Green Briefs

Green Briefs is a collection of five gay-centered short movies, all related in some way to family. All five are closely focused on very specific circumstances, and each one may be meaningful to people who are in or have been in exactly the same very specific circumstances. They could be called "issue" movies, each meaningful only to viewers who are concerned about its specific issue. Only one of the five manages to transcend its narrow issue to touch people in ANY kind of situation ANYWHERE. That exception is Shabbat Dinner.Only one of the other titles (Kimchi Fried Dumplings) gives any clue as to the movie's subject (a mixed-race Asian-American family); the other three have generic titles (Pride, The Commitment, The Symphony of Silence) that give no hint what their subjects might be. The fact that Shabbat Dinner most boldly announces its narrow, Jewish focus and then explodes that narrowness is tribute to its courage and the skill with which it was made.Even more remarkable is that Shabbat Dinner's "skill" is not at all apparent in the beginning. It is by far the worst looking and sounding, the least professional movie of the five. The photography and the sound are some of the worst I've ever encountered. It looks like it was recorded on a huge, 10-pound 1980s VHS camcorder - on 30-year-old tape - by a restless ten-year-old. The camera is only occasionally in focus and jerks randomly from one extreme close-up to another. The dialogue - while always understandable - sounds like some parts were recorded on the camcorder and other parts were dubbed in later. Viewers who like to criticize "production values" will have a field day with it.What it does, though, and does with astonishing power, is capture the thrilling awkwardness of adolescent sexuality like no other movie I have ever seen. The two boys could not be clumsier, less cool, less attractive to an outsider. They are not at all beautiful physically, but they discover something in each other of such raw, irresistible power that they crash into each other like stars colliding in the center of a galaxy. It is joyful and breathtaking, and it transforms those two graceless, pimply adolescents boys into something far more beautiful than the most idolized star in Hollywood.Two of the other short movies - Pride and Kimchi Fried Dumplings - are about caring for aged parents and reconciling either with them or with siblings who are caring for them. As far as I'm concerned, helpless old people belong in nursing homes, not tied like millstones around their children's necks, so I have no sympathy with young people who get themselves into such situations. If you do, then you may like those two movies. (I'm old myself, by the way, not a self-centered thirtysomething with better things to do.)The Commitment is about a gay couple trying to adopt a baby, and The Symphony of Silence is about teenage bullying - both currently popular issues that happen to be meaningless to me. The movies, while earnest and probably effective for their target audiences, don't manage to transcend their narrow issues.I generously gave this DVD two stars at first, but I'm going to raise it to five ONLY because of Shabbat Dinner. Those 14 minutes are well worth the cost of the DVD. The other 97 minutes are worth watching only if their issues are meaningful to you personally. They were not to me.

I normally do not rate movies, but this collection of shorts deserves to be watched. All are beautifully written, directed and acted. Each one stands on its own, but I found the last one, “The Symphony of Silence”, especially poignant. I was bullied in school constantly, not for being gay, even though I am, but for being different. I came close to ending my life several times. They say it gets better and it does, even though it took until my mid thirties before Mr. Right came along. We have been together for almost 27 years. When we finally got the right to marry, we did, even though it took a quarter century for that right to come to fruition. This story resonated very loudly with me. Zack had the love of his parents, which many teens who are honest about their orientation do not have. But sometimes even that is not enough. It can be very isolating being a teenager even under the best of circumstances, but when you are continually bullied for being who you are, the isolation can be overwhelming, especially for someone who is sensitive and hasn’t formed the self confidence to push past that. The piece he wrote that the family read during his memorial service was very heart wrenching. I really had the sense that these actors felt those words deeply. One thing that bothered me—where were the caring principal and teacher? You would have thought they would have been in attendance. One of the best scenes was the revenge exacted by the mother of a student whose jaw was broken by one of the trio of bullies in the film. I won’t give it away, but it is satisfying and hilarious. Trust me; you won’t go wrong spending time with any of these film shorts.

These are a group of short films with gay oriented subjects or gay people in the mist of every day life, good or bad. I like short films for the challenges they present, usually limited funding, and cleverness used to make the final product. These are a group of mild films with exception of the last one-which is difficult to watch. I realize that some people aren't interested in gay subjects or gay characters. If you feel this way, I would avoid this group of films. If not, these films are mildly interesting with the exception of the last one-which is grim and tragic. You might want to rent instead of buying because you may feel there isn't much here. Makers of short films should be supported however.

Like most short-film collections that I've seen, this one features movies that get increasingly better as the show goes on, both in terms of basic story construction and the quality of the acting.The first short, "Pride", had a somewhat predictable plot, while the second one, "Commitment", struck me as well-intentioned but ultimately unbelievable. (If I were the adoption coordinator working with the couple in this particular movie, I'd scratch them from the list as soon as I witnessed their unhinged reaction to the disappointing news that occurs toward the end of the film. And, perhaps equally troubling, they get all kissy-kissy again just as suddenly as things erupt. Okaaaay, Sybil ...)The last three shorts ("Shabbat Dinner", "Kimchi Fried Dumplings", and "The Symphony of Silence") are the most rewarding. Amongst these three the themes vary widely -- whimsical coming-out, the healing of broken family connections, and bullying, respectively. "Symphony of Silence" is by far the most accomplished film in the collection, perhaps fitting its serious theme.This was a nice way to spend a Sunday afternoon. Recommended for fans of short films who understand going in that they're not going to be getting premium production values. What counts most here is heart.

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