Damien Peeples

I've been trying to process the exact reason why this film has affected my in the way that it has. At first I thought it was because of the acting, the honesty, the darkness, and Brendan Fraser. But it's beyond that. I was left looking at a reflection of our society and culture. Charlie was a human that made decisions that affected those around him in negative ways. He left his daughter and his wife, which caused alot of pain. He left them for a man that he loved, and to him that was just as important as anything could be to someone. It seems that after that decision his life started to crumble, people started to turn their backs on him, especially after his partners suicide. This is such a hard hitting truth in life, people love to avoid discomfort. When someone presents a ugly truth about our feeble existence, we like to shy away. Just look at all the 1 star reviews. Charlie embodied that ugly truth and he knew it, but he embraced it. It was up to those around him if they wanted to face it or run away. The religious part of the movie is much deeper than some want to admit as well. I was raised a Jehovah's Witness and to say that this movie reflected my religous trauma to the tee would be an understatement. I was shunned by every person I spent 18 years of my life with because my faith began to differ from theirs. People who were in that religion with me and ulitmately were shunned, commited suicide while their families claimed God over their own children. I've seen alot of movies in my life that really left me speechless, but never one of this magnitude. Well done. I'll never forget it.