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Visitors Review

Martin Bradley 2012-05-19 14:15:49

Less could have been more

The problem with Kevin Elyot's (writer) and Adrian Shergold's(director) boldly ambitious "Clapham Junction" is that it attempts tobite off so much more than it can possibly chew in just under twohours. Elyot goes for an epic structure in an intimate setting. Attimes it looks like he's trying to cram in forty years of gay sexualhistory into a night and day and it just doesn't work. I wish I couldhave liked it more because there is so much here to admire and spreadover, maybe six weekly episodes, he might have got away with it but asit stands it just doesn't ring true. This may well be down to Elyot'sreliance on coincidence. All the characters seem to be inter-related.Nothing wrong with that, you might say; it has worked as a backdrop tomany splendid dramas in the past but you have to suspend quite a lot ofdisbelief when in a city the size of London with a sizeable gaypopulation, all the gay characters keep bumping into each other inclubs, public toilets, on Clapham Common itself or at dinner parties orjust in living across the street from each other. It's a banal plotdevice and you can't help feeling Elyot would have made his point a lotbetter if the stories hadn't been connected.Nor is Elyot particularly good at serving up dialogue that soundsbelievable or naturalistic. The characters either talk in sound-bitesor are reduced to double-entendres. If he can get in a crass joke, hedoes and nobody comes out of it well. But at least he tries. There ishardly an aspect of gay life, (or of 'straight' society's reaction toit), that he leaves unexplored. He even gives us the self-loathing bitof gay trade who beats up his pick-up for the night, (and later getsbeaten up himself), and the film's most successful story is the onebetween the pedophile and the fourteen year old boy who worships him,(this only let down by casting a twenty-three year old actor as theboy).It is also very unevenly acted. There may be an in-joke of sorts incasting James Wilby and Rupert Graves, (the lovers from "Maurice"),Wilby as a closeted married man and Graves as an out and aging queen heeyes up in a toilet and later meets at a dinner party. Perhaps if theseparts had been better written neither actor would have looked sofoolish. The best performances come from Jospeh Mawle and Luke Tredawayas the pedophile and the boy and it's very much to their credit thatthey lift a very difficult subject and make it moving and oddlyromantic. Detractors will, of course, find this story the mostobjectionable for obvious reasons although the producers have cushionedthe blow by casting the obviously older Tredaway as the boy.The film itself takes as its basis the real-life murder of JodyDobrowski on Clapham Common in 2005 but the impact is weakened by theepisodic structure. Ultimately "Clapham Junction" is neither fish norfowl but an unwieldy hybrid. Its heart may be in the right place butyou can't help but feel it does its subject, (whatever you take itssubject to be), something of an injustice.

2012-05-19 03:59:18

Haven't a clue

This review is from: Clapham Junction (DVD) I watched this last night after buying it from Amazon and sitting here still wondering why they ever made this movie. The movie jumped around so much it was hard to tell who was trying to kill who and I guess someone who liked watching gay guys get the stuffing beat out of them will love this but I found nothing to like about this movie at all. I have seen a lot of gay based movies but this has to be at the bottom of the trash.

2012-05-17 21:01:16

GREAT MOVIE, LOUSY MESSAGE

This review is from: Clapham Junction (DVD) An excellent performance from all concerned in what is basically, in spite of its hype, a dark homophobic movie intended to make gays go back into the closet and bolt it from the inside. It concerns a serious of vicious attacks on gays in a particular neighborhood of London, presumably from real events. One is told that "neighbors" get together to fight back. Absolutely no such thing. Not one single attack is traced to its perpetrators. What one gets is a bunch of boring homophobic suburbanites having dinner while a gay boy gets murdered right outside. Kudos for having dared to expose the reality of sex between teens and adults. Many times, the teen is the aggressor, which was portrayed in the movie with chilling and heartbreaking accuracy. Wilby and Graves, of "Maurice" fame, are bit players in this one. Time has been kind to Graves, not Wilby. The movie belongs to the teen and his adult target. Real chemistry there! I like the movie, not the content.

2012-05-17 09:04:32

Worth it!!!!

Typical of British cinema that tries to imitate popular American topics, this film gets a bit "wordy", at times; however, there is a scene between the teenage boy and his neighbor that is one of THE MOST erotic scenes I have ever witnessed in a movie and I'm 56 years old!!!!!! It was amazing!!! For that scene alone, it's worth the purchase of this DVD...Enjoy!!!!!

2012-05-17 14:15:49

36 Hours of Vaguely Related Gay Scenes in South London

I have viewed a 90-minute version of the film. A IMDB review of the 2007 British TV presentation of Clapham Junction starts, "Over a two day period a series of interconnected events impact a disparate group of [gay] Londoners," and that is quite accurate even if the period is about 36 hours.. Clapham Junction is a major train-connecting point in the London Borough of Wandsworth, not far from Lavender Hill, the location of The Lavender Hill Mob, but that was a comedy and this is certainly not.In 2005, Jody Dobrowski suffered a horrendously brutal murder on Clapham Common, and a similar event is central to this film, which is an ultimately depressing and sometimes shocking exploration of contemporary urban gay sexuality. Some of the characters are deeply unpleasant, dishonest and self absorbed. But you will want to watch them.One gay youth who play the violin is clearly intimidated and frightened by gangs on his walk to his teacher, while another gay inbetweener embraces his homosexuality and relentlessly pursues an older gay neighbor. Some of the gay yuppies are married but unfaithful to their wives in the type of park restrooms frequented by George Michael, and one who marries his partner dallies with a server boy in the kitchen after the ceremony. It is hardly justice when a gay gay-basher gets bashed himself. And you are forced to watch, or not.The actors sometimes rise above the material. Paul Nichols is clearly full of himself as his character, Terry, and the scene in which he dresses for a night out is great, though one surprising scene reportedly used a stand-in. The film unites James Wilby and Rupert Graves of Maurice, but their relationship could not be more different than what they had in that film, though both were, again, brave to take their roles. David Leon is powerful in his role as Alfie Cartwright (the Jody Dobrowski character). But Luke Treadway as young Theo pursuing a reluctant Joseph Mawle as Tim is absolutely chilling, and worth the cost of the DVD if anything is.You will never forget Clapham Junction if you watch it. But there is some hard-to-watch "bad" mixed with the "good" (the performances).

fubared1 2012-05-16 21:35:53

Anti-Gay Gay Film

Any organization or individual who is homophobic or hates gays in anyway is going to love this film. Here we have every negative gaystereotype imaginable. First we have the gay guy who cheats on hishusband on the day they are married. Then there's the pedophile who hassex with a 14 year old boy. Then we have the guys who revel in sex in apublic bathroom. Then we have the fat, ugly old priest or minister orwhatever. Then we have the closeted, married gay man. Then we have thegay basher who is himself bashed when he reveals his true nature andtries to have sex with a fat, ugly guy. The only stereotype we seem tobe missing is the raving gay transvestite, but then most transvestitesare heterosexual. So the lesson to be learned here is that it is notpossible for gay men to have happy productive lives or 'normal' sex.And if there were anyone associated with this film who is gay, theyshould be ashamed of themselves for promoting these negativestereotypes.

kevinmcginness 2012-05-11 06:23:55

The lives of several gay men interconnect around clapham over the course of 36 hours

I was extremely exited when i heard the 40th year since homosexualitywas decriminalised was to be marked with this one off drama, and waslooking forward to clapham junction giving an insight and celebratingthe changes that society has made in dealing with homosexuality in 21stcentury Britain.I was profoundly disappointed to see that the programme makers decidedto concentrate on negative stereotypes of promiscuous partners,horrendous homophobic attacks,closeted husbands and predatoryhomosexuals preying on underage boys.this type of drama into gay lifestyle gives an untrue representation ofhow modern gay people live their lives showing that nothing much haschanged from the stereotype of the 1950s and 60s. The writers had amassive responsibility and opportunity to show a positive andrefreshing view on the matter, particularly for younger peoplestruggling to come to terms with sexuality. Sadly they opted for dramarather than fact.

2012-05-10 12:41:24

Flawless

This review is from: Clapham Junction (DVD) A really great movie, written well, and excellently performed by a stellar cast. A really good depiction of some worrying aspects of the gay world. Buy it!

jmcgurn 2012-05-06 11:49:04

Brilliant acting, but sad & depressing

As I gay man, I really liked this film. A more positive vision for atleast a few of the characters would have made the movie better. But theacting is very good and violence against gay men still exists today. Ihave to say that I did not have a problem with the relationship betweenTheo & Tim. I do not support pedophilia by any means(!), but at 14("almost fifteen"), Theo is sexually mature and not confused about hissexuality. He seduces Tim; Tim asks him to leave (4 times I think). Idon't believe we know for a fact that Tim is a pedophile. It's onlyword of mouth from Theo's mother, so consider the source! Their scenestogether are quite moving.Watch this film but beware, some of what you will see is verydisturbing.

2012-05-05 17:16:40

BORING, SLOW AND HARD TO UNDERSTAND

This review is from: Clapham Junction (DVD) This was another British video, hard to understand with no subtitles, it was so Boeing I did not finish it. It was nothing but exploitation film, with gays being being beat up and pissed on.DO NOT WASTE YOUR MONEY

2012-05-05 20:26:00

A movie many will hate because it tells the truth

Whilst the loud voices of gay communities around the world jump on the 'we have the right to be married' band-wagon this movie takes us back to the truth: we have the right to be accepted, the right not to be bashed, not to be pilloried, that we have the right to love; but also, we are obliged to treat others with how we would like to be treated. This is a dark and despairing movie, so far from the West Coast US (or Sydney) gay party-boy image of gay men as it can get and it's about time it was made.I'll defer to Bob Drake's excellent synopsis above. I'd add that the settings, the cinematography, the nuances and ironies are all first class; the actors superb some of the characters you want to hug, others need a good... no, I won't advocate violence. The dinner party scene juxtaposed to the riveting seduction scene and the reality of the outside world is brilliant. If you think that we should be accepted; if you think that we have the right to love; if you think that we have the right to be safe........if you think, watch this movie.

willthind 2012-05-05 10:42:04

A big disappointment from an otherwise very talented writer

This is the kind of drama that I suspect will be loved by straighttelevision critics and loathed by gay men. It would be easy to say thatit holds up a mirror to ourselves and that we simply don't like thereflection, but my reasons for disliking this drama run somewhat deeperthan that.On the plus side, it's universally well performed and often welldirected. London feels magical, but it's hardly authentic. The biggestproblem is characterisation - or that lack of it. Characters arereduced to ciphers - they are stand-ins for a series of situations andissues. I don't need to love characters (and indeed, there's absolutelyno one to love here), but I do want to engage in their lives andconcerns. I want to get under their skin, to understand them more bythe end than when I started watching two hours previously. The drama takes place over 24 or so hours in the life of 7 (or maybe 8)gay or bisexual men and youths. Different story lines are juggled andthe various characters find their lives engaging with others - often bythe most spurious and improbable of coincidences. It's as if writer Kevin Elyot wants to throw in every concern andthought he's ever had about gay life into a single drama. As a result,nothing seems satisfyingly explored and only the surface of some verybig issues is scratched.Is Clapham Junction bad? No, but from this otherwise talented writerit's a very big disappointment. I can't help wondering who he andChannel 4 thought that they were making it for.

Gordon-11 2012-04-28 02:28:12

Raw and brutal

This film is about the events that happen to several gay men aroundClapham Common in 36 hours.Due to the enormous number of characters involved, the beginning of thefilm is a little slow. Once the scene is set, a lot of action kicks in.It touches upon a lot of aspects of gay culture, some of the unpleasantaspects are portrayed in a raw and almost disturbing manner. As othershave commented, the scene where the 14 year old boy and the lonerencounter at home is dramatic, tense and well acted. It is easily themost memorable scene of the whole film.This film is raw, brutal and depressing. It can certainly help to raisedebates over anonymous sex, and raise awareness over the tragedy of gaybashing.

2012-04-27 13:57:32

Discomforting, painful, but sadly accurate and thus stupendous.

This review is from: Clapham Junction (DVD) I can't add much of substance that reviewers Hewson and Drake haven't already said. This is a mordant film that touches on painful truths, both in how gays treat each other and in how the non-gay world treats gays. All is not golden in an era where gays are gaining more rights, greater visibility, and ostensible social acceptance. Many people will dislike some of the insights presented here, but when honest with themselves many will also acknowledge that these insights are on target. A wake-up call and a good film. Kudos to all involved. [And seeing Rupert Graves and James Wilby of Maurice interact now that they have hit middle age is an inside irony and a great touch. The romantic hope of their interaction in Maurice is a telling contrast to the backdrop and emotional tenor of their interaction here. This particular bit of casting seems to ask, "Have we fallen from the wistful hope of Maurice to this?"]

ron stoppable 2012-04-26 05:51:24

how is this part of a celebration of gay culture?

singularly offensive in that it makes a pretense of addressing some ofthe darker issues of gay subculture while actually exploiting them forthe titillation factorreminiscent of a '50's pulp novel, with graphic and sensationalviolencepresents an unrelentingly grim picture of life as a gay man, and offersno redemption whatsoevernot particularly well-acted (the women could do with fewerhistrionics), though it is interesting to see the leads of Mauricetogether againcinematography exaggerates the sordid, but is otherwise lackluster

bob the moo 2012-04-25 21:41:11

Negative and simplistic film that offers little

When I watch a film I normally try to ignore what the critics have saidand just focus on what the film does (or doesn't) do for me. However itwas more a problem for me with Clapham Junction when it was shown aspart of the Channel 4 series of films and programmes to mark the 40thanniversary since male homosexuality was legalised. Unwittingly Iwatched the panel discussion 40 Years Out before I saw this film, andthe first part of the former was a group of commentators laying intothe producer of the latter. I remember being quite entertained by thismatch-up but was wary to make up my mind for myself rather than justrepeating what the likes of Matthew Parris et al had said.Problem is though, they were bang on the money in what they saidbecause Clapham Junction is a poor film and a very strange choice toshow as part of this series of films. As a narrative it is basically aninterweaving set of characters all of whom has some comment on thenature of being a male homosexual in this day and age. However, as apiece of writing it is surprisingly lacking. The characters areconnected by coincidence and convenience, without any degree of respectfor the viewer. This is a minor issue though because my main one washow negative the entire film was. I have no gay friends and have not apart to play in the modern gay experience but this film seemed to beharking back to the 1980's rather than the noughties. Nobody is cast ina good light – the film opens with the groom of a civil partnershipcouple cheating with a waiter during the reception before following onwith queer bashing, cottaging, a 14 year old seducing (then f***ing) anolder man etc etc. It is tiresome after a while and has little to sayabout what it means to be gay today. What little it does say of valueis interesting (eg the loss of the thrill of being "dangerous" thatmodern acceptance has brought) but it is scattered far and wide acrossthe film.The cast do little with what little material they have. They deliverthe characters asked of them but none can find the people inside –instead they are horny, camp, in the closet, in denial, on cocaine etcetc, whatever simple classification the script has given them.Shergold's direction is OK in terms of the shots he gets but in termsof helping the material or the actors, he doesn't seem able – althoughElyot's script offers him little support either.Overall then a poor film that wallows in negativity while presentingthe modern gay experience. There is little debate or discussion – justendless "shocking" scenes (yeah – shocking 10 years ago) and negativeimages of homosexuality with no real justification. A sense of balancewould have been welcome but a less simplistic script would have been agreat starting point – sadly it had neither.

MOSSBIE 2012-04-20 10:40:32

London Changed Just Like Most of World

Having lived in London and going there often now than I am older, I dosee the similarities of how the "old days" of homophobia are once againa lot more apparent with bashings happening mostly from differentgroups. I have to laugh at the reviewer from Berkely (who just happensto rent mostly gay or muscle movies) because he condemns the lack ofstory and the insight this film exposes of how regressive the behaviorof the so called "enlightened" middle class members as this well actedcast are so subtly afraid and fearing the general violence returning totheir lives.No longer does one believe that legalization of the lifestyle as holding up and it is artfully revealed at the dinner party.Joan Rivers says in her act "that all Brits are gay and YOU know it"because good manners and breeding are no longer part of the old waysand the way the crazed mother behaved at the dinner party and thebeating occurs to the most attractive and harmless young man in what isa posh area of the city. The scene of the young man with the closetedand terrified handsome older neighbor is something most gays have to gothrough at some time, but has never been so truthfully filmed with thetestosterone overwhelming the innocent while blending into yet anotherstory of verbalizing the increasing homophobia. This is really welldirected and the message is not a shallow story, but when one sees thegangs of thousands of immigrants who have changed Europe, the JoanRivers joke all of a sudden becomes kind of a reality because there isnot the refinement and control of behavior where almost every gay,closeted or flamboyant gay was accepted and free to "carry on".The warand "don't ask, don't tell" is causing a lot of grief for gays and itis just as apparent in the states, but not as finely drawn as this filmpresents unspoken truths. Those who make fun of it, would seem to me tobe gay or closeted themselves and express critics in their "straight"reviews. Surely everyone rented the film because of their interest ingay film and not about a very scary statement the director intended. Itis one of the best gay themed films which has been released for otherreasons than to titillate and look for nude men and gay sex which istypical of most gay themed films.CLAPHAM JUNCTION is artfully done andhorrendously sad along with the rest of what is happening around theworld.I doubt if anyone wasn't somehow moved or bothered by this film.

2012-04-19 21:03:31

Its hard to face reality................

however this film captures the seedy side of life in general and not just the gay spectrum. All in all, well done but the negative stuff is hard to watch. Still, it rates a 5 star label. Wilby and Graves are also in the E.M. Forster Merchant/Ivory adaptation of MAURICE which I very highly recommend.

2012-04-19 02:01:26

Clapham Junction

This review is from: Clapham Junction (DVD) Wasn't exactly what I had anticipated, but still worth the purchase. Always interested in seeing products of the British Film Industry.

evawatches 2012-04-18 09:45:37

Well-done but rather one-sided

This movie gets another mixed review from me.I didn't mind the negative portrayals so much (unsympathetic peopleexist, after all, among straights and gays alike, as does hatred andhypocrisy, and the performances were mostly really good), but I didn'tlike that that's all we get in this film. I've read that the writerdidn't intend to portray the full range of gay life, but I guess thatwas what I expected from an anniversary-type movie. All the depression,the violence, the negativity left me feeling rather bleak andunsatisfied, thinking "But that's not all there is!"And, on a rather superficial note, as a big fan of 'Maurice' I did wishfor more interaction between Wilby and Graves. :)