FilmWorks Entertainment
has scored a sweet romantic comedy for release on DVD this coming June 18. The film in question is writer/director
Gustavo Guardado’s Love, Concord, and it is one of those “below the radar” indies
that surfaces from time to time that absolutely amazes and captures its
audience’s heart with a mixture of charm and well-crafted storytelling.
Where does one begin to
describe what a delight Love, Concord is to watch, enjoy and
ultimately savour. On the surface it
reads like a teen/high school meet-cute comedy, where unlikely opposites meet,
date and fall in love. It works at that
level, but there is so much more going on here!
First, let’s start with
how Guardado deftly delivers a Latino-flavored tale, but doesn’t dwell on the
fact that his two young protagonists are of Hispanic descent. They are just young people with a heritage,
you are not beaten over the head with it.
Turn out the lights and focus on their words; listen as their hearts
speak … these are just people; people you’d like to know.
The next thing that Guardado
does is to cleverly tell one story, while actually delivering a far deeper
message that slowly moves to the front without ever nudging the comedy elements
out of the way. Love, Concord is a teen
comedy that magically morphs into a romantic-themed tale of the human spirit.
At the center of it is
Gerry (Jorge Diaz), a high school senior who is everyone’s good buddy. He’s grown up with them as the class
clown. He is funny … you have to give
him that. But, as the film unspools we
begin to suspect that he uses this as a front to mask his own
insecurities. Life hasn’t been easy,
especially at home.
The unlikely candidate
for the Juliet to his Romeo is the more-than-serious, slightly plain, a little
chubby, but not unattractive Melinda (Angelina Leon). In a lot of teen movies she would be a
background character … not the romantic lead.
Over the years, Gerry has
gotten nothing but bad dating advice from his friends (sort of a running gag)
and his choice of “girlfriends” seem to be of a certain type … attractive and
shallow. Melinda is clearly the
opposite of this!
This seemingly oil and water
couple is actually a perfect match. By
film’s end you have completely bought into the relationship. It is a relationship that not only
transforms Gerry — the clown act is neatly packed away — but takes the shy
Melinda to another level as well; she glows.
When a film works this
well, we suspect that writer/director Gustavo Guardado is drawing upon his own
life experiences … aren’t those always the best stories? The ones that ring true! Oh, and get this, Love, Concord is his
first feature-length film — it’s nice to have this beauty on your resume!
Bonus features include a
blooper reel, a photo gallery and a behind-the-scenes featurette.
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