A young man played beautifully by Michael Grant returns to his small home town hoping to take up music. His mother is dead and his father has spent the money needed for him to do that. James (Grant) has also just returned from conversion therapy, as he is gay, and has been almost brain washed to believe that homosexuality is sinful, and makes an attempt at having a girl friend. Alienated from his father who runs an apple farm he feels conflicted and alone. He has also left his male lover in the town and his natural feelings towards him are repressed, but Josh Green who superbly plays Charlie his young lover is brutally attacked by locals, and James realises he has to take positive action. End of spoilers. This is a quiet film, and despite my high praise for ' Boy Erased ' that partly covered similar territory I feel this is for me the better film. The direction is excellent, and all the characters convince 100%. The reason for that is that the love affair between Michael and Josh is treated with so much tenderness, and beauty of feeling that in my opinion is rarely seen in Gay/Queer cinema. The central scene of them about to make love, and I do mean love is one of the most moving scenes I have seen on film. The naturalness is delicate, and yet full of strength and it alone denies everything Michael has been told while enduring conversion therapy which we see in flashbacks. What is a great film, I asked myself ? That is almost as subjective as love itself, and you just know it when you see it. Anyone who cares about humanity and love ( and no, not the sentimental love so often thrown at us ) should see this film, and I do not think this film as cinema will ever be dated. True cinema.
Review of Fair Haven
