Gay films usually have only 2 themes. Most often they are coming-of-age stories, otherwise everything revolves around twisted passions that end either tragically or well. In from the Side is not exactly assessable, because despite the rather light tone, this is neither a comedy nor a tragedy. The matter-of-factness with which gayness is shown here, especially the environment of a tough man's sport, namely rugby, is very pleasant and I admit that Ryan Reynolds lookalike as Warren makes it very easy to get interested in the story. The main character, however, is Mark, who is in an unhappy relationship that guarantees him some wealth but a lot of emotional emptiness that also rubs off on his best friend. That's where Warren comes in, whose open relationship seems to be going better, but who falls in love with Mark. Both experience their ups and downs during their game of hide and seek, and in the end Mark has to make the decision of what he wants to do. A lot of eye candy, not very strong characterisation of all the characters, a loose narrative tone but without much depth make this film a watchable but overall too long pleasure that could have been better with a better focus on the characters.
Review of In from the Side
