Golden Delicious (2022) User Reviews

Beautiful movie

[lwclark-16430 · 10/10 · 7 October 2022]

Watched this last night with my partner and kept thinking about it. Beautiful movie with some lovable characters and a great art and sound direction.

A movie from a genre I would never even consider had it not have been for the VIFF.

With this being so far out of my wheelhouse the best thing I can say about this movie is simply the characters. I believed them and could honestly have kept watching the two of them on screen for hours.

A movie that left such a positive taste in my mouth that I'm willing to give it a perfect score because for me. It was perfect. Congratulations to the team at golden delicious.

Well done coming-of-age / coming out story using Asian characters

[chong_an · 9/10 · 4 June 2023]

Jake is about to enter his senior year at high school, and is hoping to finally make the basketball team, though he may be more interested in photography. His girlfirend, and long-time friend Valerie, is pressing him to lose their virginity together. A new family moves in across the back alley, which includes Alexs, an openly gay basketball player also entering his senior year. They bond over basketball practice, and when they watch a game together in Jake's bedroom, Jake impulsively kisses Alexs, and his world changes. As Jake gets pulled in various directions, he has to decide who he is, and who he wants to be.

Meanwhile, there is a parallel drama happening in the rest of the family. Jake's father's dreams of basketball glory ended with an injury in high school, and both parents dropped out of school altogether when father got mother pregnant. They worked in his parents' restaurant, eventually owning it. However, mother resents not finishing school, and the long hours of work at the restaurant. She is horrified when Jake's sister enters culinary school. A revelation puts the family relationships at risk.

This is a well-done coming-of-age and coming out story, but the family's story gives it extra depth. It creates diversity in the gay coming-out collection, as the first story I've seen with characters of Chinese origin (Linsanity and Yao Ming get a passing reference). The leads do have heat between them, and Jake's conflicted relationship with Valerie appears genuine. There is a social media presence, which does drive the story in a several parts of the plot, making it more realistic.

I saw this at the Inside Out 2SLGBT+ Film Festival, where the director mentioned that this project was done during the covid era, with actors being interviewed over Zoom, and it surprised him to find that the leads already knew each other in real life.

Generic coming out story

[gwharrison · 5/10 · 14 November 2022]

Golden Delicious is a adequate come out story about being in high school and dealing with all the confusion. And that's kind of it. There are about 100 stories that explore the exact same things in the exact same way. It might be received better by a current teenagers, if they can get past the poorly done dialog, but young adults to adults are just going to find it incredibly bland. It's just a basic story that's been told before. Only unique perspective it shows is complications that social media creates when it comes to keeping secrets. It also could have benefited by integrating the side story with the restaurant to reflect or match the protagonist issues. Because it just seems like a waste of time dealing with the family. It's drama for dramas sake which is the worst way to do it.

Golden Gem!

[acting101-2 · 10/10 · 15 October 2022]

Golden Delicious is a gem. The story moves along at a great pace with twists and turns along the way while showcasing some amazing young actors including: Cardi Wong, Chris Carson, Hunter Dillon and Claudia Kai. The story is relevant and real. I caught myself in between tears and smiles during the two hours. Highly entertaining with a real message. I would not be surprised to see this movie clean up in the film festival circuit. It has a Pretty in Pink and a Juno vibe to it. Golden Delicious does not disappoint. This little indie should be proud of what they accomplished on such a small budget.

It's been done before

[db-00459 · 5/10 · 27 October 2023]

This film is slow-paced, about half an hour too long, and could do with dropping some elements. No one when watching a movie cares about the administration of a business.

The central characters are growing up and taking their time with it.

If you have watched a coming-of-age film before, there is little new here, other than social media can ruin lives.

All the classic themes of teenagers with secrets, whispers, bullying, talk of sex, and self-discovery.

Prepare yourself for a lot of screen time where characters apologise to each other. It goes on and on to nearly the very end.

But it is well shot, with good production values.

ABSOLUTELY LOVED IT.

[delwintan · 10/10 · 6 November 2023]

My partner and I love LGBTQ+ films and are always on the hunt for more. This film surpassed all our expectations. It felt truly authentic, and genuine. The storyline is relatable, and heartfelt portraying an asian-canadian high school coming out story. We loved this film soo much, it is truly such a masterpiece everyone should enjoy.

We especially enjoy films like heartstopper, love simon, love victor, red white & royal blue, sex education and such. Golden Delicious felt like it was on the same level as these films, if not better. The acting by Cardi Wong, especially in the interactions with his family in the last scenes was spot on and brought us to tears. Every scene was well captured and meaningful to the story. Bravo amazing work, truly a job well done by the talented Director Jason Karman. Please make more LGBTQ+ films, we'll be here to support and enjoy your outstanding work.