[.ca] Its In The Water

From Amazon.com:
It's in the Water is a charming little indie set in the sleepy, conservative Southern town of Azalea Springs. When an AIDS hospice opens up, the local homophobes go up in arms, polarizing the community. The heart of the movie, though, is the story of Alex, our listlessly married heroine who begins to have second thoughts about her orientation. (There is also a very slight "comic" subplot involving a rumor that drinking the local water turns people gay. Ignore it.) While Alex's discovery process is a rather quick one due to the constraints of movie timing, it is well handled, including an affectionate sequence during which Alex watches the entire Lesbian Film Canon. While the straight characters tend to be rather broadly drawn, It's in the Water is a gentle film at heart and well worth an evening. The DVD edition includes commentary by the director and leading actresses that is both funny and interesting--in particular the discussion of what it was like for two straight actresses to play their first gay love scene. --Ali Davis

In the Water, Into your Hearts:
Independent movies, by their nature, aren't meant to be big Hollywood blockbusters. The reason they are so popular is that they concentrate on the depth of characters rather than a bunch of mind-numbing special effects or a big movie star. Certainly nowadays, independent cinema has imporved tremendously in all arenas. It's in the Water is typical of that independent film made truly independently. Made and directed lovingly by Kelli Herd, It's in the Water tells the story of Alex Stratton, trapped in a loveless marriage due to the expectations of her family and the town she lives in. Reacquianted with her old best friend Grace Miller, she begins to question herself and who she is. Herd throws into the mix a crazy cast of characters, from a domineering mother Lily, to glorious drag queens, all adds up to a film that's both fun and heartwarming. Offering a more inclusive story, Herd includes men coming out on their own terms as well. Mark Anderson is a man struggling with coming to terms with his homosexuality and attends a hilarious group "Homo No Mo" group, only to meet the incredibly sexy Tomas, a painter with a heart of gold. Both Derrick Sanders and timothy Vahle should be commended on their honest and touching portrayal of two men coming out and into each others arms. I liked seeing a "lesbian film" more inclusive; a route more "gay men" films need to do as well. Herd manages to tackle with her short hundred minutes of film the insanity of small town thinking, ex-gay ministry groups, religious hypocrisy, and AIDS. She manages to do it without the usual preachiness and brow beating that this film could have become. By keeping the film from becoming too serious, the messages hit home more strongly. By the end of the film, with it's absolutely stunning choir rendition of "I'll Fly Away" sung by the Marsalis Avenue Church of Christ Choir, you are carried away with everyone as well. Especially fun on the DVD was listening to the commentary track done by Ms. Herd, and the films two stars, Keri Jo Chapman and Teresa Garrett. Offering many insights and fun stories, listening to them was almost as enjoyable as watching the film itself. You can tell from their comments that this movie truly was a labor of love. I highly recommend this movie. Don't take it too seriously, but allow yourself to be carried away to Azalea Springs, and while you're there, go ahead and drink the water.

Cheesey:
While I appreciate any and all lesbian movies, simply by virtue of the fact that there are so few of them, this certainly wouldn't fit into my Top 10 list. Cute but terribly corny and predictable. The dialog and acting leave much to be desired. I'm glad to have seen this "classic" lesbian flick, but there are much better movies out there: Fire, Lost and Delirious, The Incredibly True Adventures of Two Girls in Love, Go Fish, Better Than Chocolate, among others.

light comedic fare:
This was ok...light on comedy light on love...and a little light on story line...worthwhile to see may want to rent first

Whatever is in the Water...it aint good!:
I'm harsh with lesbian movies...and this dvd is a good example as to why. Plot: Really pretty strait chick leaves husband for unattractive lesbian: Horrible make-out scene's follow. I considered tearing my eyes from my skull as I watched the lame acting of the brunette in this flick. I don't know who she is, or who told her she could act, but someone screwed up big-time! The 'love scene' was a complete rip off. Ugly, stumpy legged brunnete lesbian crawls into bed with sweet looking blonde woman...and the screen fades to black. Wow. (...) Skip this (...) movie...for your own sake.

Adequate... since there isn't much else.:
By my way of thinking, there are three ways to look at it. The first - it's great for a genre that rarely gets the funding to produce anything at all, much less something this inventive. The second - compared to movies outside its genre, it's poorly written, poorly acted and poorly filmed. Hate to say it, but it's true. The third (and probably the most reaslistic) - it's an endearing enough idea that could have been better had the budget been there to hire someone to write a better script to be performed by better actors (perhaps some who are actually gay instead of beautiful straight women who seem more like they're experimenting than actually coming to terms with their sexual orientation). As it is, there was no budget, so some of the better actors overcome the dialogue that isn't so great, making this a fine and somewhat enjoyable way to kill a few hours just before bed. At least they tried, huh?