Paul Riccio and Jamie Effros wrote this movie that Riccio directed and in which Effros stars.
Currently making the rounds on the film festival circuit, Give or Take focuses on Martin (Effros), a disillusioned New Yorker returning home to Cape Cod after the death of his father.
Saying goodbye and prepping the house for sale is made more challenging for Martin by the presence of his father's temperamental, live-in boyfriend, Ted (Norbert Leo Butz).
The official logline says that "Give or Take is a comedy-drama about getting trapped in our own stories about ourselves, trying to find real connection in a hyper-connected, wired world.
Give or Take is about love, loss, empathy and acceptance and what it truly means to be home."
As it turns out, that's a fairly accurate assessment of the film, not just marketing tooting the filmmakers' horn.
Riccio has primarily written shorts before Give or Take, and Effros is known better for his acting than the shorts he penned.
But if Give or Take is anything to go by, they should consider working together as writing partners again in the future.
The film is getting some recognition on the festival circuit as an LGBTQ release, and while I appreciate the way that part of the story is handled, Give or Take should be seen for many reasons.
Death is a part of life, and no matter who you are or how you identify, you will deal with it, and it will be painful and difficult. There isn't anything new about a child at loggerheads with their parent's partner after another parent dies.
Children, no matter how old, often find it difficult to accept whoever their parent falls in love with again.
Give or Take adds a layer of tension with the idea that, after losing his wife, Martin's father fell in love with is gardener, Ted. It's never fully explored why, but Martin and his father didn't visit often and appear to have had a falling out.
Judging by the way Martin handles Ted, he was skeptical that what his father found with the other man was as real as what he'd had with his wife.
Thankfully, the suggestion that Martin had any issue with his father's sexuality doesn't make an appearance. Martin's problems with Ted and his father are far more benign than that and more relatable to the average viewer.
By remaining so far away from his father and his relationship with Ted, Martin missed out on some of his father's happiest moments.
He's the callous kid who sees his dad's happiness with someone other than his mother as a personal affront and Ted's claim to his dad's life and any of the possessions in the house as an inconvenience.
Martin has been struggling to find his own happiness and knowing his dad achieved it twice while he has yet to find it once is just one stumbling block to accepting Ted's place in his world.
The world we're taking to with Martin and Ted is small in scope with very few outsiders influencing how they come to terms with each other and honor the man they both loved.
Martin, who met his girlfriend online, finds it difficult to maneuver in a home without internet because, as is far too often the case in films and on television, we're to believe that in Cape Cod, cellular service is spotty, at best.
That allows for some touching and humorous moments, such as Ted's recollection of his partner's refusal to let go of his dial-up service (is that even still available??) and his love of 9600 baud.
Still, it would be great if our need to be electronically connected could be countered in some way other than a spotty connection.
Martin's confusion about his father's death are highlighted by the people he meets while at the Cape, including the neighbor boy who uses a 55 gallon trash bin as his personal sauna and the pool man with whom Martin spends some time deep inside of a trench the two of them dig on the beach.
Martin isn't sticking his head in the sand; he's getting a different perspective on his circumstances by altering his viewpoint. Keen insights like that make up for the internet issue, proving that Riccio and Effros can enlighten without relying on well-worn tropes.
At the same time, Saturday Night Live vet, Cheri Oteri, appears to be included for comic relief that falls a little shy of the mark as her character, a pushy real estate agent hoping to hook Martin into selling the house with her, is a little too grating for the overall tone of Give or Take.
Butz is delightful as Ted, struggling to let go of the man he loved and wanting to embrace his son, the only part of him still alive.
Whether Ted is cavorting while naked on the property or drowning his sorrows in booze, Butz is brimming with empathy for the character he plays.
Martin and Ted dance around each other, growing closer with each new encounter. Ted never stops opening his arms to Martin; no matter how much pain he is in, he recognizes Martin's importance in his life because he was important to his partner.
The cast is very small, and male dominated.
The women, including Oteri, Joanne Tucker as Martin's childhood friend, Emma, and Annapurna Sriram as Martin's girlfriend, Lauren, aren't focal points, but their presence adds to Martin's journey, in particular.
Louis Cancelmi as pool man, Terrence, offers the right comedic touch. Whereas Oteri's Patti King is grating, Terrence is quirky and warm, which fits the overall narrative of the film far better.
All of it is set to a soundtrack that is quite impressive, including songs by Crosby, Stills & Nash, The Grateful Dead, John Denver, and a selection of originals written and performed by Breanna Barbara & Juan Cruz Zaballa
Riccio's direction allows each character to breathe with scenes that propel the film. Every moment on screen is used wisely. Even if I might have done it differently, I can appreciate what he was hoping to achieve and believe that he did, indeed, achieve it.