SHELTER

Sweet, but lacking substance

By Laura Dargus

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Shelter is a sweet coming-out story, contrived as its conclusion may be. Zach (Trevor Wright) is a high school grad saddled with his family's baggage and stuck in the limbo before adulthood—miserably so. His mom recently died and his sister is the selfish mother of a 5-year-old, so he's not afforded much of a life aside from babysitting and working at the local diner. His best friend lives away at school and he's uninterested in his on-again/off-again girlfriend.

With a setup of this nature, it's hard to see the film go in the direction it does. There's a lot of depth to its prologue, it's just never fully mined. Writer/director Jonah Markowitz's disregard for realism does not mesh with the gritty aesthetic that captures the San Pedro, Calif. street-beach style, posing it against the opulence of neighboring waterfront homes. Wright's performance genuinely portrays Zach's love for his family and his struggle in challenging people's perceptions. And Tina Holmes as Jeanne, Zach's sister, is particularly convincing in her self-absorption, but the supporting cast comes off forced at times.

All in all, Shelter is an enjoyable and tender-hearted film, unconventionally beautiful in its execution. Unfortunately, its lack of substance keeps it from being completely grounded in the reality it tries so hard to convey.

--Kendall Sq. Cinema