ROCK HAVEN seems to have its heart in the right place, showing the conflict between the religious right and human sexuality that occurs between two young teenagers, but the script is minimal, uncomfortable in saying what it really wants to say, and in the end the resulting film is a long drawn out series of a few sentences followed by lengthy views of the ocean and the wild flowers at coastline (even though Bodega Bay is stunningly beautiful to watch!).
Brady (Sean Hoagland) lives at the beach with his mother (Laura Jane Coles) preparing to go to Bible college at summer's end: the two are strongly right wing religious people. Into this rather rigid atmosphere steps Clifford (Owen Alabado) and there is an immediate chemistry between the two young lads - Clifford being openly gay while Brady is so far back in the dark closet that Clifford's mere presence terrifies him. Clifford's mother (Katheryn Hecht) is a free spirit who deals comfortably with her son's feelings and tries to support Brady in his fear of sinning. Brady's mother 'can't change the way she believes' (gay relationships are sinful) and tries to 'change' Brady by encouraging his attraction to a sweet well-meaning girl (Erin Daly) who just happens to understand Brady's needs more than he does! The manner in which this conflict is approached and quasi-resolved is weak as written and directed by David Lewis (who also plays the role of the minister...), and the ending is unsatisfactory at best.
The quality of acting is low on the scale but the sincerity is palpable. The viewer wants to care for these young lads confronting love for the first time, but the situation posed by the meager dialog and the ending keep it from becoming the nice little wisp of a film it could have been. The scenery is the star, but it is hardly the 'haven' for this dilemma that the title suggests. Grady Harp
