’t half-bad put together, while it is a lighter tone overall the film does still touch upon gay relationships both old and new, gay parents, hook-ups, exes, youth, some better than others but it presents it all with this light-hearted acceptance. That may sound schizophrenic considering some topics that come up later in the film (particularly with the Sid and Gray storyline) and admittedly the nice neat bow that ends everything is a little too neat for my liking but it kinda works, the way the film handles itself in this openly accenting gay corner of LA gives it the chance to play towards a more feel-good style.

For what it is, I found Shared Rooms to be pretty decent, in all honestly it is still too light for my tastes but I just like my gay films to have a little more angst to them. On it’s own merits Shared Rooms is harmless, it doesn’t always work the way it wants to (Dylan and Julian being the biggest misstep along with some wonky dialogue) but it’s still mostly strong with the Cal and Laslo story bringing a sense of fun to gay parenting and the Sid and Gray story giving some bones to an otherwise meat filled storyline. ..

Wait I phrased that wrong.

6/10