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That was an excellent one.

A terrific literary drama and character piece that shows how the process of creating art can be seen differently by those doing it and those looking at it from the outside.

Actress is magnificent and exudes a hypnotic screen presence in this affecting drama.

The movie really just wants to entertain people.

SPOILERS. I absolutely adore this film - so much so that I watched it again the day after my initial viewing. I'm not normally into romantic films but this was an exception. The aspiring artist that's torn between his family and love and success seems a little cliché but it's somehow made individual. Trevor Wright (who is all kinds of attractive) is a brilliant actor and brings the character of Zach to life perfectly. Zach, the artist, has a freak-out about his gay tendencies and pushes away the man he has feelings for because he doesn't want to be judged. His sister's comment of "You're not a fag, are you?" was uncalled for but necessary for her character - who is extremely dislikable. Through her nonchalant attitude to life and the fact her boyfriend is more important to her than her son, we see the best qualities of her brother show through. Shaun, the older brother of his best friend, becomes a shoulder to lean on for Zach and is open about his feelings. This initially drives Zach away. When he knocks at Shaun's door, after having an internal debate, and pushes him against the wall, kissing frantically, we see the real Zach come out. His goofy grin the morning after sex is what made the film for me. He's gorgeous in the sunrise light. After many other internal debates, he finds himself in Shaun's bed again and there's an amazing scene (with the addition of well picked music) that just makes your heart melt. Then Shaun's younger brother arrives and things get messed up again. It takes a conversation with his ex-girlfriend to make Zach realise he's in love and they live happily ever after with Zach's nephew (more like his son).

I LOVE SHELTER! Even by seeing its poster only, has made our adrenalin goes high! Hahahaha...It's a romantic drama movie with a happy ending for which everyone, both heterosexual and homosexual, desires...The lovely romance between a very handsome and athletic teenager with a hot 30 something guy, it's touchable. The fact that this older guy is the teenager's best friend's older brother, makes the story sweeter... Love and friendship, two of greatest things in the world, aren't they?I've watched it once, I borrowed it from one of my best buddies, and I still wish to find the DVD and buy it. Its sex scenes, romance, friendship, and happy ending potentially remain saved in our memory...Thanks to The Lord for this wonderful movie...

Although this is called a surfer movie, the surfing here was treated as an incidental. I think one of the surfing scenes, maybe the first one, should have been longer and shown the two leads riding the same wave. But aside from such artistic flaws here and there, the situation and plot grab you and carry you along to a memorable finale. It was so refreshing to have a gay-themed movie set in an ordinary town and with an ordinary blue-collar family, with not a single nightclub scene. It was also enjoyable to see gay characters allowed to interact with a young boy and play the Best Uncle role that so many of us carry in real life. The female roles were murkier, and it was hard to fathom what was going through their minds. But the guy/guy romance of the film was stunning. I particularly enjoyed the early scenes when Brad is mystified by the male attraction he's starting to feel. With a cipher of a father, it's obvious Brad needed and found an older brother figure in Shaun. Both guys are good-looking but not Hollywood perfect, which also made the film more credible. If we examined the plot with brutal realism, we might say it would be far-fetched for Brad to be admitted to art school a second time with a full scholarship, or that Shaun would be ready to take on both a partner and a toddler. But I think gay people are entitled to an escapist happy ending once in a while, and Shelter fills the bill quite nicely.

There are "sleeper" films, and then there is Shelter. This small indie film received a very limited theatrical release in the spring of 2007 with a television debut on the subscription-only here! network only a month later. And suddenly, it was all anyone could talk about. Plenty of folks deemed it "the gay surfer movie," but it's ultimately as much about surfing as Brokeback Mountain is about animal husbandry. Instead, Shelter is a riveting family drama and a story of first gay love set in a working class world. Starring Billy's Hollywood Screen Kiss's Brad Rowe in a career-reviving performance and newcomer Trevor Wright, there are no gay bars in Shelter, no drugs, no drag queens, no circuit anthems, no gay- bashings, no AIDS scares, and no screaming parents to speak of. And we gay folks loved it anyway. Or maybe, because it was so fresh and different, that's why we loved it.