A fateful meeting on the University of Akron football field by college freshmen Benny (Matthew Frias) and Christopher (Edmund Donovan) leads to a commingling that doesn’t face opposition from families or friends. The bucolic midwestern setting seems not just accepting, but forgiving. The naturalistic acting is genial to a fault. So where’s the drama in the romance of Brian O’Donnell and Sasha King’s sweet, lovingly shot, achingly paced “Akron”? A secret they share, unbeknownst, which goes much farther than awkwardness (which O’Donnell’s screenplay reveals from the get-go). Small and ambitious, “Akron” is seldom tidy and never less than generous. 88m. (Ray Pride)
Ray Pride is Newcity’s Senior Editor and Film Critic. He is a contributing editor of Filmmaker magazine.
Ray’s history of Chicago Ghost Signs is planned for publication next year. Previews of the project are on Twitter and on Instagram. More photography on Instagram.
