I have had the privilege of reviewing, for an independent blog, more than 120 coming of age, boyhood, and gay-themed short films using six independent criteria. Of those, O Beautiful and Funfsechstel stand at the very top—each because of its extraordinary acting, directing, and production.
You will not find a more compelling job of acting anywhere. The shock and fear that Jay Gillespie pours into the role of Brad (his very first acting role) and the remorse and frustration that David Clayton Rogers brings to his portrayal of Andy (only his second role) are simply incredible. The split-screen used in this film, a technique that has ruined many a movie, could not be more perfect. It allows you to experience each boy's reaction as he interacts with the other on an intense emotional plane. How it was done without 30 takes for each scene, I know not. It couldn't have been easy to get both actors to react so perfectly, so simultaneously, so often. But maybe they're just that good. They sure seem to be.
The movie represents a masterpiece of direction. Alan Brown even used the temperature to his filming advantage. Gillespie starts out completely naked below the waist and wearing only a light shirt as the film opens on a night so cold that the breath of both boys is visible throughout the film. The cold undoubtedly augmented Gillespie's portrayal of a boy in shock following a homophobic attack. Brown's eerie use of truck headlights in a post-harvest corn field gives the entire production a haunting, Halloween-like atmosphere that was further enhanced by even eerier primary theme music that features a person whistling.
Don't be put off by criticism of the dialogue. High school students (being portrayed here) are not always as astute as movie reviewers, and awkward comments—especially those made in the context of a remorseful teen trying to make amends with a peer whom he brutalized—would be expected in real life, I think.
Filming took place at the eastern end of a cornfield, at 40°52'13.03"N 74°30'28.75"W, just below the fence-line of a soccer field across from the New Hope Community Church in Denville, New Jersey. Despite the town's location in a fairly populated area of the state, a perfectly secluded spot was found for filming. With darkness and only one filming location involved, though, the movie could not rely on spectacular scenery or action sequences to compensate for even momentarily inadequate acting. And it didn't need to. I never thought it possible for a film of this quality to rest so completely on the acting ability of two such inexperienced actors and on so little else...well, little else except for superb direction and production.
You won't tire of this film after multiple viewings. Without a single change, this short film would make a worthy inclusion in a first-run feature-length movie.
