feelings, fears, expectations, decisions, faces of new beginning. and a character who can be every of us. because it is not exactly a gay story. it is only search of best option in a desert of reality. a pledge for friendship virtues and need of the other. an exercise to define reality as drawing of intentions. and demonstration of human relationships. central virtue - the music as morning cigar smoke. and the courage of script to build nuances of a small universe as steps of new level. not a remarkable film. but a good occasion to discover the roots of common life. and to understand it more than part of accident. or part of generally lust.

A young man struggles to find purpose and meaning as he pulled in different directions by best friends, ex-partner and new man in his life.Rule number one: in order to take the audience on an 'in simpatico' journey with the troubled young protagonist, a film/script/level of character development must allow the audience to care. Trevor's problems are well telegraphed - dead-end job, ambivalent support from his friends, cyclical torments caused by junkie ex-lover, estrangement from family etc., but as Trevor is so unappealing, we find it hard to care. All the primary characters are so self-serving - Trevor's life is all about the aforementioned miseries, Jake is sour and one-note sarcastic, Andi is utterly self-absorbed (I want a man/I don't want a man), Daryl's addiction behaviour patterns and Ephraim's need for commitment and reassurance. Everyone looks at their lives and events with such a total lack of empathy that when Andi finally explodes and delivers her drunken tirade at Trevor for being so self-obsessed I actually had to laugh. Holding Trevor isn't about relationships with others, it's about relationships with 'self', and the eventual choice made by Trevor (start afresh or replace one needy and suffering friend with another) seems to reinforce this - Jake, Andi and Ephraim all put themselves first ('you can't go/stay; we need you') and for all the suggestion of positive change (Trevor's quitting from his job), the reality is just more of the same for poor, poor Trevor... his choice.

Young Trevor, played by screenwriter Brent Gorski, is intelligent enough to know that it life is not on track. He is dissatisfied and feels cast adrift. Nothing will 'hold Trevor', until he finds what he wants out of life, but will he find completeness in the love that he craves?Trevor is entangled in an unhealthy relationship with Darrell, a self-destructive heroin addict. And, Trevor is equally trapped in a boring, telemarketing job--a job which, he sees, as taking him nowhere on a dead-end road. The party scene is vapid, and I can't help but wonder why Trevor would seek comfort from something so empty and lonely?Trevor's roommate, Andie, and Jake (a singer) are his best friends. Like Trevor, they seem to be pulled apart by boredom and discontent.Darrell overdoses, once again and, at a hospital, Trevor meets a medical intern by the name of Ephram. Ephram, filled with ambition, gives Trevor hope. Ephram, a man of strikingly good looks, offers Trevor warmth. He also gives Trevor a chance to break out of his entanglement with Darrell, a relationship which is dragging Trevor's life consistently down. But, will Trevor find passion, romance, and security?Trevor seems poised to make some positive changes, in his life, which includes ending his perilous relationship with Darrell. Trevor makes an attempt to patch up his impaired relationships with Andie and Jake. Trevor's celebration, of a negative HIV test, explodes in rage and sorrow. Darrell shows up, unannounced, and makes quite a scene. Then, at the same time, Ephram suggests that Trevor is not yet ready to make a commitment. When he is down, Andie also verbally attacks Trevor.While being pulled all over the place, in conflicting directions, will Trevor be able to stand his ground and better his life?Director Rosser Goodman (That's What I'm Talking' 'Bout, Frameline29) is given ample opportunity to explore fertile territory in Gorski's script, but fails to provide a focus on the required raw emotions. For this reason, I rate the film a 6 out of 10. Yet, with all of its flaws, the film's script shows potential for further development. I would like to see Ephram showing up, at the beginning of the film, rather than towards the end of the film. In this way, tension would increase at the start of the film, instead of midway. Additionally, the love scenes require more work, in order to make them believable. But, the film is a fair attempt, and worth seeing.

I was fortunate enough to catch HOLDING TREVOR today at OUTFEST, the Los Angeles Gay & Lesbian Film Festival. I think it is really charming. It is beautifully directed, very funny and ultimately very moving. I thought a group of 20-somethings was going to bore me to tears. But the characters are vivid and interesting. The directing and acting are superb. Brent Gorski, the writer and star, is really a wonderfully talented filmmaker. And he is very, very easy on the eyes. One of the sexiest screen actors I have seen in ages. The camera loves him and so will audiences who catch this delightful movie.It's funny because now that I think of it no one in the movie really does "hold" Trevor. But I realize the title is a metaphor for Trevor being adrift in life. So, never mind.BRAVO!!!