You know how some movies try to tackle a controversial subject, and the filmmakers give these really snotty condescending interviews where they claim that their movie "shows both sides of the issue" and then you go see it and it TOTALLY only covers one side of the issue and you'd have to be dropping acid to even think it tackles both sides? I'd never heard of this movie before today, but I was asked to watch it and review it, and I knew nothing about it, and when I found out what it was about, I didn't want to watch it. I'm going to be honest with you, I came into the movie with a huge chip on my shoulder expecting it to suck.

It didn't suck. First of all, there are a collection of unknown actors on display here that will have you scratching your head saying things like "dude, I've seen him before" and "who the hell is she? She looks familiar..." The bonus is that while none of these people are really famous, they happen to be great little character actors who can breathe life into their roles and make it hard for you to believe that the characters aren't real. I always appreciate it when independent movies can do that. It's one of the perks of having a bigger budget to work with than most indies have, I suppose, but they put the money to good use here, so I have no complaints.

Chad Allen isn't exactly unknown, but since I never watched "Dr. Quinn Medicine Woman" when I was younger, I only really knew him from a few interviews I'd read. I have to say though, he kicks ass here. He manages to look younger in the beginning of the movie, so there's no irritating distraction coming from having to watch 30 year olds act like teenagers. Allen's character is believably cynical and jaded enough that even when things threaten to sink into melodrama, his sarcastic and abrasive attitude helps keep the proceedings grounded. Later in the movie, when he starts to believe the message of redemption that people are trying to drill into his head, he handles things with enough of his remaining tough-guy attitude that the transformation doesn't seem forced, and that's enough to help this movie skate along smoothly when it could easily have become bogged down and preachy.

Robert Gant isn't given enough screen time here, but just when I was getting ready to bitch that his character isn't given a chance to develop, the filmmakers go and give him the two best scenes in the movie. His fight with Judith Light's character at the end is worth the price of the movie. Even the bit players like Arron Shiver and Robert Baker manage to inject genuine humanity into their small roles that help move the plot along steadily and compellingly.

So what's so preachy about the subject matter here? Well, for starters, when we first meet Chad Allen's character Mark, he's strung out on drugs and alcohol, taking a guy to a motel for some sleazy sex intercut with images of a congregation in a church singing hymns. Very subtle guys. But I have to admit, the imagery is compelling, so it did impress me on a purely artistic level. Anyway, when Mark overdoses in this opening scene, his family is done with his antics, and they deposit him in a Christian rehab place and leave him there. The twist here is that this rehab place claims to help participants turn their lives around in more ways than one, they won't just stop using drugs and denying God, they'll stop being gay, too. That's right. Another gay movie. That's what I thought too, but like I said, this one was different.

Like I said, Robert Gant isn't given enough time here for his character to develop, so for most of the movie he seems like a paper thin surface character, and even though he still has the two best scenes in the movie, we could benefit from seeing him as a more fully realized and less static character. There are also a few scenes that drip with melodrama a little too much for my tastes. They mostly got it right, but I'd be remiss in my duty if I didn't warn you that at times, you'll be gritting your teeth and glaring at the screen.

For once, honestly, a movie that shows both sides of an issue that pisses people off so badly that they usually don't want to see EITHER side. I'm impressed, guys.