Pit Stop

Really terrific acting by the two male leads and very well directed.

Pit Stop is a wonderful new film from director Yen Tan. It is the story of two mid-thirtyish gay men, Gabe and Ernesto, living separate but not totally dissimilar low key working class lives in the same Texan small town. Separately each man is yearning for love and emotional fulfillment while respectively struggling with his daily life and relationships. The focus is on Gabe and Ernesto but everyone in the film is a real person with a story to tell. All are portrayed in a thoughtful and empathetic way with no one casually discarded for the sake of storytelling expediency. This is a true character study of people finding their way in life and love and one cares about what will happen to them.

Gabe is divorced but trying to sustain his family for the sake of his young daughter. He has recently been rejected by a male lover who is married and now moved away. Ernesto is trying to end a two year relationship that has fallen apart and has no future. At the same time he is dutifully visiting a previous lover who lies comatose in a convalescent home following a car accident. Both men want more but their personal situations and the small town environment constrain them from being who they are and achieving the love and intimacy they long for and deserve. Both men still want to be wanted.

The film is beautifully made and the ensemble cast, led by Bill Heck as Gabe and Marcus DeAnda as Ernesto, is top notch. Pit Stop is a moving film that deserves a wide audience. Fans of Tan's earlier film, Ciao, will particularly like Pit Stop.

This film is an excellent example of great storytelling. It's a simple film that relies on subtly to tell a deeply human tale, instead of gratuitous sex, massive explosions or over the top violence. In short, if you enjoy films that explore real life, then this film is for you.

Pit Stop succeeds in delivering a very authentic depiction of a part of American life that doesn't get a lot of unbiased coverage. Another aspect of this film which is refreshing when compared with other LGBT films is that it has what I would consider to be an overall positive message. That does not mean it is devoid of angst and conflict; however, this film does a better than average job of balancing the very real challenges many gay men face with a thread of hope and an emphasis on personal fulfillment.

Speaking as a straight woman, I also found this film to be one which has value that extends beyond the LGBT community. Put another way, it really is a film for everyone. It does not depict gay people as living in a bubble, nor does it use straight people as mere props. The straight characters have depth and are portrayed sympathetically, which are things I find many LGBT themed films lack. I highly recommend Pit Stop to anyone who enjoys movies about everyday people and think it would be an especially worthwhile movie to watch for anyone with a gay family member or friend.

I suppose, the perspective about homosexual relations represents the main virtue of this real interesting film. It is not a demonstration, a manifesto, a melodrama or the heartbreaking self definition of gay life in terrible society.

It is easy to see it as a gallery of portraits of ordinary people and their lives, options, relations. It is a film about romance and family and dilemmas. But its good point is the honesty of vision of every day realities .

Maybe not impressive, obvious not memorable. But in its way, courageous. In short, in Texas, few men and their lives , stories and their romances . And , sure, their answers to life .

Pit Stop is a gay love story situated in a little town in the state of Texas, USA. Yes, also in little places gay people do live. Not everybody moves to the Big Apple after their coming out. Some like the quietness of small town life or stay there for other reasons. I know many gays fear the loneliness of the countryside, but actually, destiny decides if you find love, no matter where you are. I liked this 'little' independent movie a lot. The men are beautiful and sensitive and they make sense. It's a dramatic movie, but not too. These men have pets, like a cat or dog, it all looked very real and sincere. Even the cat was so relaxed, like it actually lived there. I think this is a very adequate portrait of gay countrymen.