Upon being forced to give up his dream school of art by his protective family that prevents him from achieving his dream, Zach, a young talented teenager guy who struggles against having such family, the thing that leads him to leave his home and go surfing with his best friend's brother with whom he has fun.
Shelter is a gay movie like other American gay movies. Boy meets boy. Boy comes out. Boys fight opposition. Opposition caves. If there's life beyond the closet, too few movies know it exists.
An awkward, phony melodrama you don't need to be homophobic to hate.
JWR
July 23, 2009
At the epicenter of this tale is Zach (Trevor Wright is always a pleasure to watch but the measure of his acting talent requires a script with more scope to reveal his depth).
Shelter may only be shoreline deep, and its ending fanciful, but the film captures the beauty, thrill and ache of young love and extracts a casual joy out of the process.
Rowe displays new authority and confidence, as if lately he's been looking in the mirror and seeing himself, rather than that other, more famous blond.
Shelter rises very high indeed, thanks to a superb performance by Trevor Wright in the lead role, a strong supporting cast, very good cinematography and, most of all, emotional authenticity.
A confused young artist is torn between his family and his future in Shelter, a sensitive romantic drama from the writer and director Jonah Markowitz.
Boxoffice Magazine
April 04, 2008
The first theatrical release from the here! Network's Independent Film Initiative, shaves the edges off the genre's hoariest tendencies, for which it deserves credit and will hopefully be the start of a trend. But it's still an uninspiring drama.
Playback:stl
September 21, 2008
Complex characterizations by Wright and Rowe and outstanding cinematography by Joseph White make this film particularly worth checking out.
