19 year old James (Michael Grant), a young gay man with dreams of pursuing an education in music, is returning home to his family's apple farm (the titular Fair Haven Orchard) after spending several months at an ex-gay camp, which we learn more about through scattered flashbacks. He is met by his father, Rick (Tom Wopat), a gruff and distant authority figure who James clearly fears, who reveals to James that the young man's college plans are basically finished because the father took the boy's college fund and spent it on the failing orchard while his son was getting 'therapy'. When James expresses desire to play piano professionally - a dream he clearly cherishes, and has a chance at, given the quality of the brief performances we see throughout the film - Dad insists that James go to a tech school, and learn to run the orchard after he passes.
Believing himself to have little other recourse, James starts helping around the orchard, and one day is asked to deliver some crates to a buyer. When James arrives at the buyer, he is surprised to discover that the young man accepting deliveries is his former boyfriend Charlie (Josh Green), who is cautiously thrilled to see James and worried about what happened during his time away. James suffers a kind of existential panic, and flees, rushing home to ask - beg - to go to church, where the sermon is, of course, all about 'sin' and 'lust'. As they leave, James is rather quickly set up with the pastors daughter, Suzie (Lily Anne Harrison), a sweet girl with a promise ring and the kind of rosy-cheeked, innocent vigor for Christ that you only read about. Despite his complicated feelings about...well, EVERYTHING...James begins to date Suzie, while also re-igniting his friendship with Charlie and working with his father.
To say more would be to straight up synopsize the entire film, so I'll leave off there and move to the review.
"Should I see this movie?" I think it really depends on you. If you are a member of one of the denominations of 'Christianity' which believes the things espoused by the camp and church in the film, then you will not like it. But then, you likely didn't finish the review anyway, so...who cares? If you, like me, are someone who has gone through the struggle to balance a religious upbringing and 'deviant' sexuality, has suffered abuse, however unintentional, at the hand of a distant parent, or are just the kind of person who likes a well-crafted, well-acted film about controversial subjects and human nature - one that, blessedly, doesn't end with the main character dying or losing everything or closeted and miserable - then I'd say it's worth the ticket price. And more than one viewing.
Believing himself to have little other recourse, James starts helping around the orchard, and one day is asked to deliver some crates to a buyer. When James arrives at the buyer, he is surprised to discover that the young man accepting deliveries is his former boyfriend Charlie (Josh Green), who is cautiously thrilled to see James and worried about what happened during his time away. James suffers a kind of existential panic, and flees, rushing home to ask - beg - to go to church, where the sermon is, of course, all about 'sin' and 'lust'. As they leave, James is rather quickly set up with the pastors daughter, Suzie (Lily Anne Harrison), a sweet girl with a promise ring and the kind of rosy-cheeked, innocent vigor for Christ that you only read about. Despite his complicated feelings about...well, EVERYTHING...James begins to date Suzie, while also re-igniting his friendship with Charlie and working with his father.
To say more would be to straight up synopsize the entire film, so I'll leave off there and move to the review.
"Should I see this movie?" I think it really depends on you. If you are a member of one of the denominations of 'Christianity' which believes the things espoused by the camp and church in the film, then you will not like it. But then, you likely didn't finish the review anyway, so...who cares? If you, like me, are someone who has gone through the struggle to balance a religious upbringing and 'deviant' sexuality, has suffered abuse, however unintentional, at the hand of a distant parent, or are just the kind of person who likes a well-crafted, well-acted film about controversial subjects and human nature - one that, blessedly, doesn't end with the main character dying or losing everything or closeted and miserable - then I'd say it's worth the ticket price. And more than one viewing.