a short film by Lalo Vasquez 2008 | 20 mins | US ›› Promise a disturbing look at love and commitment. Packing more emotional angst into its limited time frame than many a feature I could name, here we find writer and director Lalo Vasquez chart the dark side of a seemingly perfect relationship. Not that you would know this at first, as lovers of the long-term variety Stu and Chris appear to have it all, being on the eve of making their wedding vows to each other in front of their friends and family. Only that was before past indiscretions surface in the light of day, after the drunken night before. With the pulsating beat of a flashback nightclub act intercut with a simple, but effective piano score, this powerful work is in essence that of a two man play and it's played achingly real at that too, much to the credit of the Cornette / Alexander boys. For be warned, here Vasquez has gone out of his way to question just how "open" an open relationship can be, by exploring "the promise" of never returning to a one-night stand, for more of the same. Ingrained with feelings of hurt and regret as a result, here Go Go Reject co-star Korken Alexander excels as the cheating partner, even if Rick Cornette is far from being the moral compass of the piece, in a harrowing scene that I dare say some may find all too shockingly realistic. Only given the premise offered here, the question clearly beckons of whether or not come the close of play, Stu and Chris will be seen walking down the aisle together? But then that would be saying, in this well-executed, if disturbing look at love and commitment. 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 - 'Black Briefs' release: 21.February.2012 / US. starring: Rick Cornette as Chris and Korken Alexander as Stu. co-starring: Jeremy Lucas / Nate, Jull Weber / Art, Josh Blanaru / Joseph, Annie Iskenderian / Mom, Jason Layden / the Bartender and Geovanny as the Go Go Boy. official website: www.chapter7entertainment.com/films/promise Copyright 2012 David Hall - www.gaycelluloid.com. archive reference #465 ›› previous page | back to top | print me ‹‹