Far From Water

A short drama written and directed by Josh Cox and starring Lucas Nealon and Jarid Dominguez.

Two male youths (Nealon and Dominguez) arrive at an isolated beach. There, they undress and go for a playful swim. Then, they lay on the grass and get intimate. However, all does not seem to be well.

Two young men, alone, in the countryside. With this simple premise, this short tells a dramatic story about a romance that may already exist or could be just beginning. By having very limited dialogue and providing almost no information about the lives of the two protagonists, the story is mysterious and that is probably because the goal was to concentrate on the relationship, the romance, which appears to be unstable. Things start out joyfully, with the two youths enjoying each other's company and after they get intimate, the atmosphere changes, making it questionable whether the romance that develops is welcomed by the youngsters.

Cox took on many roles for this project, including cinematographer and editor and the result is a viewing experience that contains wonderful shots of the beach, the ocean, the forest and the sky. The fact that the weather is unsettling adds to the drama and so does the beautiful music.

The story centres on the two characters and they are the only ones in the film. The are brought together by the fact that they are attracted to each other, however, Dominguez's character appears to be the one who is unsure about the relationship, much to the dissatisfaction of the other guy.

Through a homosexual romance, the screenplay explores happiness, peacefulness, self-discovery, as well as regrets and uncertainty.

A four-and-a-half-minute-long film about an unsteady homosexual relationship between two young men. During its short duration, the script is able to generate a great deal of drama and end on a note of significant character development. A moving and thoughtful viewing.