The Guest House
| The Guest House | |
|---|---|
_poster.jpg) Film poster | |
| Directed by | Michael Baumgarten |
| Written by | Michael Baumgarten |
| Produced by | Michael Baumgarten |
| Starring | |
| Cinematography | Ankush Kohli |
| Edited by | Jennifer Barlow |
| Music by | Michael Reola |
Production company | Baumgarten Films |
| Distributed by | Wolfe Releasing |
Release dates |
|
Running time | 82 min |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $250,000 |
The Guest House is a 2012 lesbian romance film written, produced and directed by Michael Baumgarten. It stars Ruth Reynolds and Madeline Merritt as two women who fall in love over a weekend at a Los Angeles guest house. The film has received mixed reviews from critics.
Plot
Rachel is a rebellious 18-year-old musician who lives with her father, Frank, at their Los Angeles home. Before leaving on a business trip one morning, her father informs her that his new employee, Amy, will be coming to stay in their guest house for a few days while she gets settled. Amy arrives and Rachel, lonely and still affected by the death of her mother, feels drawn to Amy. Over the course of the weekend, the two women spend time together and become close. Eventually they become lovers. When Frank returns, he is shocked to find them in bed together. It is then revealed that he and Amy slept with each other. Rachel breaks off their relationship.
Some time later, Rachel performs a show at a small club in San Francisco. Afterwards, she exits and finds Amy waiting outside. The two talk and decide to reunite.
Cast
- Ruth Reynolds as Rachel
- Madeline Merritt as Amy
- Tom McCafferty as Frank
- Jake Parker as Jason
- Jennifer Barlow as Rachel's Mom
Production
Madeline Merritt originally read for the role of Rachel before being cast as Amy. Neither she nor Reynolds had portrayed a lesbian character on screen prior to this film, though Merritt had previously starred in a stage production of Boston Marriage while at university.[1] Reynolds found that their experience on-set mirrored that of their characters, saying, "It was a challenge because we are considered straight, so it was kind of cool to find out how comfortable it was to be with someone of the same gender...even though its something that’s completely new. So aside from our characters, we discovered it in real life as well".[2] The two women became friends during filming. Merritt recalled, "When Ruth and I had callbacks, we read together and we just clicked. The chemistry and connection were just there: it wasn't something we had to work at, we really played well off of each other from the start."[1] Reynolds also relished the opportunity to play a musician.[1]
Critical response
The Guest House received mixed reviews from critics. Writing for AfterEllen, Danielle Riendeau summed up her review by saying: "Guest House is largely a fun piece of fluff, with attractive leads and a fun premise, but the film is far, far too chatty for its own good. The writing is spotty, with a few clunky lines, and the final third dives far into melodramatic territory." However, she also noted the "fantastic chemistry between Reynolds and Merritt" and found the love scenes "decidedly hot".[3] Dora Mortimer gave the film a negative review for Diva magazine and found that it lacked authenticity, saying: "If you're looking for a lesbian film – hunt elsewhere. This film's only claim to LGBT issues is having two very femmey members of the same sex feign interest in each other. It is written and directed by a man and it shows."[4] Lauren Shiro of Curve magazine was much more positive, saying: "The Guest House is a cute, fun, and highly enjoyable movie. This is a perfect light-hearted, feel good movie for fun weekend entertainment."[5]
Ruth Reynolds won the Rising Star Award at the Melbourne Independent Film Festival for her role in the film.[6]
Home media
The Guest House is distributed by Wolfe Releasing in the United States,[7] and by Peccadillo Pictures in the United Kingdom.[8]
References
- ^ a b c James, Toni (June 18, 2012). "The Guest House – Interview with Ruth Reynolds and Madeline Merritt". When Sally Met Sally. Retrieved August 7, 2016.
- ^ Hoffman, Kim (July 2, 2012). "The Guest House". Curve. Retrieved August 7, 2016.
- ^ Riendeau, Danielle (November 7, 2012). ""The Guest House" is a sexy but flawed story of lesbian love". AfterEllen. Retrieved August 7, 2016.
- ^ Mortimer, Dora (June 21, 2012). "DVD review: The Guest House". Diva. Retrieved August 7, 2016.
- ^ Shiro, Lauren (January 24, 2016). "The Guest House". Curve. Retrieved August 7, 2016.
- ^ Portelli, Ramona (November 17, 2013). "1 on 1 with actress and model Ruth Reynolds". Conversations Magazine. Retrieved August 7, 2016.
- ^ "Guest House, The". Wolfe Releasing. Retrieved August 7, 2016.
- ^ "The Guest House". Peccadillo Pictures. Retrieved August 7, 2016.