High Tide Submerges the Point

Loneliness and heartbreak go hand in hand. We try to stave off heartbreak by solving the problem of loneliness. Not being alone never solves loneliness, of course, but we fail to realize that at the time and often leads to more heartache.

That is where we meet Lourenço (Marco Pigossi) at the beginning of the film High Tide. His mood is sedate and atmospheric with the specter of Lourenço's ex-boyfriend hanging over his head. It's the end of summer and the beaches are clear, enter Maurice (James Bland) the balm on Lourenço's fresh wound.

The film's moodiness gets in the way of this blossoming romance. Even though the two leads have excellent chemistry, something about their courtship is bland. There are scenes right out of a rom com, but they have all the charm of a table read for a police procedural.

It is likely that the script attempts to take on too much. Lourenço becomes a person that others use to work out their frustrations. He's window dressing for conversations about race, inclusion, and the complicated relationship dynamics of gay couples. It feels like he is talked at more than talked to. Even when he and Maurice speak about where Lourenço's from and how he grew up, there's a perfunctory nature to it.

Lourenço (Marco Pigossi) in High Tide / SQFF

Writer/director Marco Calvani does have a visual style that is much more mature than his script. His visual acuity is quite dynamic. When Maurice and Lourenço are having a conversation at night on the beach, Calvani and cinematographer Oscar Ignacio Jiménez focus tightly on their faces. It is there we see these two men becoming more attracted to each other. Their smiles are bright and their faces crinkle with joy.

Later, as Lourenço sits at a dinner with his landlord Scott (Bill Irwin) and Todd (Bryan Batt), a lawyer friend of Scott's, there is a conversation that clicks on Lourenço's face. He realizes this is what Maurice had been trying to tell him during their earlier dinner. Todd is on one side of the frame arguing against adding more identities to LGBTQ+ community and Scott, who means well but has no real heart for the argument, is on the other side of the frame. Slowly the camera pushes in on Lourenço who is seated in between the two men. It shows on Lourenço's face as he takes in Todd marginalizing the margins of his own marginalized community.

In another scene after that, as Lourenço thinks about how he left things with Maurice, Maurice appears. The camera starts on Lourenço and moves with him, turning as he joins Maurice in the middle of the road. The camera slowly spins around the two of them, and then as Maurice breaks off the embrace they share, the camera moves backward as it follows Maurice's exit.

There are many moves like that through the film that show the assurance of the filmmakers. There are also wonderful choices made by editor Anisha Acharya. She helps to add context through some insert scenes. She cuts smoothly and elevates the material.

It is disappointing that none of the scenes that are meant to have emotional heft carry the weight they are supposed to. There is something stilted. Something is missing from the film. Some of the performances feel like they did not have time to breathe. Even when the action lingers on a scene just a little too long, it feels like the moment never lands. There’s just an indescribable piece missing that makes it too hard to connect with the characters.

Lourenço on a beach in High Tide / SQFF

The physical connection between the characters is intriguing, though. There is an intriguing duality between when Lourenço finds someone who actually turns him on and when he just needs to feel something physical with another person.

His first encounter is with a man who disregards him and his needs. The man doesn't take precautions and ignores Lourenço's reasonable requests. Later when Lourenço's at his lowest, he lets a man use his body again and it leaves him feeling anguish because of what he just lost when he let Maurice go. In contrast, Maurice and Lourenço feel each other out and their connection is based on mutual satisfaction. Their first time is equal, which it seems Lourenço is not used to. This is the tender affection that's missing in the scenes where they are clothed.

High Tide is not a bad film by any stretch. Some elements work and some do not. It’s a simple story that tries too hard to insert too many social complexities. It’s like the filmmakers felt uneasy about the topics they wanted to cover, so they put them all in as quickly as they could, which disrupts the flow of what else is going on. As a whole, High Tide is just fine. It does not break any new ground, but the actors and the action are interesting to watch, and sometimes that’s all a film really needs.