WATCH THE TRAILER BELOW
First, the Recap:
The prospective excitement yet often self-made elusiveness of genuine adoration. How many ways is there to describe how we can be as people when it comes to just wishing to be valued and cherished romantically by another? It is within us to desire this connection. But, finding it seems far more challenging than it should be. However, what if it actually ends up being by our own shortsightedness that we initially miss what is meant to be?
Lovelorn Aaron (Theo Germaine) knows what it is to feel the emptiness of being lonely and yearning for love. Possible a victim of his past and present choices, things suddenly begin to look up upon meeting Trevor (Danell Leyva). With an undeniable chemistry burning between them, events take quite an unanticipated turn when Aaron finds himself re-living that same “first encounter” day over and over, soon attempting to determine what Trevor’s part in it is while being forced to examine his own REAL longings and needs. The question is…to what conclusion?
Next, my Mind:
What could have been a prototypical, albeit sci-fi-centric, exploration of the quest for love instead gets summarily turned on its head with not only elements of the fantastical, but also dramatic flair, darkly comedic flashes, and thriller-esque aspects wrapped in an LGBTQ shell and foundational gist akin to “Groundhog Day”. Sound like too crazy an amalgamation of genres and factors to be true? Well, look no further than this 110-minute indie feature film from writer/director/producer/editor Nicholas Giuricich, producers Jackson Giuricich and Lesley Lopez, plus executive producer Lisha Yakub Sevanian that not only delivers on all the factors mentioned above, but does so in a most surprisingly entertaining and effective manner that so wonderfully illustrates indie films’ ability to transcend everything FROM “typical” to whatever your orientation, relationship status, and/or general life circumstances might be and makes what we view that ever-imperative word–RELATABLE.
Now, as in several past reviews over the years, I have never been shy about (POLITELY) advising that films which have their baseline focus in the LGBTQ realms simply aren’t a particular preference of mine. BUT, in spite of that, I have ALSO been witness to films in this ilk that trump that personal leaning and go above and beyond to center on character and narrative arcs that are applicable to ANYONE, even in the scope of a more directly fictional approach like this film displays, and that offer plenty of messages ABOUT our human nature that have an impact. Here, this is successfully accomplished again, showcasing a journey which follows a young gay man pining for something sincere in love finally meeting “the one”, experiencing as the project’s title suggests, that immediate “spark” between them. Yet, while they’re both wishing for the same thing, it’s for utterly different, initially veiled (possible even manipulative) reasons that end up affecting them in both heartening and emotionally harrowing ways, unfolding into a volatile adventure beyond anything at least one of them ever would have anticipated.
From this primary anchor point, the film adeptly and with absolute intentionality delves into thematic forays that examine the ways we allow pain and loss to direct our attitudes and actions, the manners in which we choose not only to cope with it, but how we can potentially end up using others for our own gains and sense of “solace”, making attempts to recreate or reinvent things that we cannot change for the lack of genuinely accepting the actuality of the hand life’s dealt us, not recognizing what has been right in front of us, how we tend to repeat the mistakes that cause us pain, the essence of the cycles we fall into, and the catalysts that end up waking us up to what is most important and to our greatest benefit all get explored here with meaningful and quite emphatically affecting potency. There are multiple (also specifically repeated) instances of intimacy portrayed, and while honestly tastefully depicted, were a little awkward for me to view. BUT, again, the purpose for them and the story being conveyed don’t make them at all gratuitous, and actually make the narrative sink in more when understood for the intent they represent in the character’s journey.
The finale is one that is highly affecting in how it manifests the type of ending one might expect given the film it emulates, but also leaves a certain degree of conjecture as to whether the progression of events HAS been altered, leaving room for us as the viewer to wonder, thought not unsatisfactorily so. Germaine beautifully paints a portrait of a character in a state of everything from yearning, to confusion, to agitation, to just desiring something to be tangibly concrete when it comes to finding love through his role as Aaron, a man ready to embrace being adored yet finds himself in what has apparently been more self-destructive/self-sabotaged efforts than successful ones. However, when he meets Trevor, Aaron’s existence gets both happier but then more complicated and emotionally upended when it seems something is causing them to relive their blossoming romance over and over again, but never to an ongoing state of being. As Aaron becomes more and more unsettled as new realities of this are dug up, will he be able to make the adjustments needed and uncover the truths behind it all in time to make what he wants truly real?
No other phrase than “impassioned volatility” really describes the path Aaron must travel throughout his dilemma, and Germaine guides the character through it all with a totally realistic magnitude of intense vulnerability and ardent energy that very much makes you root for him to have the ending he seeks. In a similar way, Leyva exudes a level of simmering, charismatic vitality and unabashed confidence through his role as Trevor, an enigmatic man that Aaron falls for but who could be harboring a myriad of secrets that could threaten to cause everything the pair see in each other to fall apart, much less reveal something far more disconcerting and heartbreaking. As Trevor battles against his own inner demons while still just trying to dive into the new relationship with Aaron, his building demeanor of hesitant commitment to a new paramour only serves to cause events to grow more and more strained. Leyva wonderfully embodies this “bad boy” persona with fiery vigor yet also understated fragility that lends the necessary depth to his character so as not to only just be “the pretty face” in the context of the narrative.
Primary supporting roles arrive first from a vibrant, very animated, and fully dynamic presence that is Vico Ortiz as Aaron’s longstanding roommate Dani, a voice of welcome (though sometimes not) reason and completely dedicated best friend to Aaron who navigates their own ventures in love but also could play a much larger force of influence in Aaron’s plight. Christina Villa Madrigal is Veronique, the owner of a local boutique whose connection to Trevor’s world is far beyond what it appears on the surface and who will likewise prove to be an integral part of Aaron’s quest to right the repeating loop he’s stuck in. Abigail Achiri is Shannon, a close friend of Aaron’s and Dani’s whose little birthday party game turns out to be a portal for Aaron’s unanticipated trip through the time loop he experiences. Additional and still key supporting appearances come through Jason Caceres as Franco, Kaitlyn Furey as a sales associate at Veronique’s store, Nancy Nave as Terra, Trevor’s sister, Brooke Bayer as Emily, Dani’s current flame, and Tanner Kerrins as “handsome man”.
So, in total, “Spark” deftly employs universal themes through an ode to a cinematic classic while unapologetically staying true to its core objectives plus both figurative and literal orientations. But, it then soars above this, transporting us into the arena of brokenness, healing, infatuation, and newly discovered, fearless love, addressing the patterns we find ourselves trapped within that can damage real happiness. Yet, are we are willing to stand back and assess what does really matter most–giving ourselves the grace to let go, forgive, move forward, and be gloriously surprised in what we attain–or otherwise fall right back into that which only leads to disappointment? May we strive for the former.
STAR RATING (out of 5):
As always, this is all for your consideration and comment. Until next time, thank you for reading!
