SUN KISSED

We thank the soundtrack band and cinematographer for showing up, but otherwise this movie completely and utterly sucks.

There are two aspects of Sun Kissed that will have to share the single slice rating: 1) The pleasant alterna-pop soundtrack by the band The Sea and Cake, and 2) The handsome cinematography that effectively uses candy-coated colors and dramatic shading.

And that's it. Because otherwise Sun Kissed is frankly unwatchable.

Let's see... one pretty young man picks up another pretty young man out in the desert. They seem to be strangers, but have an understanding... a familiarity, if you will. They head to a house in the middle of nowhere. Within 10 minutes, they are nearly naked, hosing down each other's nearly naked bodies in the heat. Within 20 minutes, one character is already flashing back to earlier in the film. In the meantime, you are asking yourself, "What the hell is going on? And could these actors be any more terrible?"

There are bizarre dream-like sequences, where the character of Leo (the very pretty Gregory Marcel) imagines himself running through the desert, screaming, with blood on his hands. Suddenly he is in bed with a woman having intimate pillow talk. Then Teddy (John Ort) is biting Leo's shoulder. Then later the woman bites Leo's shoulder. Leo says he used to be married. Leo says his wife was murdered. Teddy is a brilliant author, working alone in the remote house in the desert, and when he is writing well, he smiles and squirms while he types, because that's what we writers do when we are on a roll. Teddy throws an immature hissy fit whenever Leo threatens to leave. Hm.

Apparently the director to festival audiences that he was going for an experimental quality in his filmmaking. Ugh. I call it bad editing, confusing screenplay, and dreadful acting by all involved. If you are a gay boy looking for hot action, there isn't even enough of that in Sun Kissed to make it even worth a rental. Heck, this movie almost makes some of the worst lesbian dramas look good in comparison! Avoid this film at all costs. Believe me.

[By the way, if you are looking for an answer as to What the Hell Was Going On with the characters, one reader on IMDB suggests that Leo was suffering from "Dissociative Identity Disorder (DSM-IV-TR 300.14)" I have to say I was impressed with the thought that went into that analysis, but honestly not interested enough to give it a Google. If you care enough, perhaps this will help you unlock the puzzle!)