Eden's Curve (2003)

It is 1972 and muscularly handsome blond Peter heads off to an exclusive Virginia university, unsure of what to expect. He joins a fraternity house where he meets William, a classics major who has a strong attraction to him. Despite their flirting the reserved Peter becomes romantically involved in a menage a trois with his roommate Joe and Joe's girlfriend Bess. When the trio's social blis is disrupted by a violent episode Peter is taken in and protected by Ian, his poetry professor. recuperating at Ian's idyllic country house, Peter soon falls in love with his hunky professor. Of course, their hot and heavy affair which includes skinny dipping, passionate sex and bathing outdoors is taboo. When jealousy rears its ugly head, Peter and Ian's happiness is threatened. Product Description

HAS ANYONE EVER NOTICED .....

... the worse the reviewer's grammar and/or spelling, the worse the review? Not just for EDEN'S CURVE, but for ALL films. Ironically the DVD box for EDEN'S CURVE also contains spelling errors (both front ["sensusal" for "sensual"] and back ["staring" for "starring"]). April 3, 2008

Peter's Story

"Eden's Curve"

Peter's Story

Amos Lassen and Cinema Pride

"Eden's Curve" (WaterBearer) is the story of Peter (Sam Levine), an eighteen year old boy who is on a journey of self discovery while studying at an all male university in the South. His roommate, Joe and his roommate's girlfriend, Bess help him to learn more about himself and as he learns his values become crushed by those who love him. He also learns that he cannot do anything without relying on the strength of strangers and the decisions that he makes as he begins to discover himself will affect him his entire life.
The beautiful style of the film remains in the memory long after the movie is over. The movie itself is based on true happenings at a backwoods Virginia University in the early 1970's and beautifully conveys both the time and the spirit. The framework of the action is a bisexual ménage-a-trois and the coming-of-age of a young college student. Yet there are other themes as well--identity, commitment, and the extent of romanticism. Sam Levine plays the boy who is the paragon of innocence--a blank page that is waiting to be written upon.
The film concentrates on the beautiful landscape of Virginia and the subjects of longing and desire come across as narration as opposed to characterization.
We watch as Peter's tender love becomes jealousy and rage and the ethereal quality of the movie contributes heavily to the overall quality. What we get is a refreshing view of what mainstream America gets from the people who live there and not the standard representation of [...] life. We see life with all of its challenges and its ups and downs. All of this presented as one youth enters adulthood. Imagination, imagery, and reflection play heavy roles in this film and they hit us hard and raise our spirits simultaneously.
I have heard it said that this is a depressing film; that there is no compassion, no thoughtful revelation and no redemption. I disagree with this completely but then I suppose the way one lives influences the interpretation of what I consider a beautiful film. The believability of the cast enhances the quality of the film. For someone to discredit a film like this is a grave injustice. Because one has to think and feel the movie makes it that much more realistic and personal. The emotion is touching and it sets the tone in the opening and never lets go. The story is totally believable. Everything about the film is done with the utmost taste; especially the nudity and the issues that are dealt with by the characters are real and genuine. The rawness of the photography matches the storyline and the story is certainly sad but exceptionally honest. The atmosphere of an earlier time is completely captured and the sexual and substance exploration was not decadent but beautifully handled. What especially stood out to me was the totally non-stereotypical approach to [...] life. It is natural and it dealt with difficult issues with the utmost of reverence.
April 23, 2007

Could have been

Movie has potential but does not deliver. All the ingriedients are there but the sum total is far less than ithe piecies. I would not recommend thsi as a new purchase to anyone. Okay for rental but definetly not a keeper. October 26, 2005

Another tragic love story... (yawn)

This is another in a long line of tragic gay love stories. These movies always involve some impossibly beautiful young man and his painful awakening to the real world. It's not a very good movie but it's not a very bad movie, it's just kind of there. Another this is don't expect too much character development or plot. The story, such as it is, move forward very slowly and without any real sense of urgency. As far as it being based on the true story of a friend, it's just a bit too much of a cliche for me to really believe.

On major problem is the sound quality of the film. I had the volume turned up all the way and still was hearing mumbling and hiss. I love independent films but smaller producers need to remember sound is important. If your audience can't hear the actors, they get bored very quickly. June 7, 2005

Being gay in college in the South in the 1960s

In summary, a bisexual love triangle just as good as the French film "The Dreamers," less insane, and in English. If your decision comes down to that one versus this one, choose this one.

At first this sounded like a gay fantasy, similar to the ones you read on Nifty, but then I concluded it was probably based upon a true story, and indeed there is an acknowledgement at the end to that effect. There is little nudity compared to mainstream films, but ironically plenty of sex taking place, with the filming of such acts being discreet and abbreviated.

I liked this low-budget indie film better than other low-budget indie klunkers such as "Primer" that have sneaked their way into the video store.

The acting is good, the script terse but effective. The characters are not heroic, whether for good or evil, though the smack-injecting, witty castoff of the villain shows a faint glimmer of nobility. A moody, melancholy film about painful memories of being gay in college in the 1960s South. No new ground being broken here, no unforgettable characters or scenes, and no important new ideas, but an entertaining film nonetheless, and fairly well-done.

At twenty-seven bucks, this seems rather over-priced, like the majority of gay-oriented films, no matter where you buy them. Gay films seem to run 4x to 5x what mainstream films cost, but perhaps you can find a used copy, or simply buy new, share with friends, and then sell used, like many people do. These things sell rather easily online, so if you do buy-then-sell, you can probably come out just paying ten bucks or so. May 29, 2005

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