Apart

By: Scott Cranin
In-House Review - Jan 25 2012

Painting a portrait of the frayed border at the end of love, writer/director Afdhere Jama tells five parallel stories that will all resonate in your heart. Each of these tales is of a person who doesn't say something that needs to be said, doesn't do something that needs to be done. There is Dre who leaves his girlfriend without ever telling her that he's gay. She's left shattered and wondering why. There's Mario who never tells his friend how he feels. Shot with a gritty urban integrity, Apart's message might bludgeon you a bit, but it's one we all need to learn and btw, I haven't mentioned this yet - there's some hot stuff here so it's very entertaining.

By: Barry

A pleasant, sensitive, quiet and nicely paced film. No one has mastered the editing process that well (abrupt music cuts), but I don't mind that to see directors ideas make it to the screen. However it is advertised here and elsewhere (IMDB) as an 80 minute film. My copy runs for 57 minutes and 30 seconds. Where is the rest of the film? Perhaps the said hot scenes have been removed before burning the copy I have. 22 and a half minutes missing according to the advertised details.

By: Amos Lassen

I really love that Afdhere Jama is bold enough to tackle subjects that many will not touch. He does so with style and shows us aspect of our community that many of us are not aware of.
"Apart" looks at gays living in Los Angeles and their lives are enmeshed with each other. Mario is a young man who feels that an older man has rejected him. John is a hustler and jaded and deals . He works closely with Christine who happens to be married to Saleheddine, the older man who Mario feels rejected by. Dre is Saleheddine's best friend and his girlfriend abruptly breaks up with him and this leaves him shocked. Then there is Mannu who was Dre's brother's lover. The lover dies overseas. Are there other connections here and if so, what are they? That is for you to discover when you watch this small masterpiece.