Hidden Gem: Shelter 

Hello, hello, my fellow Misfits 

And welcome to another part of our lovely Hidden Gem series. Today it’s my turn to present something not so well known to you and I will be honest, I really had to think about what I could recommend to you on this wonderful summer’s day. But after three started blogs to different series and movies I am here now with my fourth try and yay, I think I finally found the right movie for today. Because after all we are still on our BLDA summer vacation and who doesn’t like to spend their summer at the beach… 

The movie I chose for today really has this summer vibe with the ocean, the beach and some really cute surfer boys… Do you know what movie I might mean by now? Na? Admit your age. Because the wonderful movie 

Shelter 

Is already a bit older, with it being made in 2007. But believe me when i am telling you the story of this movie is as true today as it was back then and fifteen years is not that old in the big picture of things. Lol. I can very clearly remember when the movie came out back in the day and the entire “BL” community went totally bat shit crazy for it. We all had this feeling that this movie would be something special back then and after all this time now and me having watched it so often that by now I can pretty much tell you entire dialogues I can tell you that we were absolutely right: Shelter is something absolutely special… 

What Is It About? 

Zach lives in San Pedro, California where he helps his big sister Jeanne raise her son Cody. With his parents out of the picture, Zach has to work different jobs, just to make ends meet. His dreams of going to an art school long forgotten between all the difficulties of his regular life. His only escape from his rather sad existence is his street art and surfing. 

When Shaun, Zach’s best friend’s older brother, comes back from Los Angeles for a few weeks, the two quickly bond over their shared love for surfing. But what started rather innocently slowly turns into something else and Zach has to decide if for once in his life he does what is best for him and not for everyone around him. But with his own girlfriend still in the picture, his sister being massively homophobic and Zach pretty much having to raise Cody, is there even a chance for Zach to follow his heart and his dream? 

Why You Might Like It: 

First of all the storyline is so, so freaking awesome. It just resonates with me so much. The entire setting of this movie is pretty much Zach’s struggle between what he thinks he should do and what he wants to do. His oversized feeling of responsibility for his family and the guilt he feels for maybe wanting something different in life is such a strong image to me and the way it’s portrayed makes it so easy to really feel what the people in the story are going through. I can remember me literally crying my freaking eyes out over this movie more then once, just because the feelings… they are all so raw and so on the front of things. It’s really, really beautiful. So yeah, if you are in the mood for a love story with a real background then this movie is for you. 

The chemistry between our two leads is awesome. Trevor Wright and Brad Rowe who play Zach and Shaun are just so beautiful together and they portray both characters to utter perfection. You can literally feel the love and the trust and the passion between these two. Oh and while we are at passion… the skinship in this movie is beautiful. It has one of my favourite sex scenes ever in it. It’s just so beautiful and pure in a very hot and passionate way and we all know that’s how I like my skinship. 

Let’s be honest: most BL fans love it when a kid is in the mix. And Cody? He is just a little nugget you wanna put in your pocket and carry him around for safe keeping as he is utterly adorable and so sweet and fun. His relationship with his uncle and later with Shaun is such a beautiful thing to see and it really gives the movie a more light and fun feel while still staying deep with the message and the emotions of the storyline. 

The soundtrack is just something else. I can again remember from back then that we also had a “Love Song” series we were writing for my old “BL” magazine and the amount of people swooning over every little song from  this soundtrack was just incredible. But it honestly is the perfect beach summer soundtrack to me. Not too hectic or too loud, but just enough chill to be listened to while laying on a beach. So yeah, please have an ear out for this fantastic soundtrack while watching the movie. It is honestly just a treat. 

Why You Might Not Like It: 

Hm, I honestly can’t think of any reason why you might not like Shelter. Like seriously. Yes, you might get a bit miffed with Zach for being stupid, but that’s the whole charm of the movie, so I won’t call that a negative. Lol. There are some scenes with domestic violence in it.  But that’s really the only thing I could think of why you might not personally like it. But other than that, I honestly can’t think of any reason why you wouldn’t like this movie. 

If you know a reason why someone might not like Shelter, please leave a comment below. 

Finale Thoughts: 

Shelter is one of these movies that I can watch again and again and again and then some more. It’s been one of these movies that made me recognise something about myself and life in general and I honestly have a really big weak spot for movies or series that manage this hard feed (I have a heart made of stone after all). So I would definitely recommend you to give this movie a try and maybe even leave me a comment here once you watched it, as I really would love to hear your thoughts on it. 

But I think another reason why this movie might be interesting for you is that this is one of THE movies of that period of “BL” obsessed fans. I say “BL” in air quotes as we didn’t have that word back then even though we already had the community. But Shelter caused such a big storm back when it came out and it was pretty much the first movie that really came out when the community was together and the feeling of excitement and joy was just so big. You need to remember that back in 2007 we were lucky when our heroes didn’t just end up dead by the end of the movie as that was pretty much the only way a gay character could exist on television. They either stayed alone as the weird uncle or they found love which tragically ended somehow in death. So having a movie like Shelter where being gay was not the downfall of the character but the salvation… Boy, it snatched our wigs so hard. 

So if you could do this old woman one favour, try to find the time to give this old school gem a chance. It might explain a bit more to you where we as a fandom are coming from. And on top of it you will just witness one of the most touching love stories I have seen in all my years in the fandom. 

First posted on BLDA