(2012, 87 min)
Country: U.S.
Director: Michael D. Akers Jr
Studio: United Gay Network
SYNOPSIS: Morgan is the inspiring story of Morgan Oliver, a young athlete determined that a bicycle accident that left him paralyzed will not change him. He takes a chance on love when he meets Dean Kagen on a basketball court. Dean helps Morgan train for the same race in which he had his accident. But when he sees that Morgan will risk everything to win, Dean walks out. Left alone to face the race and demons that caused his accident, Morgan teeters between what he needs and what he wants. Can he find the strength to pull himself back up again?
REVIEW:
Michael Akers, the director behind Phoenix, Matrimonium and Gone, But Not Forgotten returns with this moving film about a recently paralyzed young athlete who finds new love and the strength to make the most out of living with his disability.
Morgan (Leo Minaya) was a champion athlete before an accident took away the use of his legs. During a bike race, he wiped out, landed on a rock and ended up with a severe spinal injury. When the film begins, Morgan is already confined to a wheelchair and suffering from depression. He rarely leaves his apartment and keeps contact only with his mother (Madalyn McKay) and his best friend ("Flavor of Love" star Darra "Like Dat" Boyd, providing comic relief).
Morgan finds a reason to leave the house only after he runs out of beer. Strolling past the basketball court, he meets Dean (Jack Kesy), a handsome fellow sports fan who shows some him some kindness and attention. Dean, grieving from his mother’s recent death, is not without his own pain and sadness.
At first, Morgan isn’t sure whether Dean is straight or gay, but that doesn’t stop him from asking for his new friend’s number anyway. When the two meet up for a beer and Morgan finds out that Dean IS gay, he’s suddenly filled with optimism and ambition – two things that have been greatly lacking since the accident. With Dean’s help and support, Morgan thinks he may be able to race once again. He gets sponsorship from a local shop so that he can afford a hand-pedal bike and starts training in the park. With new love as his inspiration, Morgan feels that he can do almost anything, but runs into trouble when he starts pushing himself a little too hard.
It’s always refreshing to see thoroughly masculine, confident gay characters represented in film. Leo Minaya and Jack Kesy are up to the task. They have great chemistry together, sharing numerous charming scenes as Morgan and Dean get to know each another. There is a particularly sweet moment when Dean helps Morgan with his leg exercises – and the inevitable love-making scene is touching and well-earned, coming after Morgan expresses concerns that he won’t be able to perform the way that he could before the accident.
With their previous films, Michael Akers and his co-writer/producer Sandon Berg have proven that they know how to craft a swoon-worthy gay romance and Morgan is no exception.
-- Robert O'Neill, TLA Video (http://www.tlavideo.com)
