Really Surprised!

Plot so thin, it passes unnoticed.

Very interesting film. Was caught on the premise when seeing the trailer but unsure as to what the outcome would be for the showing. As it turns out, it was a very good film.

All of these films share one commonality, that being a kind of emotional center that humanizes a cast of monsters.

The underlying premise is unique, a 22 year old is having a love affair with his sister's husband, but throughout the film their is confusion in the message, unnecessary clichés, and bad acting from all but Suzanne Collins (Jane, the wife). The dynamic between Jules and David is the first thing the audience is introduced to, the film starts two years into their affair but doesn't offer an interesting backstory or any real explanation about why they are in love.Then it cuts to the least fun looking gay bar, where David meets a new guy and they take drugs, have sex then (after a strange 5 minute montage) are in love. Then the film drags on until the predictable dramatic ending, which could have been made a lot more dramatic. I was hoping for a 'Dr.Foster' type event but the payoff just wasn't there. Also, suddenly the husband goes from thinking he is straight to being gay. There was no aspect of the husbands struggle with his sexuality, or any mention of bisexuality. It would have been a great opportunity to mention that, it is something that is frequently ignored in LGBT+ cinema. I did think that the way the truth was forced out was new, with David finding out that the affair has caused him to get HIV. Personally, it felt way too much like a feature length soap opera and had no real character development. I found myself occasionally skipping forward 2 or 3 minutes just to get to the end of it. A very dramatic story, but the script was written in the least dramatic way possible.

It is so hard to find any positive gay role models in film today. The lead character, David, is certainly not one of them. The premise to this movie was intriguing at first, but then after watching the story played out you realize how selfish and totally repugnant David's character is. I mean come on, he's sleeping with his sister's husband and gets mad because he won't leave her for him. I felt no sympathy for his character. At least with the husband you know what kind of man he really is....a douche bag. It was Suzanne Collins portrayal as the betrayed sister and wife, is what saved the movie for me. You really felt for her. To be betrayed by the two men that she loved above all others and then given HIV by the bastards.....OMG. I can't even imagine what a person would be feeling, but she nailed it. what an outstanding performance. Overall, I found the film to be adequate with a nice plot twist and good performances, but I'm still waiting for a film that doesn't make the gay characters into horrible people. At least in this film they didn't throw in a couple drag queens, a sex party, and some stereotypical effeminate dudes. There's a plus I guess.

Soft Lad is the latest piece of work from Director Leon Lopez.You may remember Leon from his days on shows such as Brookside and Hollyoaks and after directing a couple of shorts, he makes his feature film directorial debut with Soft Lad, a film that not only did he direct but also wrote, edited, produced and was the sole camera operator on. Quite a feat in itself and one where you could forgive the occasional mistake that may occur throughout the feature. With the exception of a couple of moments in the sound department, there were no such mistakes and in my view Leon deserves the highest level of praise for the excellent editing of the film. So what is the film about? It's basically a love story but not your normal run of the mill love story. Jules and Jane are a happily married couple with one daughter living in a nice house in a nice area and in decent jobs. All appears good but Jules is hiding a terrible secret from his wife. He is having an affair with Jane's brother David. No longer able to handle lying to his family and in particular his sister, David decides to end the affair and instead turns to new love Sam. David's feelings for Sam soon turn to love and life appears to be pretty good for him. Jules however must wrestle with his conscience and his feelings for David. Putting his marriage at risk he must decide whether or not to come clean about the affair or accept that it is over and move on. A simple check up at the hospital changes everything. Who is affected? Well you will have to watch the movie to find but believe me it results in one of the best scenes in the movie and one that though quite intense, also has one of the funniest lines. For a first time feature film director and with a modest budget of approx £17,000, Leon Lopez has done an exceptional job and after seeing what he can do with such a small budget, one wonders what he could do with a budget of millions. No one performance can be singled out as all the cast members give outstanding performances. Daniel Brocklebank (Coronation Street, Doctors, Emmerdale) as Jules makes you really believe he is struggling to accept his homosexuality yet also manages to pull off a dangerous side of Jules's personality. There is one scene where Daniel is delivering his lines to Stacey (Laura Ainsworth) and with such a look on his face that I actually believed his character was going to attack her. Suzanne Collins (Brookside) as Jane is superb as the totally oblivious wife who believes she is the cause of Jules's increasing moods and stands out in the life changing scene. Jonny Labey (Eastenders) as David is a pure revelation in this film and definitely an actor destined for more. You really feel for his character even though what he has done is wrong. Having watched him in Eastenders, I believe that it is in this film that he shines and acts his socks off.

Came across this film through social media and was interested to see soap actors in a feature film. To be honest I didn't have much expectation as a lot of the reviews had said this was typical soap plot lines but in my opinion the film tackles real issues and the cast delivered the story exceptionally well. Laura Ainsworth who plays Stacey was hilarious, she played the character so well. Suzanne Collins who I loved in Brookside was also brilliant. This film is set in Liverpool and was good to see a non London setting. Would Defo recommend this for soap fans! Incredible to think that this was made for less than £20k. Will be hoping to see more from the director!