X
- 2017
- Not Rated
- Brainstorm Media
- 1 h 38 m
- 2017
- Not Rated
- Brainstorm Media
- 1 h 38 m
Summary A gay activist and magazine founder is "saved" from his homosexuality after turning to God.
Directed By: Justin Kelly
Written By: Stacey Miller, Benoit Denizet Lewis, Justin Kelly
- 2017
- Not Rated
- Brainstorm Media
- 1 h 38 m
- 2017
- Not Rated
- Brainstorm Media
- 1 h 38 m
I Am Michael
56
4.8
Where to Watch
Summary A gay activist and magazine founder is "saved" from his homosexuality after turning to God.
Directed By: Justin Kelly
Written By: Stacey Miller, Benoit Denizet Lewis, Justin Kelly
Where to Watch
Top Cast
Metascore
Mixed or Average
Based on 19 Critic Reviews
56
37% Positive
7 Reviews
7 Reviews
53% Mixed
10 Reviews
10 Reviews
11% Negative
2 Reviews
2 Reviews
Metascore
Mixed or Average
Based on 19 Critic Reviews
56
37% Positive
7 Reviews
7 Reviews
53% Mixed
10 Reviews
10 Reviews
11% Negative
2 Reviews
2 Reviews
Franco’s fantastic here. He gives a fieriness to Michael as a gay advocate, then seamlessly slides into borderline madness as he starts accepting that the “voice” he hears is God’s. Michael’s confusion is palpable and intense.
Kelly is finding his sea-legs as a director. Kelly spends equal amounts of time with Michael's pre-conversion life as he does post-conversion. The conversion itself is pretty well done, all things considered.
User Score
Mixed or Average
Based on 16 User Ratings
4.8
31% Positive
5 Ratings
5 Ratings
38% Mixed
6 Ratings
6 Ratings
31% Negative
5 Ratings
5 Ratings
User Score
Mixed or Average
Based on 16 User Ratings
4.8
31% Positive
5 Ratings
5 Ratings
38% Mixed
6 Ratings
6 Ratings
31% Negative
5 Ratings
5 Ratings
Whilst most **** films are often about coming out this unusual offering is about a man who decides to go back in. This problematic premise could so easily have wound up as superficial or patronising taking on as it does an element of the nature vs nurture debate. Questions are posed as to whether sexuality is actually a choice, and despite one's individual beliefs, asks you to seriously consider your answer. Thankfully, due to a screenplay that is interestingly provocative and a performance from James Franco that beautifully walks a tightrope of believability, the film is an unqualified success. Franco plays Michael, a man rejecting his **** after discovering god. Giving a complex and nuanced performance in another fascinating role choice that pushes his own boundaries, Franco is key to the film's credibility. Both the character and the story feel totally authentic which is no small feat given the material. True story or not, in less accomplished hands events played out could have come over as simply glib and contrived.
The film also touches on issues of faith. Religion feeds the story and one has to acknowledge that despite the good intentions that are implicit through one's faith, it is also these unbending individual beliefs that are responsible for so many of the world's problems. Whilst the film, thankfully, doesn't delve in to this arena, a rather telling ending certainly suggests that all is not what it seems for Michael and his new found vocation.
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The enormously inconstant James Franco offers a solid interpretation in a drama that fails to capture the complexity of its subject and also fails to be more convincing.
I believe the fault lies in the director and the script rather than the actor because the presentation is good but the depth is laughable.
I think it deserves the opportunity to be seen but I understand that it's difficult to have a wider audience.
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The drama’s formal elements aren’t as compelling as the ideas it wrestles with, but it does make for one of James Franco‘s more accomplished and complicated performances.
It cuts to the heart of the self-doubt, fear and prejudice associated with modern homosexuality.
As a theatrical experience, I Am Michael is fairly forgettable, but it does manage to pierce in places, and it carries a cumulative charge that is bigger than any of the individual emotional pieces.
While intellectually laudable, Mr. Kelly’s determined objectivity is so distancing that it takes an inherently intriguing story (based on a 2011 article in The New York Times Magazine) and sucks the life out of it.
Justin Kelly's film is more interested in rushing through the narrative's events than contemplating their environment.
The movie had a very interesting story and great acting performances, but unfortunately, the pacing was a little bit off, the movie was boring at times and it really just scratched the surface of the story. If you wanted to know more about Michael Glatze, you're better off reading the books about him.
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Awards
FilmOut San Diego, US
• 8 Wins & 8 Nominations
Berlin International Film Festival
• 2 Nominations
Guadalajara International Film Festival
• 1 Nomination
