Red Dirt : getting mad

The more I read the view comments on this movie the madder I get. It's so obvious that straight men who can accept homosexuality on certain terms like when the guys are in drag, have lisps or campy humor, get uneasy when the characters are average acting guys. And for the gay guys. Of course this film is slow when in the back of your mind all you are doing is waiting for the guys to have sex.

The guys never had sex. No one said either of them were gay. Some guy growing up in small southern town without a father eyeing a naked man? That's gay? I think that's normal. Did they have sex? Who knows? Nothing in the film eludes to it so it's in the watchers mind.

Someone mentioned coming out to his family. What? did I miss that part? Did he even know what that was? He never came out. Good chance he wasn't even gay. Just cuz they kissed at the end of the movie?

Go watch porn if you're looking for sex.

Erm Did you actually watch the film. At the end Grith tells Leo that he was right, that he was "In Love" with him, they then kiss! Hmmm.. I say that there was pretty much of a gay undertone there!

"mother put your pinny on"

I agree with pimponbro,but then again I always defend this movie!This is my favorite movie EVER.They had feelings for each other but I don't think they were 100% gay just cause of that.Griffith also had feelings for Emily.and his name was Lee not Leo.

I agree with the orginal posting.. this movie is NOT about sex. ALthough it'd be nice, of course. The film had its flaws in dialogue and mood sometimes, but overall it was a great effort, and a strong story very touching. You need to watch this movie without expectations of a big "coming out" scene, or a lot of overt sex scenes Did you see the faces of the two men at the end, before and after the kiss? It was raw, unbridled emotionbeautiful! I will not forget.

Couldn't agree more dude. But I think these guys deserve your pity more than your ire. The guy who called this film "A slap in the face of all gay men everywhere" has been brought up on 90s clap-happy identity politics. It's not his fault into being brainwashed by gay and straight society alike that you can only love what you want to screw, and you can only ever be one thing from the moment sperm hits egg.

Just watched this film this evening for the first time. VERY interesting to read the comments here, in part because how much people seem to see what they want to see in this film (which, by itself, should earn Tag Purvis some credit as a storyteller.)

My thoughts, as briefly as possible:

1) I have no problem with the lead being in love with his cousin and the stranger-turned-friend. But I think it's simplistic to say he loved them equally or in the same way. The opening scene of the movie says volumes about his relationship with his cousin and how he feels about it. In addition the way he both flees that relationship as things develop with the character of Lee and how he reacts to Lee's honest appraisal of the situation say a great deal about the turmoil in the lead. I don't think he "has" to be gay to love Lee, but even a dispassionate view of his reactions makes it hard to avoid that he's deeply drawn to Lee, and not just as friends, however bored or stuck he feels. Just the burning of the "pincushion" they build together in the field says much about what he's feeling.

2) The characters are well-drawn and well-acted. The movie is visually beautiful. The tempo, the development of the story and the setting all work brilliantly. BUT it's difficult for me to avoid feeling that the ending is weak. I wasn't looking for sex - it was unnecessary to this story. But I'm infinitely weary of relationships between men fading into the sunset. 2 more minutes of decent dialogue would have infinitely strengthened the end of this film. They are in love - no mystery. Can Lee stay? Is he invited? Why has the lead character now, suddenly, decided to stay? Sure, we know he's discovered his Mom is alive. So he kisses this guy and then says take care, thanks for coming by? Weak.

In summary: brilliant except for the end. Looking forward to seeing more work from this director and all the actors in the film.

Very interesting movie. I don't think Griffith was gay. I also don't think he was in love with Emily.

I agree with some others that the fact that Griffith admitted he was in love with Lee didn't mean he was gay. He had an emotional attachment to Lee. Lee was probably his only real male friend he ever had. Lee encouraged him in many ways and Griffith was open about his emotions to Lee because he had no male figure in his life. The kiss was no more than a friend to friend kiss that served as a "I still love you but I can't be with you" kiss.

His sexual relationship with Emily was out of boredom. The sex scene between the two was detached and unemotional.

Lee may have been gay but again it could be the same situation as Griffith.

It was beautiful friendship and I don't think it was a homosexual relationship. It was two men who truly loved each other but in Lee's case he wanted more. Griffith was not interested in that and that's why I think they didn't go away together in addition to that fact that I think he wanted to stay with his new found mother as well.

A little slow moving but the pay off is worth it.

I disagree that Griffith simply had an emotional attachment to Lee. The wide-eyed chemistry between them when they first set eyes on each other was obvious (and extremely well acted.) It was practically a lesson in how to flirt discreetly with another man.

Also when Lee had an outdoor shower, Griffith's (occasional, though obvious) upward/downward eye movements were clearly intended to convey a sexual attraction.

They never have a sexual relationship, but they did have the hots for each other from the moment they met.

The looking up and down thing could just mean he was just looking at him. It could just be a curious factor to see what the next guy looks like. They could have been completely gay but I think the brilliance of the movie is that it doesn't give an answer. It up to us to decide.

>>The kiss was no more than a friend to friend kiss<<

Yeah, heterosexual grown men in the South quite often kiss each other on the mouth with open lips. All the time. AND THEN FOLLOW UP THE KISS WITH AN "I'm in love with you".

Yep.

Happens all the time with straight guys.

Right.


People will really go far in trying to deny homosexuality. It's kind of comical how you'll contort yourselves into all kinds of pretzel-like shapes in the denying of it, but that doesn't mean it's not real and not there.

Not just in the dark ages ("before Stonewall") there are many men who love men and have sex with each other who don't identify themselves as gay or as "queer." Not feeling like the effeminate stereotypes and having no familiarity with others, they don't have a vocabulary for articulating their feelings. This is the case in "Brokeback Mountain," particularly for Ennis, too.

I had a lover for three years before it occurred to me that I was "homosexual," and a number of friends were surprised that we were more than "close friends."

I'd also note form the black-and-white tv and what's on it, that I think the movie was set some years or even decades back in the previous millennium.

Actually a lot of the film "eludes" to it, but very little alludes to it.

Simply the shower scene does allude to a sexual attraction of some sort by Griffith. He may not be exactly sure what it is at that time, but no 100% straight man is going to look at another man up and down like that. The cousin thing is a simple answeryou are pretty much lead to believe that Griffith was a prisoner in his own home tending to Summer..yes they had the lady that lived in the cottage.but still he had little outside friends other than Emily. So it does make sense that he would explore sexually with her ( this happens a lot more than people realize and NOT just in the south).
Now on to Lee, I think its made clear that he is gay, 1. The conversation with Emily when she say "Why can't you leave him alone" ( or something like that) and his response is "For the same reasons you can't". 2. When he tries to tell Griffith his true feelings..there is no "I'm so confused, I have never felt this way before.." he just lays them out, and then tries to kiss Griffith.who is now faced with the reality that his feeling were the same and was not ready to accept that..hence the reason he punched Lee. It was a way of releasing his frustration and confusion. Which is also common that in a bit of rage we hurt the one we care about most

Upon further review, they were both gay. Just that one was not ready for it. The movie still leaves it open to our interpretation, but they were gay. I was in denial. Great film.