Two Eyes

It can be tricky to weave multiple stories together but it feels like a good job was done in this film. Coming of age when you're finding out who you are is complicated no matter what, even more so when you live in a small town and don't even understand your own sexuality just yet. This film packs a lot into the landscape and it's a sweet and hard at times to witness portrayal of the complexities of the LGBT community. It feels like an important film and I hope it gets the credit it deserves. Though I didn't grow up in Barstow, every person who grows up in a small town can relate. We just can't wait to get out there into the big beautiful world and explore.

I love that this is a trans-affirming film -- so positive and real The stories are compelling with realistic consequences, and I was tearing up for the last 15 minutes of the film.

I love the example of the scripture of gender fluidity within a cultural context. I have never seen it expressed so naturally in film.

The weaving of the three time periods is done in a clever way and didn't feel contrived. Although the main characters are queer, I believe the film also calls out the importance of the ally community.

Very good acting and I love the use of the close-up cinematography.

This is not just a film for LGBTQ audiences; it is a film that everyone should see. This ranks up there with Brokeback Mountain for me!

Thank you for making this amazing film!

Independent film making shows a side of a culture that is rich and insightful. It might not have the production resources that are poured into film making by the Hollywood studios but independent film makers have an important role to play in an alternative narrative. Two Eyes which comes out of the USA provides such a narrative. The 3 stories across 3 different time periods explore diversity, different values and the spectrum of what it means to be an LGBTIQ person. The spectacular and stunning cinematogrophy enhances the stories. The cast bring a sublimeness to their roles which are believable and at times heartbreaking. This is a film which is paced and pensive. One settles into it like a pair of comfortable slippers. My only criticism of Two Eyes is that the music is heavy-handed in parts which detracts from some of the potency of the scenes. However, this aside Two Eyes is a powerful narrative and valuable contribution to independent film making.

This movie moved gradually, unfolding with precision and overlaying the three stories with care. For quite some time, the stories felt disconnected. The pace was also rather slow but the environments and characters carried me along.

From the offset, the three stories fascinated me. The interconnections, initially unknown, reveal themselves slowly and with meaning. And each period has a different energy, which was intriguing.

The earliest, following an artist in search of his muse, is the most contemplative. Dihlon's observations of the landscape imbues the story with a stillness and yearning truly vivid.

The story set in the 1970s has an eagerness that spills out, likely due to the performance of Aleson and her fervor for life. This youthful need to figure oneself out makes this part especially accessible.

In 2020, the story arrives with a sense of mourning. Loss and grief crystalize within every movement of Jalin's emotional shift. When at last the stories weave together, I was left in tears, feeling the weight of these different people from different eras, all wishing for acceptance, a place where they can feel loved.

As a cisgender queer woman I was moved by this story overall. Feeling displaced from one's own life, balancing romantic love with societal expectation, and finding hope in a path one crafts for oneself are all visceral and tangible ruminations.

Three storylines in three different eras, each a tale of sexual awakening, brought to a nice denouement at the end.

Writer-director Travis Fine hits all the right notes, presenting his characters with compassion and grace.