I suppose I can understand why many people dislike Denied, but my response to it is very much different. Poor lighting and sound do not kill a movie for me if there is something valuable in it to dig for through those defects, and there is much of value in Denied. Except for the sound and lighting (and possibly the music), it is an excellent movie, much better than 99% of gay movies.The screenplay is intelligent, subtle, compassionate, never clichéd, and often surprising. Characters talk in the sometimes disjointed way people really talk, switching from one point to another with no warning or explanation. That may be too much for viewers accustomed to the clean, logical, familiar, easy-to-follow way everyone talks in most movies but no one talks in real life. Every line in this movie rings true.The acting is some of the best I've ever seen in any movie, and certainly much better than in most gay movies. Lee Rumohr in the lead as Troy is especially good, but Matt Austin as Merrick is not far behind; and, in a much smaller role as Fowler, Troy's gentle but troubled fellow ex-jock, Matthew Finlason is amazing.I would almost recommend watching only the last half hour of the movie, from around the 1:05:00 mark (which unfortunately does not correspond with a chapter marker on the DVD - if you see a man standing alone on a lighted sports field at night, you're in the right place) to the very end. By that point, all the tedious stuff with Merrick's EXTREMELY tedious girlfriend Stacey is over, and all that's left is Troy's resolving his relationships with Fowler (which takes about 8 minutes) and then with Merrick (the last 20 minutes or so). That's when this movie really starts to shine, when it takes off and soars far above any other gay movie I can think of. But watching only the end would deprive you of its context, of understanding why Troy and his friends make the choices they make and how much those choices cost them.So here's what I recommend: If you can't stand working at watching a movie, if you prefer to have everything laid before you in order and easy to get without any work on your part, everything easy to see and every sound clear as a bell, then forget Denied. Stick with conventional, slickly professional and familiarly produced movies like Billy's Hollywood Screen Kiss.If you love gay movies, particularly gritty, realistic movies about people like us, then give Denied a shot. But hold on through about an hour of relatively tedious stuff; it will make your enjoyment of the treasures at the end richer than it would be without it.But if you can't do that - if you can't or won't slog your way through an hour of tedium to get to a half hour of great beauty - then skip immediately to 1:05:00 and pay close attention, adjusting the video on your TV and replaying bits as necessary to get what people are saying. It will be well worth the effort. Even knowing nothing about the characters, seeing how they act and interact is profoundly satisfying in a way all movies should be but very few are.Denied truly is a diamond in the rough; if you're a diamond hunter like me, go for it, and don't give up until you're holding it in your grubby little hands. You may find in the process that it has worked its way into your heart to stay.

I rented 2 DVD's at a local DVD rental store and the 3rd was free so I picked Denied.The plot and description sounded good.I started watching it and realized it was horrible.The picture quality and sound were atrocious.Nobody seemed to be really acting(I could be wrong)but it was like watching someone's home videos of their lives. The picture should have been digitally remastered, the audio or sound should have been done properly,and it desperately needed to be edited because some scenes dragged on way too long and were boring and lame.And then maybe it would be worthy of being released.What a waste! It was painful to watch and I don't know how it even found distribution.The only part I really liked was near the end when Merrick(Matt Austin) admits his feelings to Troy(Lee Rumohr)and they get it on.At least these 2 guys are cute and easy on the eyes.And then Troy decides he's fed up with the head games and living in a small town decides to leave for good.His affect on his best friend was surprising and touching! It is a nice story that undoubtedly occurs but this DVD seems like a very rough cut of what should have been a decent movie if it was remade with a higher budget and done properly.I was surprised to see Stefan Brogren(of Degrassi high/next generation) in such a low budget amateur film.There are some good Canadian films out there and some bad ones,but this one is an embarrassment.

OK, I usually enjoy cheesy homosexual, indie, foreign and/or B movies, but this one was just utterly awful and cannot keep the attention of a brain-dead snail, It was like filmed in a crappy place with bad lighting, bad dialogue, bad acting, bad script, and just bad bad everything, calling this a "B" movie would be too much as well as too nice.....I would think twice about watching this movie or even have anything to do with this movie, I was bored and got it from netflix, and I tried so hard to just watch it, but the story leaves you with nothing to make you want to keep going...If you need to talk a nap or fall asleep, do yourself a favor and watch this pathetic disgrace for a movie.

There aren't many movies that portray mainstream gay relationships. This move does. The two main characters are very likable and have great chemistry together. "Denied" deals with the struggles gay men have coming out of themselves and the people they have grown up with. The director has done a great job of maintaining tension of the film you never quite sure what's going to happen next. There are some nice sex scenes that are tender and touching not contrived or gratuitous. If you've always wanted to see a movie that portrays how men care and love one another you will like this movie. Great dialog and acting. Film lighting and sound could be improved but are worth putting up with. Hats off to all who participated in this movie. Please do more!