Like It Is

Perhaps one of the poorest UK films to have ever been granted a UK film release. Down there with Lesbian Vampire Killers and To Die For (the one with Tony Slattery in)

I downloaded this film on my computer, via: NETFLIX. I thought it was a good movie; enjoyed it. However, it could have been a great movie had the story line been 'fleshed' out. Too much is left unsaid and/or unexplained! The main character, Craig, seems to be around 22/25 yrs. old, and we 'meet' him at a time when he wants to lose his virginity. What kept him from experiencing homoerotic sex until now? I read a review from another source and they indicated that Steve Bell is/was? a professional prizefighter. Could this film have been a loosely autobiographical account of his life? The movie was made 12 years ago, so a remake would be in order. Only this time expand the reasons and motivation of the main character, Craig, so we can understand his angst and his quest to find that person who he can love and be loved in return! By the way, what is Steve Bell up to now? I understand he did not make another movie; is he still fighting? and is he 'involved'?

I just finished watching it for the second time, and I still had the same pleasure as the first time I saw it. I completely agree with the Timeout reviewer(s) about one point: the sincerity, which I think is the strongest point of this film: it is neither a fairy tale, nor a repetition of the thousand times overused cliché: being gay=being cursed which, unfortunately, seems to have become fashionable again in the last years in cinema.'Like it is' is a fundamentally honest and quite realistic film that makes concessions neither to the 'glamorous' world of pop industry, nor to the 'underbelly' world of illegal fights and drug deal: another plus to add is that the characters are not 'formatted' , they are various and not one-dimensional. And the love story, thanks to the excellent performance of the actors, rings very true and authentic, bringing a hopeful message that very different people can love each other. This definitely adds a very refreshing dimension to the film. To sum up, this is a very uplifting viewing experience.