esrosedotblog

Sometimes, nostalgia can lead to deep regret and alienation.

The good times reveal hidden faults in a relationship that suddenly bloom under investigation. Such is the case in this disturbing documentary

Shepard and Dark (2102).

Two men, one famous, the other not, have over 40 years of experience together. Intimate and yet strange to one another.

I think that this is the dilemma for a lot of men. Don't know about women.

My own life is strewn with friendships that were deep and abiding and then were not. One or both of us had enough and shoved off.

Sometimes I have gotten together with these guys again but, to date, no avail.

This film is surprisingly intimate. Amazingly not self conscious.

I was deeply touched by both men's willingness to show us their relationship on such intimate terms. Especially knowing that as it evolves, there will not be a happy ending or a resolve.

Painful.

It is hard not to wonder about the role of alcohol and drugs in this story but that is barely touched. My own experience is very much colored by those "using" times. The other unsaid thing is the scare put in modern men's minds about queerness and the threat that intimacy with another man is to be avoided.

But that is asking too much. These guys are not gay nor are they likely to become so. Smile.

I liked the way it kept things open. Like the relationship itself. The film is a reflection of a long project about making a book. This effort was abandoned. Heartache ensued. Looks like they found a way to tell the story by making a film and letting a documentarian make it. Treva Wurmfeld. She did a great job on these guys. Revealing, yet loving and respectful.

I would be willing to see it again. That makes it a 4 out of Netflix5.

Labels: films