Forced to give up his dreams of art school, Zach works dead-end jobs to support his sister and her son. Questioning his life, he paints, surfs and hangs out with his best friend, Gabe. When Gabe's older brother returns home for the summer, Zach suddenly finds himself drawn into a relationship he didn't expect.
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.
– Jeannette Catsoulis,
New York Times,
28 Mar 2008
fresh:
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.
– David Wiegand,
San Francisco Chronicle,
28 Mar 2008
rotten:
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.
– Wesley Morris,
Boston Globe,
28 Mar 2008
fresh:
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.
– Sid Smith,
Chicago Tribune,
3 Apr 2008
rotten:
A coming-out, coming-of-age movie that is mediocre and very well-intentioned.