Rialto (2019) -
I'm glad that I could use the subtitles for this one. There's a lot of quiet whispered talk in a very strong accent.
It's not a cheerful film at all with Colm dealing with the death of an abusive father and Jay still dealing with his own Dad and being a parent himself.
I didn't realise that so many people had Daddy Issues like mine actually.
There's also a lot of aggression between everyone in general.
Although it's got a quite dull, grimey and sordid element to it, there is also something very sweet, but also erotic about the connection between the leads. It's not just the sexual scenes, which aren't actually that explicit, but also the timid and saddening relationship between Colm and Jay, as they open up to each other. It's that moment of intimacy as your getting to know someone while the urges continue to build.
It's filmed in a similar way to 'Vera' (2011-), so alike that I kept expecting her to turn up and accuse Colm of murdering someone. I think that would have just made his day. It would have improved the film too as the story doesn't really go anywhere and there's not enough of anything else to make it worthwhile really. As such there's not really a lot of point to it for me.
The acting is all very fine and all that, Tom Vaughan-Lawlor in particular, but it could have been used for something a lot more worthwhile and to tell an LGBTQ+ story that doesn't seem so seedy and wrong.
I'm probably a bit too sentimental, but I would have liked the two leads to have found a kindred spirit in each other and run off together. What actually happens is incredibly boring and the build up that actually had some potential comes to a crashing halt and before you know it the film is over.
309.88/1000.
