(SPOILER ALERT)
The second feature film, written, produced and starring Ronnie Kerr,
centers on Will, a soldier in the Navy who comes to live with Rich, his
best friend in Los Angeles. Will retires or else doesn't re-enlist, so
that he can figure out the next move in his life, but Rich plays
matchmaker and sets Will up with Josh, a fellow Navy soldier from
Australia. The two connect but a misunderstanding separates the two and
over the course of a half-year, their small circle of friends
continually try to push them together, forcing the question of whether
they will pursue a relationship with one another or not, a question
promulgated by an unforeseen tragedy.
Saltwater premiered on July 14 at the 18th Annual Philadelphia
Qfest. Qfest is the east coast's largest LGBT film festival and the
third largest of its kind in the nation. Saltwater played to a
sold-out crowd in the Ritz Bourse theater. It also played to a near,
sold-out crowd the next day at the Ritz East, an even bigger venue.
Because it was a World Premiere, Kerr says Qfest made his movie a kind
of centerpiece, arranging a special After-Party in the city's
multilevel, piano bar, Tavern on Camac.
Kerr says he started working on the script for Saltwater about
six months after the premiere of his previous film, which also debuted
at Qfest in July 2010. The death of Kerr's real-life friend, Rich, on
New Year's Eve 2005 inspired the story. Rich was an ex-Marine,
good-looking with a boyfriend and great friends. Yet, Rich hung himself,
having exhibited no warning signs and leaving no suicide note. While
the real-life Rich has a personality that's totally different from the
on-screen version, not as flamboyant or out-going, Kerr wanted the
on-screen death to be just as shocking as the real-life one.
To read the rest, go to http://themreporter.blogspot.com/2012/07/movie-review-saltwater.html
