WATCH THE TRAILER HERE
First, the Recap:
The crippling effect of closing off one’s heart. It goes without saying that we WILL encounter pain, physical or inwardly, over the course of our lives, multiple times over at that. Not that this is remotely what we actually WANT, but when the tedium of the uncomplicated but deeply mundane has grabbed a hold of us, and shallow pursuits for the sake of supposed fulfillment is all we embrace, it makes it so much more difficult to deal with situations that suddenly, blatantly jar us out of our self-imposed shell and make us do something we haven’t in far too long–FEEL. In remote Paradise, Arkansas, Tyler (John Brodsky) lives this out daily, going about a simple job at the local bar and otherwise engaging in truly meaningless “fixes” for companionship. But, when the unanticipated arrival of a major film shoot and its primary star Raphael (Gabriel Leyva) shakes Tyler’s reality to the core, the ensuing impassioned connection they establish could spell genuine change for the better.
Next, my Mind:
The depths of yearning, the frustration of seeking genuine adoration, burying hurts that come back to haunt us, and the potential liberation that arrives when we finally choose to open up again all forms the foundational explorations as experienced through this 21-minute short film effort from writer/director Nicholas Finegan, writer Talisha Elger, producer Tianyu Yang, and executive producer Baoyi Xue along with associate producers Yiwen Lu, Nicholas Morales, and Luca Noreen that was another project having the honored distinction of being selected for, and therefore recently screened at, the acclaimed 2024 Tribeca Film Festival. This critic has made it clear in numerous past reviews for films that find their primary gist within the LGBTQIA+ realms as not being ones I personally prefer, but obviously not in a manner that they are remotely shunned, but just more due to baseline, well, preferences. While I will first state that there were multiple sequences here of physical intimacy I wasn’t thrilled about witnessing, let’s go BEYOND this and speak to the much more important facets about our grander human nature being addressed.
Here, the perspective we’re offered centers on a young gay man who’s just trying to make a living and exist in a remote town being thrust back into the arena of hesitantly deep but direly needed attraction and honest feeling when a movie star catches his eye on a dating app and then summarily ends up in town for a shoot. So, this is where the aforementioned journey that I always believe transcends the baseline orientation of the characters being portrayed, when the given narrative is done right, makes its presence known, and this becomes no exception to that for this critic. What we’re really seeing is the abject pain of past hurts being embraced, even despite most likely being unwanted, then jarringly brought to the surface before getting tossed aside in the wake of the true, heartfelt passion of emotions that far exceed basic lust. It’s that fever, the rush, the excitement of something so unexpectedly new and invigorating that one cannot help but be swept up by it. This really should BE the way both healing and reconciliation of our past rejections and/or ground-level pursuits gets resolved, paired with the adulation of purer love.
Yet, as it is born through the events that continue to unfold between the characters, what I also give full credit to the filmmakers for is that it isn’t depicted as just gratuitous melodrama in some feeble attempt to try and MAKE us engage with the story and/or how they WANT us to feel about what we’re witnessing . Really, it’s quite the opposite. Initial shyness, totally understandable uncertainty, and even some conspicuous insecurity comes out and collides face to face with all-encompassing confidence, zero doubts, a highly forward approach, and utter commitment, driving the building tension between two people to a fever pitch until it finally finds its way to take over and immerse them both in profoundly unmitigated, impassioned expression that IS genuine and mutually shared. BUT, in another credit to the writing here, the film doesn’t remotely pause in illustrating that even the BEST of things, initiated through the BEST of intentions and desires, always goes nothing but smoothly, and this provides the film’s finale with the potency of message it does, the dangers of loving someone still a clear and present threat to even requited happiness.
Brodsky so deftly embodies the image of an “everyman” here, which befits the story and direction it is taking through his role as Tyler, a normal guy caught in both a voluntary and perhaps some involuntary circumstances that lead him to just BE. Not finding any relationships that have any actual meaning other than to satisfy needs in the moment, Tyler otherwise spends most of his free time from the bar job he maintains to indulge in other forms of gratification to supplant what appears to be an enduringly hurtful loneliness. But, when a random swipe on a dating app ends up bringing him into contact with an actor in town for a film shoot, the draw Tyler senses towards him is undeniable and powerful, sending him on a still-wary but ultimately intense, ardent endeavor to conceivably discover his ability to trust and love again. But, how this turns out remains the enigma, and watching Brodsky emotively and wholly believably take the character through this is a pleasure to witness.
In a similar manner, Leyva exudes the resolute, decisive, no-holds-barred bravado and energy that beautifully and adeptly suits the role he plays here, which is that of Raphael, an unequivocally charismatic actor who arrives in town for a film shoot and ends up being thoroughly enamored with Tyler. Once that connection begins, Raphael is a polar opposite of Tyler in that he just dives into the infatuation whole heartedly, not a single bit of vacillation or reservation, which takes Tyler a bit by surprise. Yet, with the evidently common magnetism between them burning so strongly, it isn’t long before Raphael’s persistence and just his presence consumes Tyler. Yet, in the wake of their first sparks, the pangs for sincere bonds between them grow in eagerness, and once consummated, it opens the door for what could be a lasting union…but will it become this or not? Leyva’s strongly stirring intensity is present from beginning to end, and it’s so apropos for the Raphael’s attitude and way in which he carries himself, well-played thanks to Leyva’s own appeal and excellent acting chops.
Primary supporting turns are made by Chloe Alexa Ibanez as Lady, a co-worker of Tyler’s at the bar who seems to at least try and look out for his well-being in life and love, even if he doesn’t really want it, Eliza Gerontakis as the bar’s local singer who also has a tendency to aim for seeing Tyler get involved with someone rather than be the loner he usually is, Nate Richardson as Cody, Tyler’s boss at the bar, and Emma Maxwell as Lola, a local woman who we can tell frequents the bar quite a bit. Additional supporting appearances are made by Zac Snow, McCorkle, Tanner Glenn, Gladys Bautista, and Caitlin Rose Williams. So, in total, “Some Kind of Paradise” is, regardless of how you might feel about other orientations, a compelling exercise in the acutely empowering but fiercely perilous pursuit of what it is to experience the rapture of devoted fondness for another, our ability to move forward from past wounds, allowing something deeper to arise, and to accept it with a newfound hope of abiding love. But, as with any fire blazing so brightly, may we still always beware or otherwise get burned.
STAR RATING (out of 5):
As always, this is all for your consideration and comment. Until next time, thank you for reading!
