by Annette Basile
Worth: $14.50
FilmInk rates movies out of $20 — the score indicates the amount we believe a ticket to the movie to be worth
Cast:
Jake Holley, Colin McCalla, Riley Quinn Scott, Connor Storrie
Intro:
… an involving drama, thanks largely to the superb performance by Jake Holley in the central role …
The premise sounds generic: high school football star struggles with his sexuality in a sensitive coming-of-age tale. And, well, it is. Yet this is also an involving drama, thanks largely to the superb performance by Jake Holley in the central role of Dakota Riley.
Dakota’s family all hold hands as they say grace before meals and his dad is also his football coach. While there are openly gay guys in class, it’s clear that being straight is the default setting for Dakota. Not only do his family tacitly expect him to be a heterosexual sporting hero, Dakota expects it from himself. He even gets himself a girlfriend – Skylar (Riley Quinn Scott). But the uncloseted Liam (an excellent Connor Storrie) has Dakota worked out.
The story begins with Dakota arriving at the home of an older man who, we assume, he met online. It’s a bumpy start with dialogue that fails to ignite. And there’s more less-than-thrilling dialogue to come, with inane high school banter – Dakota’s best friend and team mate, Jaeden (Colin McCalla) is a dickhead. But he’s a dickhead with the body of an Adonis, and Dakota can’t help but notice.
It’s low budget – crowd-funded, in fact – and filmed on location in San Diego, with Howard offering cinematic flourishes that transcend the low-budget feel, such as a stunning sunset hike or the gorgeous scenes of Dakota and Skylar on a carousel at night. Howard has a good eye – and a good ear, using contemporary tunes that cleverly buoy the narrative. His script needs tightening, yet it does contain pearls of wisdom – some coming, surprisingly, from that older man in a scene that reprises later in the film.
Yes it does feel like a tale that’s been told before. The writer/director has stated that the film is based on his own experiences, with clichés overridden by the ring of truth, and the problems in the script outweighed by strong characterisations.
Ultimately, Dakota Riley is a character you can really care about, and with lead actor Holley’s help, first time feature writer/director Benjamin Howard manages to get inside his hero’s head in a compelling way.
