Love Is All You Need? (2012) User Reviews

A good idea - but does it work?

[laurabryant1-959-313132 · 6/10 · 27 March 2014]

This film is set in an alternate universe where homosexuality is the norm and heterosexuality is the minority. It is an interesting idea and has the potential to move previously homophobic people. It can make the issues more relatable and therefore help remove ignorance and homophobia. But does it do too much damage on the way?

This film seems to have been made out of spite. It seems as though it is just meant to be a giant slap in the face for anybody who's ever been homophobic. It is based on a true story, and it told exactly as that. it offers only visions of exaggerated hate, bullying and torment - the universe this film is set in is so intensely hateful that it doesn't seem realistic. this exaggeration can be very damaging to young viewers, particularly when there is no discussion of hope or available support. This film offers absolutely no positivity. It offers no hope. And the worst part is that it displays suicide as the only option for young people struggling with their sexuality. In the end the girl seems almost forced to commit suicide because there is absolutely no support for her. But the truth is that in reality there is support if you look for it. There ARE support groups, there ARE people who will love you, and IT GETS BETTER. But in this film the young teen is offered NONE of that! WHY has the director chosen to ignore all the support available? WHY has the hate been exaggerated so much? I'll tell you why - because this film was made out of spite. It is meant to slap in the face any homophobic people. And if you ask me, that is just spreading more hate.

Love is all you need? Maybe it's not ALL you need, but it is certainly needed! And this film only spreads hate.

How would a young teen struggling with their sexuality respond to this? If it were me I would be terrified to come out. This film would only prove to me that suicide is the only answer.

'Love is all you need?' is being remade into a feature length film. I truly hope that the film- makers have the sense to refocus the film away from exaggerated hate and offer some form of positivity, support and resolution. This concept has so much potential if dealt with properly.

Heartbreaking

[Irishchatter · 8/10 · 22 February 2014]

When I saw this film, I realised that it doesn't matter who you are, you would get bullied anyway.

The film looked so real and the actress that played the little girl was brave when she took the role because its such a seriously sad realistic film! I cried throughout the rest of the film.

I felt at times when watching the movie that I should stop watching it but I have to realise that its giving me a message like you're gonna get laughed at of who you are, wherever you go, you will always meet horrible types of people coming your way. Nobody is unfortunately perfect and thats why we should get on with life as it is!

A thought provoking short film to promote tolerance and acceptance

[Gordon-11 · 1 May 2013]

This film is about the experience of a young girl who is bullied because of her sexuality.

"Love Is All You Need?" depicts a world where homosexuality is the norm. The young girl got bullied in school because of her heterosexuality. In just 20 minutes, we see hate, bullying, violence, betrayal and intolerance. What the girl went through is so heart wrenching and tear jerking, that I am sure it will touch every viewer's heart. All these unacceptable attitudes are portrayed very effectively, making it clear that homophobia in the real world is as absurd as the events portrayed in the film. Acting and production are uniformly professional, and I applaud the filmmakers for making this thought provoking short film. I hope it will help spread tolerance and acceptance towards people who are different.

One of the most important films for current times...

[elevu · 9/10 · 19 September 2013]

Yes it is fairly low budget and the acting is not "perfect" however if you are straight like me and ALLOW yourself to go there, to imagine this world exists and put yourself in the shoes of if you were gay and the outcast and the loneliness and the pain that could occur.

If you allow this to happen within you, you may have an awakening like I did.

I live in an area that is predominantly Christian and people often only act Christian when it is easy to do so. The real test is to see others out in their daily routine.

Let me say this, there are few actual "saints" out there.

I bawled like a baby watching this, especially towards the end.

If this movie moves you, share it!

We need to LOVE people. This world needs it desperately. Even a smile can change someones day.

Very powerful and emotional movie. A must see for everyone!

[Demonicaura · 10/10 · 6 May 2013]

This is such a powerful and emotional movie that everyone should see because it just goes to show what everyone in the LGBT communities goes through everyday just because they go against what is considered to be social norms. There is a high rate of death among the LGBT community because they are bullied for just for being themselves. This was such a powerful movie that brought me to tears the first time I saw it because it hits home for me. I lost two of my friends because of bullying. Both of them committed suicide because apparently they thought that only in death would all the pain go away. This story is almost identically to what one of my friends went through only she wasn't gay, she was transgender. She was teased and tortured by fellow students all throughout high school but it wasn't until she was outed at work that things took a turn for the worst. I don't really think the ending was right for two reason; one, suicide is never the answer and two, the ending should have been extended a little bit more to show the repercussions that her death might have had on the community. Putting all that aside, I thing that everyone should see this movie because maybe then they might have a little more appreciation and understanding of the LGBT community and what they go through on a daily basis. I also think that with an alternate ending to the film, this movie would make a wonderful educational video that could be shown in all the classrooms, maybe then it might help to end bullying in our schools. Overall this was an excellent movie and I will definitely be recommending this movie to all my friends and family.

Amazing, thought provoking short film

[bionic79 · 10/10 · 2 July 2013]

What if being gay was the norm and heterophobia existed?

In this thought provoking short film we see a world where being gay is the norm in society and being heterosexual will subject you to prejudice, bigotry and hate.

I have heard reviews stating this film is very graphic. I don't feel that it is overly graphic. There is simulated and implied violence but nothing too overt. But I imagine that this film will make some people uncomfortable, which I think, is what the film makers are aiming for.

I love it when someone turns something on it's ear and makes you think, and this film does just that, it turns societal norms around and hopefully will make you think :)

A Short Worth Seeing for All Ages

[elicopperman · 9/10 · 5 November 2022]

No matter what anyone says, bullying anyone for their romantic attraction is never the answer, whether you like the opposite or the same sex. In the case of Kim Rocco Shields' 2011 drama short Love Is All You Need?, the film subverts the bullied homosexual tale by swapping the taboo mindset towards heterosexuality instead. The short did so well that it spawned a feature length film adaptation in 2016, also directed by Shields. As for the short on its own, while its narrative is fairly typical in terms of what it's tackling, it's still a harsh reminder that we should not treat others any differently than ourselves.

Set in a world where heterosexuality is considered a sin outside of reproduction, a young girl named Ashley has interest in boys despite living with two moms who are unsupportive of opposite sex couples. Her interest in the opposing sex goes from being made fun of by her female peers to soon becoming the subject of in person and cyberbullying, to the point where the family members of a male classmate she is attracted to get on her case. The plotline isn't too different from narratives dealing with horrific incidents of bullying and harassment towards misunderstood people, but the subject matter itself is what makes the short timeless. Regardless of the sexual orientation from anyone watching this film, the amount of hatred Poor Ashley receives from blind ignorance is no different than the sadly still relevant times we are living in where being different seems to be a truly horrible sin. Not helped is how savage and brutal children can be in regards to being different, as it is possible that what occurs in the film could possibly trigger anyone going through similar trauma.

Arguably, based on the film's fairly short runtime, certain topics like same sex couples being heterophobic or how boys perceive girls probably could've been tackled a bit more. Seeing Ashley's parents, Karen and Vicki, argue over their child's sexual interests and the lives of other human beings is appropriately jarring in its own right, although perhaps a bit more screentime with their own points of view might have benefited a more in depth look. Not to mention, Ashley's love interest isn't that memorable of a character on his own outside of his basic role in the story, making him more of a plot convenience than anything else. That being said, this film is meant to be from the POV of a bullied teenage girl who doesn't understand why the world hates people like her, and it does its job quite well. The climax itself is probably more devastating than anything else in the film, as anyone who has lost their child to a similar fate could attach themselves to such a horrible turn of events. It's quite amazing how a film like this goes for the straightforward drama so anyone and everyone can relate.

It's hard to say whether Love Is All You Need? Will appeal to everybody given how serious its commentary is, but that shows how well the filmmakers did their homework. No matter if you happen to be straight or gay, man or woman, cis or trans, nobody deserves to be picked on or ridiculed for who they identify as. People hate what they don't understand and we need to be reminded why being different is not ultimately a bad thing, and it starts with works like this. Whether you check this film or its feature length adaptation, hopefully it will remind you that love is in fact all you need first and foremost.

2 stars for the idea

[Horst_In_Translation · 2/10 · 22 November 2015]

"Love Is All You Need?" is not only an incredibly pretentious title, it is also a 20-minute short film by Kim Rocco Shields from 4 years ago. The premise in here is that the world actually discriminates against heterosexuals and not homosexuals. At least, this is probably what Shields had in mind. However, this idea was totally lost in execution here. The outcome looks more like something along the lines of where not only the premise I just mentioned is true, but also where the world is apparently controlled by radical leaders and there are probably many more ugly things about it that weren't depicted in this movie.

The world in here has nothing to do with our world. The vast majority of people here in our world is tolerant in terms of homosexuality and that is a good thing. Of course there are certain very misguided groups of people who still oppose the idea, but these are minorities and they can or will never have the power to actually treat it in a way heterosexuality is depicted in this movie. School children beating the crap out of homosexuals? School directors publicly speaking out against it? Parents hating their children for their sexual orientation? This is not the 21st century. This movie is pure fiction and tries to make a parallel to a reality that does not exist. It is a failure. The film's low point was probably the ending with the suicide scene. I never get why all these gay-themed short films almost never have convincing subtle story lines. It's always over the top, in your face and just fairly ridiculous. Bad movie and it's quite a joke this apparently gets turned into a full feature film. Highly not recommended.

its really bad, awful

[sdolphins1 · 1/10 · 2 September 2013]

The movie is really bad because its show just all of the negativity in people. Doesn't have balance by showing a support group for the girl and seeing that their is help out there. The characters a bland and not well developed at all. So their is no real connection with them. The relationship is between the girl and the boy go absolutely nowhere. And we don't see much of them together. Also again this movie is just hatred and how they depict people hating straight people. would not be true in 2011. If the setting was in the 1960s I would believe that but i don't. Don't see this movie, its not good at all. So keep this in mind.

Very Emotionally Moving Movie.

[Mhenegan26 · 25 April 2013]

Let me start out by saying this movie is a must-see. Not because it is happy, or funny, but because society needs to watch this; maybe most peoples' opinions on gays will change.

I don't think i've ever seen a movie quite like this. Also, the fact that it was condensed into 20 minutes of quick, but powerful shots aided the smooth flow. The actress who plays Ashley delivers a solid performance, and the others are convincing as well.

I don't want to give too much away (you need to watch this for yourself), but it will make you rethink how most of society treats gays. Whether you're for it or not doesn't matter here. This movie, in a way, responds to both sides of the argument, rather than just one; and that is probably one of the reasons why it is so powerful. You will be able to connect with Ashley on an emotional level, more than what most movies try to throw at you. The emotion in this film is raw; original; not Hollywood-forced emotion. You will be able to feel her pain and anguish as if it is your own. And unlike most short films, the plot isn't hard to comprehend and isn't slow moving; you will get what's happening right from the beginning; a feat almost impossible with this complex, hard-to-explain plot. But fear not; director Kim Rocco Shields directs.

To close, the cinematography and raw emotion make this short film a must-see.

HandHStudios Rating:10/10

I could not take this seriously, sorry.

[SPZMaxinema · 1/10 · 9 February 2022]

I want to be clear and say this because it is in fact true, I have no issue with the LGBTQ+ community and their ways of life. Love who you want to love, be who you want to be with, do whatever you wish as long as it's consensual and not hurting others. I'm an advocate for equality and all that goes along with it for this group and every other marginalized group in societies worldwide.

Siggghhh, okay. Now, this was force-fed to me in a training seminar at my job that completely wasted my time and focus (I was required to take this training with an instructor who has horrible taste in examples to use to convince people to be more open and accepting since it's pure virtue signaling that I do not need). Mainly, the acting and cinematography in this from a film-making perspective is cringeworthy and god awful (slow motion, unconvincing and robotic performances). It even there in an insult on the side about one of my passions which I did not appreciate. Plus, teachers would never ever say to their students in the real world "if you just got a relationship this would stop". This is a dumb comparison since procreation can only happen *naturally* between a male and a female and you can sue me for saying that and I don't give a s*** because it's true, so the concept of even imagining that the kind of world that exists in this short-film would be practical and realistic is complete bull. And I get the message "what if it were the other way around?" But even still, anyone with half a brain would find out how stupid a lot of this is and it was cringeworthy to sit through. I don't need any more lessons on how to act and behave as a human being thank you very much. It's just jammed down your throat nowadays from these authoritarian people with a political agenda. Be a good person and nice to everybody is what I already live by. I don't need films like these and frankly no one else does. Thank you, lol.