a short film by Mark Pariselli 2010 | 18 mins | Canada ›› Frozen Roads the repercussions of not letting your heart run free. From writer and director Mark Pariselli of After fame comes this poignant piece on the emotional repercussions of not letting your heart run free. Charting the bond between siblings Christian and Lyla, we witness Christian's growing acceptance of his homosexual heart, only for his childhood friend and fellow ice hockey player Balthazar to become increasingly ill-at-ease with his sexual self. Diverging feelings that are set to come to a head at a local party, when the two young men find themselves alone for some first time boy-on-boy action, that is if Bal is prepared to accept his true path in life? In a work laced with sweeping vistas of the snow covered grounds of rural Ontario, here we find Pariselli vividly chart the difficulties of "coming to terms with who you are, on your own" in an environment notably devoid of support groups and liberal city life. It is a scenario that paves the way for contrasting imagery of the carefree days of all three as children, flashback fashion, giving way to the achingly realistic growing pains of adolescent youth, that of Pariselli's coming-of-age story set around a small town community and the homophobia that lies within. Heavy in religious references, both verbal and visual and here cue the devout mindset of Bal's intolerant father, but oddly without any direct signs of homophobia, even if hints of such abound, the result and by no surprise offers few glimmers of hope. Yet whilst the open ended conclusion is far from optimistic, the emotional damage caused when you repress your homosexual calling, is all but clear. And that is a message worth repeating, even if Kyle Mac's beautifully played "wanting to get to know you" eye movements steal the show, in the pivotal scene in which actions speak louder than words. Gay Visibility - overt.  Nudity - bare-arsed cheek.  Overall - file under ... 3 stars.  ›› Available to buy from Amazon.com.   available on DVD as part of the Guest House Films catalogue - 'Blue Briefs' release: 26.June.2012 / US. starring: Kevin de Carli / Balthazar, Kyle Mac / Christian, Carlyn Burchell / Lyla, Paul Comeau / Balthazar's Father, Teresa Hughes / Christian and Lyla's Mother, Mario Lioni / Christian and Lyla's Father, Jamieson Hughes / Party Girl with Brandon Jukes / Young Balthazar, Garret Jukes / Young Christian and Abby Jukes as Young Lyla. cameo appearance by Patricia Pariselli as Balthazar's Mother. Copyright 2011 David Hall - www.gaycelluloid.com. archive reference #420 ›› previous page | back to top | print me ‹‹