Review by Raymond Murray
By: Raymond Murray
In-House Review - Jul 19 2013
Possibly the single best depiction of a gay male relationship this year, In Bloom is a warm, funny, intelligent, sharply-written, painfully honest, well-acted drama and first feature film by promising writer/director Chris Michael Birkmeier.
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Possibly the single best depiction of a gay male relationship this year, In Bloom is a warm, funny, intelligent, sharply-written, painfully honest, well-acted drama and first feature film by promising writer/director Chris Michael Birkmeier.
During one hot Chicago summer, two young men fall in love. Blond, pot-smoking and pot-dealing Kurt (Kyle Wigent), and cute but moody grocery store clerk Paul Tanner Rittenhouse) begin a committed relationship. Best pals, lovers and roommates, they have amazing rapport and, on the surface, their relationship is strong and intimate. But when rich kid Kevin (Adam Fane) enters the scene with designs on Kurt, subtle fissures, a mutual unease, and an unsatisfied longing for what they don't have are exposed, threatening their love.
The two leads, Kyle Wigent and Tanner Rittenhouse, are perfectly matched in this richly textured examination of gay male relations today. Its story of a doomed tumultuous love will be painfully familiar for many. What André Téchiné's Wild Reeds did to audiences in 1994, In Bloom will do to you in 2013.
Review by chromoman
By: chromoman
3*
I must admit that I was disappointed by this film, after seeing some nice reviews. It is definitely a low-budget production, but that doesn't mean that the production values had to be so amateurish. Too cheap to put the camera on a tripod to...
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3*
I must admit that I was disappointed by this film, after seeing some nice reviews. It is definitely a low-budget production, but that doesn't mean that the production values had to be so amateurish. Too cheap to put the camera on a tripod to avoid that jittery hand-held effect? Come on! And how many creative ways can you film public scenes without actually having any extras? Yes, the cast is attractive, and more than adequate in ability. The main problem: there seems to be no reason -- other than physical attraction -- that our two main characters would be in a long-term relationship. They seem to have nothing at all in common, other than their cuteness. There are also subplots which tend to diminish the "story," rather than adding to it. Granted, there is a somewhat interesting attempt to follow the downward arc of a dying relationship. I applaud the efforts, but wish the results had been greater.
Review by Phildog
By: Phildog
As near perfect as I have seen. A must see film that will join a very select few on my list of all time favorites!
Review by Travis
By: Travis
I'm not going to say anything about the storyline since another review has it down solid. This film has to be one of the most realistic based stories I have ever seen. Very heartfelt with different emotions. This film has now made it to be my favorit...
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I'm not going to say anything about the storyline since another review has it down solid. This film has to be one of the most realistic based stories I have ever seen. Very heartfelt with different emotions. This film has now made it to be my favorite independent release ever. I bought this as a risk and loved it. I hope that anybody else will do the same. You will not regret it.
Review by Amos Lassen
By: Amos Lassen
One summer in Chicago two young men fell in love. Kurt (Kyle Wigent) is a tow headed, pot dealing guy who meets and falls for Paul (Tanner Rittenhouse), a cute but moody grocery store clerk. They begin a committed relationship as best friends, pals a...
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One summer in Chicago two young men fell in love. Kurt (Kyle Wigent) is a tow headed, pot dealing guy who meets and falls for Paul (Tanner Rittenhouse), a cute but moody grocery store clerk. They begin a committed relationship as best friends, pals and lovers. They seem to get along beautifully and on the surface, their relationship is strong. But then rich kid Kevin (Adam Fane) comes into the picture with eyes for Kurt and things begin to go awry. Feelings of unsatisfied longing for what each doesn't have comes out and their relationship is suddenly challenged. This is an honest look at a gay relationship and it has everything going for it-good acting, a sensible script, comedy, intelligence and honesty. Temptations and unease begin to pull the boys apart during that hot Chicago summer. The relationship becomes one of slow death, something that many of us have experienced.
Now that we have entered a new period of gay acceptance in this country, the time has come to look at ourselves more realistically and our films should reflect this. We have many films about the struggle to be accepted, on dealing with disease and on coming out. These are very important issues but the time has come to look at other kinds of stories. It has been happening but slowly. Director Chris Michael Birkmeier does just that with "In Bloom". Kurt and Paul are in love and the fact that they are gay is almost irrelevant. What we see here is what happens when two people fall in love but then realize that there are other things that are important to them. Paul is dissatisfied with his life and his job at a convenience store and he thinks about moving to Paris while Kurt is content with the way things are. Kurt surprises us when he begins to flirt with one of his "clients", Kevin.
Now there is another plot element that comes into play---a serial murderer is on the loose in Boystown where many gay men live. It is, as if this murderer is a metaphor for death like and the end of the relationship.
Our two main characters are portrayed by excellent young actors who are good-looking but they are not the beautiful men with the gorgeous bodies that we often see in gay film. These two actors really know how to portray the beginning and the end of a relationship. The director lets the relationship play out before our eyes and the wonderful thing is that it does not look staged. This is certainly not a film that will make you feel good but it is important to see a film about the relationship that does not last.
When that summer began, the boys are having fun and really seem to be into each other. We see them as something of the perfect couple. It comes as a surprise that within the next seven months, it will all be over and they will hardly even speak to each other. I understand that the young director based this on his own story when his relationship with his first boyfriend ended. Here he gives us a penetrating look at gay life. When Paul asks himself, "What did I do wrong" our hearts break along with his. Paul and Kurt just happen to be two people who fell in love but then faced the reality of life.