A Lower Power (2009) User Reviews

Resonated with me

[FromDecatur · 6/10 · 4 February 2013]

This film resonated with me more after watching than it did during. It was a little bit episodic in nature, and a little less building from scene upon scene. It was cloaked in the trappings of a gay coming of age story, but the character was already out of the closet and in a very supportive environment. He has difficulties with the people in his life, but over time and repeated frustrations, it becomes apparent that he has not yet learned to be honest with himself. The way this keeps repeating again and again is what makes the film interesting and satisfying to me.

Beyond the thematic elements I enjoyed, the actors are very likable, the humor provided by the parents and situations, the requisite eye-candy and titillating scenes done nicely.

Eh

[phoenixfyrs · 16 October 2011]

I'd like to start off with some praise for this movie. Gimme a minute it's going to be hard. Okay, so the main character is cute and engaging. There is also one scene that's pretty much every gay man's wet dream (Thibodeaux get's to do his girl chasing besty).

That's really about it. This movie has so much that doesn't make sense or is obviously written by some gay nerd living out his fantasies. First the cinematography is very indie, which is expected. The acting is very forced and the actors don't really listen to each other, they just sort of bark out their lines. (bad boom mike?) That coupled with the fact that some of the dialog most have gotten ruined and re-shooting wasn't an option for some reason, because the dubbing over to fix certain parts is not only apparent but extremely unnatural. Most of the scene were with Tib and his main love interest and said interest all of a sudden seems to be speaking with a large stick inserted in his rectum. ("Just shout the lines into my iPhone and I'll insert it later!")

Then we have certain parts in the movie you don't know why they weren't cut. Like, for instance, Thibodeaux' parents, we already get the fact that they are free with their sexuality, even around their son, to the point of extreme, we didn't need the part where Tib (later called Do, yeah I'll get to the nicknames later), and his friend Steve walk into his parents apartment and Tib's mother is the OGBYN position on the kitchen table while Tib's father pleasures her with vegetables. It wasn't funny, and wasn't relevant. It was just creepy. We already get why Tib would want to leave home in the first scene where they accidentally put an amateur pron movie they made with friends in the VCR, and upon realizing their mistake invite Tib to watch it with them. After all he was conceived during the making of the film. ("Mom, Dad, I don't want to see myself being born, I want to see myself being conceived!") Bleh!

Then we have certain scenes like Tib on his skateboard a few times that seem to have nothing to do with the story but were important enough to leave in. Then the opposite, with a home movie used as a plot device, to skip through a whole summer.

Also we have things like Tib being very well endowed. I don't get it's relevance as he only uses his endowment once in the movie so what's the point of bringing it up all the time. This is one of these places where I think the movie was written by some socially stunted, emotionally stunted nerdy gay man who is trying to live out his fantasies in a movie and his fantasies are very juvenile. Now I said I would get to the nicknames. Thibodeaux starts off as Tib to his friends, goes off to college and becomes Do (yes like a female deer, they even say that in the movie). His friend Thomas' nickname is Mas, and yeah it continues from there. Everyone's nicknames are shorten version of their real name (very creative). I was surprised that Steven wasn't shortened to Even instead of Steve.

We also have a subplot, at least I think that's what it was. Thibodeaux goes and sees a movie with a school mate and Thibodeaux (a virgin who claims to never want to have sex) has a few Margaritas and blows said school mate in the bathroom. The schoolmate rides off on his motorcycle and into a traffic accident. He shows up later preaching the gospel because obviously God did it to him because he got blown by a guy in a bathroom. Couldn't have been because he'd had a few beers. (insert face-palm here.) Except for all the sex surrounding a guy who doesn't like sex cause his parents have always been free with sex around him, I'd swear this was written by a twelve year-old girl.

The overall theme of the movie is definitely a good one. Unfortunately the execution is far worse than lack of a budget or technical skills could explain.

How difficult can life be?

[larapha · 7/10 · 14 December 2016]

A very sensitive film, it deals with the difficulties of coming of age. Besides the main character is gay, this little or nothing influences in his choices, for his parents are very liberal in the matter. The problem here is Thibodeaux (Mattew Lotto), the principal, who wants to find a prince charming and even doesn't accepts when he sees one. I found myself greatly identified by the movie, it has feelings that are very similar to mine, although I can hardly say I had parents even near his one. The performance of Thibodeaux is quite sensitive, That of Steve (Willian McChaell) quite sure, the gentle cock that accepts the difficulties of his partner. Together, they are a pair of dreams. All in all, it's an agreeable film, with little action and tending more to a drama-comedy that entertains, and leave the smelt that good things can come out of little.