Catharsis Review

Distributor: NakedSword Film Works Edition Details: Standard Streaming Movie Specs: Genres: Short Film, Gay, Softcore, Drama Run Time: 17 minutes Rated: not Release Year: 2015 Director: Robert Aquino Written by: Robert Aquino Cast: Robert Aquino, Gabe Gonzalez, Nathaniel Peart, Louis Brengard, Anthony DiCapua, Bryce Aviano, Kevin Campos, Luis Peralta, Elvin Tavarez Release Specs: Audio: English Stereo Subtitles: none Video: Widescreen, 1.78:1 (anamorphic) Video Format: NTSC Format: Streaming Regional Code (for DVD/Blu-ray): N/A Number of discs: N/A

Catharsis is a softcore short gay plotted movie from writer, director, and actor Robert Aquino. Catharsis shows a brief segment of the life of Kevin (Robert Aquino) who is still getting over his ex-boyfriend (Nathaniel Peart), who he broke up with a month before due to his ex cheating on him. Kevin hooks up with Richard (Gabe Gonzalez) to try and get over his lingering feelings for his ex.

Short movies can be hard to make since a short movie can only show a segment of a story but be able to stand on its own. Thus the writer and director are tasked with making three-dimensional characters in an environment where there isn't time allotted to do so. This brings us to the biggest problem with Catharsis, the short never gives the viewer the chance to truly understand and sympathize with Kevin before he is already involved with his hookup and night with Richard.

The result leaves the viewer watching Kevin's night of catharsis from his ex without every truly sympathizing for him. That being said, the cast does an excellent job with their roles. The cast does everything they can to bring their characters to life in the short run time of Catharsis and the cinematography by Denia Hasic looks absolutely beautiful.

Had Catharsis been made slightly longer to give the viewer a better feel for Kevin prior to his hooking up with Richard, it might have been a better movie, however, as it is, Catharsis is hard to get into and ultimately leaves the viewer feeling unsatisfied come to the end.

The edition of Catharsis screened is the streaming only version available on NakedSword. NakedSword Film Works has done a good job with their streaming only release of Catharsis. Catharsis was shot digitally and is presented in the anamorphic widescreen aspect ratio of 1.78:1 in 1080p. The image quality for Catharsis is great with nice vibrant colors and a nice crisp and clear image. Darker scenes do contain some grain. The only issue with Catharsis is that NakedSword Film Works has cut off the end credits for the short movie.

Catharsis is presented with an English Stereo audio track. The audio for the short movie sounds excellent with a nice balance. The dialog in the short movie is clear and easy to hear and understand at all times during the presentation.

NakedSword Film Works hasn't included any extras for their release of Catharsis.

Catharsis has been released by NakedSword through their NakedSword Film Works (NSFW) division that was launched in 2016 to exhibit gay independent movies that aren't exactly pornographic yet aren't exactly mainstream. Catharsis is a softcore gay short movie that tells the story of a man trying to get over his ex with a night of sex and fun. Catharsis has some good aspects but falls short of what it could have been. NakedSword Film Works has done a good job with their streaming only release of Catharsis with great audio and video presentation. The only issue is that the end credits have been truncated.

Past Reviews Interviews