Frozen Roads (2011)

 

Frozen Roads (2011)

Director: Mark Pariselli
Writer: Mark Pariselli
Genre: Short movie
Country: Canada
Year: 2011
Duration: 17 min

Starring: Kevin DeCarli, Kyle Mac, Carlyn Burchell

Canada has a long and rich history of quality indie film, and so Frozen Roads should have had a lot going for it. Unfortunately – despite the promise – the end result was rather disappointing.

The main issue with the film was the quality of acting on display. The lead characters appeared awkward and wooden – which under other circumstances might have been beneficial in order to convey the respective awkwardness of dealing with gay inclinations as a teenager. Unfortunately – this being a short – we weren’t afforded enough depth of character to make that judgement.

Focusing on the brother and sister leads, Christian (Kyle Mac) and Lyla (Carlyn Burchell), we learn that they are both share feelings for the same boy, Balthazar (Kevin DeCarli) – and the story that follows covers Christian’s stumbling attempts to convey his affections for his friend – who in turn reacts badly and the film culminates in an intense, yet perfunctory sex scene in the front of a truck as Balthazar struggles to come to terms with his emotions. The film is also split in the middle by a home-movie-style clip of the three as toddlers, enjoying a summer vacation – informing the audience that the three have been life-long friends. It appears abruptly and not only disrupts the flow of the film, but also confuses the audience as to its purpose in relation to the remainder of the story.