Akron (2015)

Benny, a college freshman at the University of Akron, Ohio meets and falls for fellow freshman Christopher at a football game. With the support of their families and friends they embark on ... See full summary »

Directors:

Sasha King, Brian O'Donnell

Writers:

Brian O'Donnell, Brian O'Donnell

Stars:

Matthew Frias, Joseph Melendez, Edmund Donovan

Cast

Credited cast:
Matthew Frias	...	Benny
Joseph Melendez	...	David
Edmund Donovan	...	Christopher
Andrea Burns	...	Lenora
Cailan Rose	...	Julie
Amy da Luz	...	Carol
Isabel Rose Machado	...	Becca
Diego Suarez	...	Young Benny
Alexander Mariani	...	Young Christopher
Luis Gabriel Cañas	...	Davey
Danie O'Donnell	...	Tucker
Emily Patterson	...	Cashier
Andrew Wimmer	...	John
Bryan Parker	...	Student Actor

Storyline

Benny, a college freshman at the University of Akron, Ohio meets and falls for fellow freshman Christopher at a football game. With the support of their families and friends they embark on a new relationship. But a tragic event in the past involving their mothers soon comes to light and threatens to tear them apart. Akron is a moving family drama and a sensitive young adult love story of two young men falling in love in the Midwest and their will to overcome the most painful of truths.

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Plot Keywords:

gay | gay lover | gay boyfriend | gay romance | gay teenager | 

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Taglines:

Love now.

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Genres:

Drama | Romance

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook Official website

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

July 2016 (USA)

Also Known As:

Akron - O Jogo do Amor

Filming Locations:

Akron, Ohio, USA

Company Credits

Technical Specs

Runtime:

88 min

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

User Reviews

the best

If you saw every gay movie made since 1950, you'd never see one as good as Akron. It's not only the best gay movie made so far, it's one of the best movies period. You have to look at the very best ever--movies like Gone with the Wind and The Godfather--to find any that are better than Akron.

Benny and Christopher meet as college freshmen. They get very close very fast. They're both extremely comfortable being gay, loved and fully supported by their friends and families, and they freely demonstrate their affection everywhere they go. It's marvelous to see.

There is no homophobia anywhere in this movie, thank God. No bullies, no bashing, no parental disapproval, no coming-out angst. No hiding. No HIV. None of the other "curses" that most gay dramas wallow in. Critics may say Akron is unrealistic, but it's no less real than the negative crap we've already seen plenty of in gay movies.

Akron shows a beautifully healthy and positive side of the gay experience that has been completely neglected in movies until now. There ARE families like this--lots of them--we just haven't seen them on screen before. There also is no melodrama in Akron, which is even more remarkable. Nobody overacts or over-reacts. Nobody ever does anything that doesn't feel completely genuine and true and natural and normal.

There IS drama, but it's not centered on being gay. It turns out that the two families' paths had crossed in a terrible tragedy many years earlier, and when they discover that connection everything blows apart. The last half of the movie shows how each person in the two families (not just the lovers) deals with the newly-awakened pain.

Small, unpretentious movies like this, about human beings relating to each other, don't win awards or sell tickets any more, but they're the only movies worth seeing. If you love blockbusters, you'll hate Akron; but if you love movies, you'll love this one. It's as nearly perfect in every way as a movie can be.