a short film by Samuel Park 2005 | 7 mins | US ›› Shakespeare's Sonnets a tender tale of gay affection. Set in a prestigious Ivy League University, this tender tale of gay affection from writer and director Samuel Park in its own gentle way tells the story of an erudite man of literature, who comes to help a fellow scholar realise his homosexual self. Only Sebastian is not doing his bit for gay liberation entirely without self-interest, given he has the hots for the man himself. Then again, he's not the only one, given Aaron's good looks, wealth and social standing make him the perfect man about campus and inparticular for girlfriend Annie. Knowing that his is but a case of unrequited love, Sebastian takes refuge in spending time with the object of his affection by way of discussions on life; moments alone together in which he hopes to persuade Aaron to embrace both his sexuality and his one true love. Originally a one-act play and lately both a book and film short, this unobtrusively shot work charts in its brief seven minute time frame the relationship between two men; one overtly gay and the other of hetero façade who through literature, come to discover their love for each other. And all is well with such, except for its name, given that nowhere do Shakespeare's love sonnets appear. For this is a work whose title makes no sense without its exposition, a scene that was ironically cut by Park over concerns for its duration. Although given how many shorts I have seen that are in dire need of an edit, this is one that could well have benefited by extra time being added. That said, Vincent Kartheiser of TV's Angel fame is every inch the Harvard dandy of the piece, one in which no gaydar is required, whilst Jordan Brower who shone in Nickolas Perry's Speedway Junky as a sweet gay hustler is nicely cast here as a macho student who comes to question just how close he wishes to experience English poetry and Greek love. As to whether or not Sebastian gets close to the man himself OR sees him turn instead to favour social conformity, would be saying. Then again, we do not get to know, as this work teases us with a hint of what could be. For like many a good short this is but a cinematic starter, wetting your appetite, only to leave you with a craving for more.   starring: Vincent Kartheiser, Jordan Brower and Corin Amber Norton. Copyright 2010 David Hall - www.gaycelluloid.com. archive reference #166 ›› previous page | back to top | print me ‹‹