Blue Citrus Hearts (2003) User Reviews

This Movie..... This Movie.... Where to begin.... A W E S O M E

[devlin_vbc · 24 February 2005]

This Movie brought with it an experience and surprise I was not expecting when first sitting down to watch it, the title itself certainly gave no clue as to what was about to be experienced (at least by this viewer), just another yawn, gay themed, movie.

W H O A - I have no idea now what it was I was expecting, but in no way was I expecting to view a piece of work which was to affect me with such an intensity of emotion as did "Blue Citrus Hearts' As mentioned in a couple of other comments, the use of style (Home Movie) and of non-Hollywood actors alone made this a unique viewing experience. As we progressed through the movie I became so involved with the realities of the characters, it was almost voyeuristic.

This is the only movie I have ever seen which so closely portrays, almost exactly, the anguish, despair and emotional turmoil that I went through as a young teenage male growing up in the 60's in a small town (500 people) in Eastern Canada with no idea there were any others in the entire world who shared the terrible secret that was mine, not having any clue whatever that it was, in fact, totally normal.

In my mind I was a terrible and sick person to have the thoughts I had, of wanting to get to know my male friends in the way I wanted, to dream of having the gorgeous boy down the street actually love me..........

No one in those days, to my knowledge, suspected "my horrible secret", so I was never subjected to the bullying and taunting that others have gone through. Looking back my Mother & Father, deprived of any knowledge of what was "wrong" with me, were as supportive as they could through this time frame, (Mother's always know), but The loneliness, isolation and anguish I went through.....

Other Boys & Girls could share their thoughts and feeling about their attractions, dreams and wishes between themselves, with parents, siblings, I could not, I could barely come to terms with those things in me, myself... I had not one soul in whom I could confide to whom I could turn to ask advice.........

I was so enthralled throughout this move with how this so closely resembled that time for me, that the ending sneaked up on me. I was totally unprepared for the intensity of emotion that swept over me as those two boys ..... that something was about to happen to me.... and I began to sob like I have not done since I was 13 to 18, so many lonely days, evenings, nights ago when I was growing up, a young "HOMO" in a small town.

I would dearly love to be able to personally thank and congratulate all those who had a hand in making this marvelous experience possible. They deserve a mountain of credit and wish each and every one success as they move forward with their own lives.

Love being hit this hard in the emotional basket :_)

AM I BLUE? oh yeah...

[NJMoon · 2/10 · 5 September 2005]

I've seen a lot of films in this genre (indie 'coming out' tales) but I'm sorry to say that this is one of the worst. Two middle America high school boys face their feelings for each other and their sexuality in general. Easy, right? Wrong. For starters, the script is abysmal. A granny having a heart-to-heart with her grandson uses the word 'connotes' in her heartfelt chat. {cringe} Most (if not all) of the script appears to be ad-libbed. That works fine for Woody Allen with six weeks of rehearsal and 30 years experience, but the actors here all stumble awkwardly over their words, hardly getting out a coherent thought. The pauses are horrific and the pacing is dreadful. Sadly, the acting is about as bad as the script. The two leading boys are wooden and unconvincing. Neither are photogenic. Everyone else is worse. The only exception is a natural turn by the actress playing Sam's mother. She is the only performer able to overcome the dismal script and direction. At one point a girl goes to light a cigarette and the lighter doesn't work. The actress decides to 'pretend' to smoke then decides after a few smokeless puffs to try again - and it is HERE the director chooses to cut! Her cigarette is mysteriously lit after the jump cut. The film seemingly longs to display it's indie roots by using color washed fades (sometimes distractingly so) and slow-to-focus fade ins. The camera work is horrible. Add to this bits of sophomoric poetry scribbled on the screen. These choices aren't interesting - in fact, they are headache inducing. The soundtrack is random and continual - as if the director just shared what was playing in his Walkman. The worst moment (of many) is when Julian's mom suggests a choice of DVDs for the boys to watch and one of them just happens to be the only other feature by these newbie film makers ('they're local', Mom shrugs). The boy wisely chooses the other film. I wish I had made the same choice.

At film's ending (no spoiler here) more scrawled titles (is this Sam's notebook?) tell us 'who this film is for'. After many pretentious assertions that "This is for boys who love boys / girls who love girls / girls who love boys.." etc, they have the nerve to insist that it is for "everyone"! Uh... not quite.

Tries so hard at all the wrong things.

[chrisroberts-5 · 3/10 · 5 July 2015]

Blue Citrus Hearts was one of those films you buy out of curiosity because Amazon associates it with a lot of the films that you like and enjoy. I'm a huge indie fan and this sounded sweet and had some positive critical review behind it, so I took the chance. I can't say that I'm upset that I saw it, but honestly it hasn't really changed me in any way as good cinema ought to.

First, the good: Paul Foster as Julien is wonderful. He's charming, interesting, beautiful, and lights up every scene that he's in. I would be very excited to see him in something that displayed his talents better. Lee Ann Roberts as Sam's mother and Helen Bowman as Sam's grandmother were both very good and made the most of their few moments on the screen. I have nothing against the "two boys fall in love and it's tough" script; it's pretty much what one expects from a low-budget indie. It's a very rough effort that tries hard but the writer clearly needs more life experience to really grab hold of an issue and do something revelatory with it.

And then, the bad: The camera-work is pretty much unforgivable. I completely understand that it's a budgetless indie, but the cinematography in BCH is a step below what you see people doing with their cell phones and posting on YouTube these days. The shaking, the awkward angles, and the crappy lighting all made the film very difficult to watch. If there's something worse than what they did with the camera, then it's the audio mix. The ambient sound made parts of the film un-hearable and some elements were so loud that you just wanted to press 'stop.' I have probably never encountered a movie ever that I so wanted to stop watching on account of the audio. The soundtrack was horrific; it sounded like they went down to skid row and had all the drugged-out buskers sing into a microphone whatever they could make up at that moment and decided to call that the movie's musical score. Alex Booth as Arielle and Suzie Cyanide as the local tranny were grating and terrible. Cyanide in particular spent chunks of his time staring right at the camera as if reading his few lines off a cue card - it was very uncomfortable to watch.

But the real problem here is a complete lack of direction. Several times through the film, the actors are just kind of sitting there looking at people behind the 4th wall spitting out dialogue that they seem to be improvising as they go. They don't understand what's supposed to be happening at that moment in time, they're not telling us any part of a story, and that is entirely the fault of the Director. If someone had effectively been able to get the actors to understand what they were supposed to be doing and feeling throughout the script, this movie would have been much improved.

I don't know what to say about the star, Joshua Peter Laurenzi. He's not a good actor, but he's not unwatchable. Again, it seems the Director just told him, "hey, you're full of angst and unhappy" and then started filming him as he did whatever he wanted to do.

All the badness aside though, there's something endearing about watching such rawness. We were all teenagers and a lot of the issues are familiar. The film just tries way to hard to be the most indie indie-film ever when it would have done much better to actually create something less painful to look at with some sense that the characters themselves believed that they were not just actors. If this were made by junior high school students (and make no mistake, it looks as though it was), then I'd say "good job, kids." As an effort by adults; however, it just didn't win me over despite the charming Paul Foster and some not-terrible motivating ideas. If it's showing on cable some time, see it. For heaven's sake, don't spend money on it though.

One of the worst I've ever seen!

[texkid98 · 1/10 · 13 August 2005]

I rented this movie yesterday at Blockbuster's thinking that it would be something special to see. Boy, was I ever disappointed! The only thing good about this movie was the basic story line--which unfortunately was destroyed by a terribly script, extremely poor acting, and an unbearable sound tract. It appeared that someone working on the film knew the script and acting were so bad that they were trying to drown it out with background noise and music. The acting was very amateurish--and the very long bit at the end telling that 'this is for boys who love boys--this is for girls who love girls, etc., etc' stank. If this was the winning film at the Chicago Gay and Lesbian Film festival, I'd certainly hate to see the losers.

A familiar story but told with honesty

[dplante2002 · 8/10 · 2 April 2005]

One can't watch this film without the gut feeling that it's a story the writer had to tell. Absent any melodramatic flourishes and self-consciously arty touches or sub-plots, it tells a familiar story with such honesty and immediacy that it's as if you are living among Sam, Julien, their families, and friends. Through the poetry of their inarticulateness and the lack of any artifice both Sam and Julian are iconic: Sam, the popular high school kid who only appears to fit in with his crowd and Julian, the outsider who comes along to light up his life. The beauty of this film is its artistic economy. Unlike the long and embellished Hollywood novel, this is a poem in which every spare word and action communicates much more than pages of explanatory chat.

I Leave this message as a warning to all

[garnite · 1/10 · 19 January 2005]

Wow. I don't want anyone to get the wrong idea about this movie. Think of all the horrible poetry you read in junior high, and turn it into a 91 min film. This movie was horrid. It didn't keep my attention; the improv was terrible and sorely predictable. Worst of all never did I feel engrossed or able to connect with ANY of the characters. The character backgrounds were pretty generic and nothing led you to believe there was ANY depth to these people. Even the relationship between the two main characters never clicked (Me making out with my hand would have made for a more intimate "love scene"). The budget was small, and that will make up for some of it, but I'd rather watch a stranger's home movies than watch another film like this. I can't believe this was at my local video store. I'm still living down the fact I brought this horrid film into our house, and made my roommate suffer through it with me.

The main reason I leave this is not to bash a tiny movie into the ground, but to warn people because looking at this information alone one could think this was decent movie. I can't be given my 91 minutes back, but I refuse to let others suffer.

Great little film! Paul Foster's performance is wonderful

[salmineo · 10/10 · 26 April 2005]

Despite the very low budget, this film really has a lot to say. Paul Foster is great here. His portrayal is heartbreaking and so real. And after a while, I saw how attractive he is because of his inner beauty and killer smile... I think this film had so much heart and deep characters. It really was done with loving care. The film ended a bit too quickly but I am going to give this 5 stars anyhow. Please, before you watch this, do not judge the film by the low budget. Try and overlook the low budget and enjoy what the director was able to accomplish here. I really love this little film. Some parts of it broke my heart seeing how much love was here..

Don't bother considering watching this movie

[teddyp81 · 1/10 · 11 January 2006]

This really was the worst movie I have ever seen. It was hard to watch in some parts and comically awful in others. There is bad screechy music over some of the dialog, but something tells me I didn't miss anything. It is so low budget that at one point the main character lights a lit cigarette. I have seen far better school projects. The extras seemed a lot more interesting than the important characters. The transitions from scene to scene were also really bad. An imprint from one scene would carry over in a couple of instances. The sound would also carry over. But more often than not, the screen would just fade to a bright color like green or purple and remain that color for a few seconds. I have never seen anything but a home movie that had worse camera angles, worse camera steadiness, or worse sound quality.

Aweome Independent Film Thank You

[filmingpro · 11 January 2005]

Blue Citrus Hearts is a compelling independent film. The filmmakers should be applauded for the film they have brought us all. The film follows real people and very real situations not actors with scripted lines. The performances were out standing as they were not contrived and very true to life today. This is one of the most incredible love stories I have ever seen. The film was obviously shot on a no budget digital film making process that really pays off. I love and adore this film, it has soul and love within its making. The music is incredible as well and fits very nicely with this piece. I was surprised to rent it at my video store not knowing what it was but loving every minute of it as it was shot in real time with real people climaxing to a very awakening of and ending. I hope there will be more of these type of films made in the future. This is not a studio film, this is a hard-core independent film venture and it should be applauded. Congrats to everyone who made this film happen, you shocked and surprised me and made me feel something real, wow. Peace and love back at you all. Keep it up.James Vallo USA

Over Ripe Fruit

[Franco-LA · 1/10 · 15 January 2009]

Blue Citrus Heart is an independent film. It can be traditional to cut indie films some slack in certain areas because some technical aspects of the film making process do cost money. However, it certain respects - script, direction, basic acting competence, editing, etc., the viewer should have every expectation of a good product.

BCH fails in both respect - the sound mix is poor, the camera work is uneven (to put it nicely) and the lead performances, for the most part, are either underplayed, badly played, or in a few cases, overplayed. Perhaps this was more the scripts fault than that of the actors - it was full of clichéd characters (for example, the supportive, doting single mother; the abusive, overweight, balding, hairy backed "get me another beer" who doesn't seem to know the meaning of the words 'please' or 'thank you' and who is 'disappointed' in his overly sensitive son; the clueless, pushy "girlfriend," etc.). Worse of all, the script is highly predictable. Someone gives you a business card (or a handout or a pamphlet) from a local gay group and although you are a typical shy, secretive, distrusting teenager, you merely stick it in your clothes pocket - which of course you never empty out yourself - for your mother to find so she can have that 'heart to heart' chat with her gay son, which in this case the director chooses to lace numerous times with the F word for that added touch of realism.

Intentions (good or bad) do not make a watchable unless there is a camp value of some sort. In this case, where the vote count is middling, with a number of low scores and a number of rave comments, some by users with no other comments on any other films, and you have to unfortunately wonder how many of them are valid, from disinterested 'average' consumers who do genuinely like the film -- for whatever reason. Every film has a certain dichotomy where a few people will always rave and a few will always loath, but when it's the two extremes, especially to such a small film, you have to wonder. After watching it several times, and having reviewed nearly 100 films on here, I have to wonder about the raves, not the low scores. That's genuinely unfortunate for the people who come here wanting to know if something is worth renting, much less buying.

Pfffffff, terrible

[miguel379 · 1/10 · 30 August 2009]

Really, I wanted to like this story, but it was told, acted and filmed so badly, unbelievable. The scenes are shot so you can't see anything, people falling out of the frame, timing wrong, crappy acting... And then the transitions with the fading water colors and the hideous words, someone should have seen this is unbearable. Like other reviewers already mentioned, the random music is draped over the scenes so loudly you either plug your ears or skip a few minutes. In general I adore basic and slow movies, but this is no more than a couple of mobile phone takes put together sequentially. So sorry for the maker, but this is unacceptable in any way.

Hey Suzie Cyanide take a film class!

[TotalRockerChick · 1/10 · 21 June 2006]

How do you get a D- in art class? Stick some poetic random lines stolen from an emo CD and rainbow colored transitions and call it a movie. The cover was extremely misleading and the screen shots on the back were not even in the "movie". Nice choice of actors... CAN YOU SAY UGLY?!?!?!?!?! (not that that matters *cough, cough*) But come on every other person in the background was more attractive than the lead people. I mean did you see that guy at the party?! HOTT! Get a tripod and a camera cleaner, and when editing make sure that the other camera used to film wasn't in the shot? I've heard of raw cinematography but this looks like my home video from fifth grade. The plot made no sense and it was EXTREMELY dragged on. You can purchase microphones at RadioShack. The kiss at the end was okay at first but for two people "in love" it was a stupid and long kiss. It seemed like real life at first but then it showed how bad the acting was and it was clear that the person was reading from a script and that the people had no idea how to use their emotions. *cough, cough* red head! I've seen some pretty good gay themed movies but I wouldn't even consider this a movie. How could this have won anything? The people who chose are clearly doing drugs with Suzie Cyanide. When you want to cry eye drops may be a good source if you're really not capable of tearing. What was with the entire movie taking place in that coffee shop/diner/pharmacy? Couldn't they find any other locations? And use a better filter I can tell it was sunny out, I mean did you see him squinting? His pupils weren't even visible. I've never heard anyone use that kind of dialogue. "Thank you for not getting mad about my suspension." "You're over-stepping the boundaries." Boundaries of WHAT?! She just wanted to see your book, the girlfriend of four months! Overall if you want to waste an hour and thirty one minutes of your life or have a good laugh with your friends while passed out drunk, then suuure rent this "movie"!

Quite possibly the BEST gay film ever made

[christoddur1 · 10/10 · 25 May 2009]

Yes, it's ULTRA low/no budget. Yes, it's non-professional actors.

This movie is AMAZING! It is, perhaps, the most underrated gay film ever made. A beautiful, touching story of two boys dealing with their feelings of insecurity once they realize that they love each other. It is a beautiful movie, shot on a shoestring with a cast of non-professionals that, surprisingly, do a spectacular job.

Any reviews knocking the low budget and non-actors are missing the point of the film! Oh, and the final scene with the shooting star is REMARKABLE!!! It's hard to believe that it's real! God was looking down when this movie was being made and added that to it!!!

Paul Foster wins my heart

[rymike2000 · 9/10 · 18 May 2005]

This film is a must see...by all, gay and straight alike. Mr. John Seger was right-on with his comments about the film. I, too, was put off at first by the low-budget quality of the production. However, Morgan Jon Fox's story is compelling and recognizable to anyone who remembers (or is dealing with) coming out in high school. I commend Mr. Fox and all his staff on such fine work. Most notable was the truly outstanding performance given by Paul Foster. Apparently the role of Jullian was recast multiple times. Kudos to Mr. Fox for finally "settling" with Paul. Not only is he adorable, he is a highly competent actor with an extreme passion for his art who is blessed with loads talent and even more potential! I am eager to see where his career goes from here. Likewise, I would like to see this film again with the proper budget that it deserves.

Intense film, not for all

[bkitchin-2 · 29 April 2005]

Whew, it took my breath away.

First on the quality of production. It lacked something but for the most part did not interfere with what was presented. My main problem was the sound. Being somewhat hard of hearing, the poor sound quality did interfere some of the time. Seeing it on DVD, I had to back up a number of times which is not the best idea as it interrupts the flow which in this film is very important.

Being straight, there is a lot of what the two main characters were feeling that I could not easily identify with. However, there were things that were amazingly clear. I felt that the film showed raw emotions better than most any other film I've ever seen. I could hear their agony. It was not done with a lot of words, dialog was minimal. It was done with facial expressions, body language and I don't know what.

I do know about not being a part of the scene and not being accepted. Being thought odd. I think this is why the emotions struck me so strongly. I could feel the emotions flowing out of the screen. Some one remarked on the lack of professional status of the actors. I think they did a superb job better than many well rated screen actors.

This is clearly not a film for everyone. The whole format is not going to be liked by many who prefer the traditional presentation. Some will be turned off by the subject matter. Some will be threatened because they do not allow such emotional levels touch them because they are afraid of it. That last is a bit judgmental. WIthout being judgmental I can safely say that if you are not prepared to watch a movie with poor quality video and muddled sound (I've heard worse) that communicates more with emotion than dialog (and I don't mean emotions like shouting and cursing, it is much more subtle and much stronger than that), if that is not for you neither is this movie.

Out of this world must have indie Gem!

[julyinthenight · 10/10 · 25 September 2006]

I coincidentally came across this beauty while creating my long list of gay themed movies on my Blockbuster online club back when I used to live in the States. I added it as I did with all the other titles I hadn't heard of. Awesome Surprise. The beauty of the dialogs, the angst expressed through the characters' silence and attitudes (i remember feeling like that myself), the music, the poems....Oh! Those poems! I watched it 4 times before I returned it and ran to buy it online! Had to have it! Recommended to all movie lovers who are just tired of the conventional image of homosexuality portrayed by all those big studio films. Congratulations to all involved in the production of this amazing piece of work!

Possibly one of the most realistic movies ever produced.

[uconnboy19 · 10/10 · 13 June 2007]

This movie is hands down one of my favorite movies. Honestly, if someone says that this movie has a bad script and bad acting, it's only because they're expecting yet another unrealistic Hollywood travesty intended to make them forget about their uninteresting lives. It's quite rare that movies capture what real life is really like (almost no Hollywood productions actually do--). This movie is about gay youth, and being gay and a former youth myself I can say that this movie reflects very much what it was actually like. In order for someone to appreciate this film, they need to remind themselves that this film isn't designed to suspend their perspective of reality but just to see an account of a beautiful romance as it might very well happen in real life. There's nothing wrong with wanting to escape your life for 90 minutes, but this is not the movie for that.

A True Film

[SomebodyYouDontKnow · 24 September 2004]

Coming from a straight person, Blue Citrus Hearts kicked ass. It set the metaphors of what we all tried to hide ourselves so we can be accepted. Blue Citrus Hearts showed the typical teenaged angst, not original but a hell of a good idea for a movie the way Morgan Jon Fox depicted it. I would surely want to work with him one day. I love the whole camera angles and the filming. It made the whole movie seem so real. This movie can kick Real World's ass if it had one. I would be most proud to be in this kind of movie. The whole way it was acted out said a lot of things that truly depicts life today. Not a lot of movies do that. This movie is far the best indie movie there is. I highly suggest to go watch it.

Truly compelling!

[ajonathansharkey · 8/10 · 30 November 2011]

The quality of the materials used in the making should not be criticized so harshly as some have done, because it really makes this film into something you feel like you're a part of and surrounded by. The characters depict the most true to form 'queer' alienation since films like East of Eden. At the same time, it doesn't indulge you in pity but champions the underdog when the son fights back and stands his ground with his parents, painting an iconic picture of what the future of strong gay adolescents can look like if the community stands behind them. Everything hits you in a very raw, 'verite' way that, in the end, isn't about gay or straight but simple love and the anguish we feel when its repressed. Gay films have got it wrong. Movies are about stories and not indulgent sex scenes; this is the perfect gay date film!

this is for everybody

[escaped-light · 10/10 · 10 April 2013]

What is a 10/10 film?

I've got my 8/10 or even 9.9/10 films that I hold dear; most of my selections were cinematic masterpieces in method, technology and form. One may say they were much deserving of their rating, but none have ever pushed me to give a 10, until Citrus Blue Hearts.

This film screams that it is not a 10/10 "by the books" film; the camera-work and cinematography is jarring and muddy; the sound is barely there at times; and no Actors in the film have done much significant work since. But Citrus Blue Hearts is so raw and so to-the-point that this film could not have existed in any other way.

So, what is a 10/10 film?

It's one that hits you in the heart without any pretences of glamour and Vogue Cover actors. It's the one that leaves you feeling good about the world, if even just for a moment, and if even just at the end. It's Blue Citrus Hearts.

Worst Movie Ever

[pferde01 · 3 March 2005]

I've said that before but really I agree with everything the first poster said. Poorly done all around. The kids couldn't act, and it seemed like they didn't even try. Probably 20 minutes of this movie was awkward silence. I am at a loss as to how this film got into the video stores, too. Really, it couldn't possibly have won accolades?? The best part was the end when they dedicated the film "To boys who love boys, girls who love girls, Boys who love girls, Girls who love boys. This movie is for everyone." That made me hate them less. But these people must have spent no money on the movie so they could pay to get it released on their own.

Thank goodness this is not a polished Hollywood film

[stuartho-67386 · 8/10 · 17 October 2021]

There appears to be many negative critiques and critics of the film for its film quality and production. Once you overlook this you may realise in the end it actually adds to the somber tone of the subject of adolescent life in the era of the film. At first I did find the motion of the camera distracting and disturbing but once the film develops into the set of a small town rural setting pre cell phone days it adds to the story.

I am glad I watched this film. It does capture the essence of high school life and adolescence, the relationships, the pressures of being popular or unpopular. The home life of each family is well portrayed, The escapades of the the main characters were well done. The actors playing Paul and Jilien were excellent at portraying the internal turmoil of their characters. Certainly brought back memories for me. The film really looked like it was done with a home video camera. This gave it such realism for the era of the film.

Those who lived a life such as this film, where home is not ideal, may find the film quite emotional, perhaps even endearing in the end. Its probably difficult for those did not live this to identify with the film, hence the many harsh critiques. If the film was polished Hollywood style it would completely lose its emotional relatable depth. As I said, the hand held camera nature of the film really brings one into the retro pre cell phone time of the film. If have to give one critique it would be the dialogue of the girlfriend, I'll blame it on the poor script not just bad acting.

Amazing Indie Film

[jryoung1 · 3 September 2011]

This theme is a passionate one for me having gone through this in my life. I applaud the writers directors and cast for this amazing film. I truly was moved deeply. I cried during the last scene. So powerful. At times the acting was so realistic it seemed more like a documentary or reality TV show. I felt in every moment the intensity of Sam's hatred for his dad and for his mom's co dependency. I so know how it is to have a mask girlfriend who wants to be loved so desperately. This movie can be so inspiring for other gay and lesbian youth who feel so weak to empower then to be authentic in their lives. How amazing is it to think you walk alone and then find that in truth you have someone who loves you. That part was the most amazing to me.