good back-story, and good acting

This is a must-see and one of the best documentaries - and films - of this year.

It really made me laugh, but for some moments I was tearing up because I could relate so much.

Story: It's very simple but honestly that is fine.

While yet a young man still gaining experience through his own relationships, Quentin Lee has managed to produce a drama that explores the many subtleties and conflicting possibilities of relationships with the insight of someone twice his age. As an older gay male in a long-term committed relationship, I particularly appreciated Lee's mature take on the interplay between every young gay man's deep desire for a "perfect" relationship and the (maturer) realization that (perhaps) perfection lies in working on one's existing relationship. Yet--another sign of the film's maturity--this conclusion is not dictated, but merely suggested as one of several possible outcomes. As others have noted, the film is slow at first to engage the viewer, but once it does it will leave a lasting impression.

So here's a nice, little indie film made on a shoestring budget with no monstrous, gaping flaws. That alone sets it above most other nice, little indie films made on a shoestring budget. Ironically, though, what "Drift" seems to lack the most is a sense of bite... one of the things that the tortured intellectuals of the film note about their lives. The film is basically a more complex, less commercialized take on the Gwynneth Paltrow vehicle, "Sliding Doors." In this incarnation, gay Ryan has gotten the 3-year itch now that his relationship with lover, Joel, has gotten comfortable. He meets eager young writer-wannabe Leo, and begins to question his "marriage". This is all justified nicely as we see the artistic, passionate Ryan trying, but failing, to connect with Joel on a more enlightened plane. This is when "Drift" shows us three possibilities of where Ryan's life may take him: off with Leo, back to Joel, and none of the above. While the film never lost my interest, it is, at its core, a talkfest. (And if you're the type of person who finds the angst of day-to-day living to be dull, then you are certainly going to hate this film.) Yes, it's a heckuva lot deeper emotionally than "Sliding Doors" will ever be, but it's also less fun and far less charismatic. And I found myself waiting for some sort of big, dramatic confrontation that never really showed up. Alas, quiet and thoughtful is more what the film aspires to be... and really, there's nothing wrong with that. It just won't make your heart race. One final positive: gay men and their sexual relations are handled both realistically AND erotically. The film manages to be neither disinfected of sex nor a pointless bump-and-grindathon like, say, most of the second season of "Queer as Folk."

Maybe it's because I don't appreciate the joy that drama queens bring to life. Maybe it's because I don't appreciate the angst of living in the life today. Who in the real, work-a-day world speaks like this? If I met such an emotional train-wreck as the lead character, I would sprint at high speed in the other direction. It seemed every time Ryan opened his mouth out spilled a Greek tragedy punctuated by his belabored, self absorbed, oh-woe-is-me breathing. The acting was good, the story line was mediocre. I found myself looking at my watch and checking the box the video came in to see how much longer the pain was to continue. I would have been the guy in the back row of the theater groaning every time one of these poor widdle boys dug himself into a hole and then waxed poetic.I have this visceral feeling of...oh sorry, it's just indigestion.

The dialog is fresh, original, and on a much higher level than most commercial and indie films. Sure, the cinematography is pretty lame, especially on extreme facial close-ups. But the story surprises--Ryan has many illusions and many alternative stories that he lives, and we're not quite certain what's real. This Canadian import survives because of its superior screenplay, as well as some good acting performances. I gave it an 8/10.