The many negative comments on this elegant tale of the rites of adolescent angst insisted I watch again to see what they are talking about. These are teenagers so their actions aren't obliged to make sense. The pregnant pauses and alleged poor acting is awkward emotional teenage behavior mildly obscured because they're bright, articulate kids with lots of rivalries - but there is more going on here.
No one has even mentioned the emotional range of the very powerful snow-shoveling scene euphoria to unutterable sadness, screaming to silence: terrified kids. While the war is symbolic for the emotional swings of the children throughout the film it is very much less important as an influence.
Thematically what no reviewer seems to see here is the love story which foments the jealous, insecure, blind, ignorant savage underneath', illogical urge to strike out. When you don't know what else to do somebody's going to get hurt: these are scared, hormonal, vulnerable, lonely, forty's boys and coming out just isn't done.
Worse still - it may be unrequited love - even though it's just you and me buddy', and I'm good for you' and the beach is where you don't just come with anybody' and Finny's got himself and Gene undressed down to their underwear every chance he gets. Confusion reigns supreme afterward in the dorm when Gene - hasn't been the same since the beach' - and he's worried about something' unrevealed. And again later when he's wearing Finny's clothes and then again when he's stuttering on the phone.
Consider the reaction devastation when Finny thinks Gene might enlist and the ode to friendship that is the Winter Carnival where Gene wins all the gold - after training for the Olympics'. These boys are experiencing feelings which are strong and bubbling over all the time and they have no experience to cope with them.
The confession deals marvelously with the ethical problem of the selfish, sociopathic moment the stupid impulse the temporary insanity, when everything was changed forever, but in tears stops just short of Gene telling Finny he loves him. Then again in the hospital - a confession and forgiveness, but no relief from what the lad cannot express: there is no unraveling, no spilling his guts and no moment of truth.
Years later, all the fear and anger returned' - there is no peace, ever.
