Search - Finding Me on DVD

Great Independent Film

Charlie B. | Washington, D.C. | 06/20/2009

(4 out of 5 stars)

"'Finding Me' is the story of a young man who is trying to figure out and make sense of his life; from getting ahead and making something of himself, his aspirations, the struggle he faces with his sexuality, and standing up to his Caribbean-born father.

Faybien can't seem to get it right, which is amplified ten-fold by his father's expectations because he drops out of school, has a mall job, and looks different...things his father assumes Faybien's deceased mother would not approve of. Already shy, uncomfortable, and insecure with himself, he relies on the strength of his best friends--Amera, the feisty yet talented singer, and Greg, the bisexual but knowledgeable realist--to get him through. Faybien is thrown for a loop when he meets Lonnie, who he sees at the bus stop every day on his way to work, and they begin a journey of getting to know each other that sometimes seems impossible because Faybien is always second guessing who they are and having doubts about Lonnie. When things reach a breaking point between Faybien and his father, Faybien's back is pushed against the wall and he is forced to take a second look at all his relationships, making some powerful decisions in the end.

The strongest acting performances were probably done by the actors portraying the Lonnie and Amera character; the actor portraying Faybien has some work to do in my opinion, which could be because he reveals that he is actually heterosexual in the Special Features interviews, but he pulls through where it counts. I sort of felt with the DVD cover and reading the back cover that the actor portraying Lonnie was actually the lead Faybien, or how it would make more sense if the roles were reversed and the more masculine actor would be portraying the man struggling with his sexuality, but it actually worked as presented, and will probably open more minds. I felt the Jay character was a bit over the top and stereotypical, and probably could've been cut out. Didn't quite understand why the Cory character shows up in some of the photos and on the actual DVD as he was only in the film for less than 5 minutes. It is apparent that this is a low-budget film by some of the problematic cinematography shots, such as lighting and cuts between scenes, and some of the sets such as offices, clubs, and lounges, but it's easy to get past all of that.

Again, this is yet another gay-themed product where the males have to have nice bodies and be shirtless in the photos that have nothing to do with anything, but I guess that is something that will just never change. Special Features to the DVD include 3 behind the scenes featurettes, deleted scenes, and a photo gallery.

With the commitment, dedication, and love for this project that all involved had, 'Finding Me' is yet another solid and positive Black gay film release."

Yea for more Black Gay Movies

Demetrius Bagley | Astoria, NY | 04/20/2009

(3 out of 5 stars)

"Enjoyed this work more than I thought I would. (Funny enough, I'm not liking the DVD cover for this - in terms of representing the story, characters, etc. accurately.)

Clothing design and day shots looked very good, while night/dark settings quite poor - how about some lighting OR shooting day for night??

Dialogue filled with many many stock lines, cliches, etc. which yielded lesser characters than we had here. Story structure not all together solid, or coherent.

No idea on acting level/s, all seemed fine to me. The lead may be the best? Direction otherwise seems good, if stretching.

Believe writer-director very much needs to co-write as the story idea and conflicts/drama work rather well. Direction-wise needs to feed his strengths, and cast/crew around his weaknesses. I look forward to the next filmwork.

Glad to hear 2nd lead is working on his own project/s beyond the sequel to this."

Smiles Here

Elton Williams III | Milwaukee, WI | 08/31/2009

(4 out of 5 stars)

"After watching FINDING ME, I have to say I pleased with my purchase. FINDING ME was well put together and I hope there is more coming. THe acting was ok, the scenery was great. Some of the imagery was phenomenal. However, the thing that stood out most in the movies is the music. I have never been so impressed by the editing of the music and choice of songs. I'm finding myself looking desperately for songs on this movie. Anyone know?"

Nice work for an independent movie.

M. Bell | Atlanta, GA | 07/17/2009

(4 out of 5 stars)

"No spoiler here. Great love story about same gender love from an urban perspective. Lots of scenes I can relate to on a very personal level. It made me think back to my 20s. Wow, was I really ever that age?
Kudos to all the creative forces who put this movie together. I like that the very out recording artist, "Donnie" has a few songs playing on the soundtrack.

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