You Are My Sunshine

Two young men meet in 1970s, when the love that dare not speak its name was still a bit of a whisper in the dark. They form a lifelong relationship, despite the sad and painful estrangement from the family of one of the gents that results.

The film uses flashbacks to tell the story. Despite some corny lines and just a couple of clunker performances, the film is pretty good. The story is strong, and most of the acting is very good. Steve Salt, who plays one of the young men is an excellent actor, and very sensitive to the role. Jack Knight, playing the other young man is a bit lackluster. Charles O'Neill puts in a very nice performance as the nephew who tries to re-knit the family relationships.

The struggle to live their lives and be happy together leaves the young men stranded and isolated from family. They overcome it, having each other, but one of the men is haunted by the rift.

Where the film really suffers is from the casting of the older counterparts.

One has to really suspend reality when skipping back and forth between the two eras in their lives. Particularly considering what an interesting and amazing face Steve Salt has, it's quite a stretch to even figure out which of the older guys is who. It's a distraction from the story to see the older men in the present.

But the story is sensitive and moving. Worth the effort, even if you sit in astonishment of the characters and wonder how those actors ended up being cast in theire respective roles.