Parts of Patrick McGuinn's intensely erotic thriller SunKissed are like watching a gay porn film with the sexedited out. The beautifully shot film, set in the desert outside Palm Springs,features two gorgeous mod — uh, actors, who appear to be quite turned onby each other.

Unlike most porn performers, SunKissed's John Ort and Gregory Marcel are stage-trainedthespians from New York. Both are gorgeous and uninhibited. Their lengthyseduction dialogue, filled with double entendres as they undress each other with their eyes, will getyour libido going. Though director McGuinn treats us to numerous nude shots ofhis stars, the lack of hardcore footage is, shall we say, somewhatanti-climactic.

But then, this isn't a porn film. SunKissed is being marketed as a thriller in the BasicInstinct mode, with gay characters. Whilethere are some slight similarities to the Sharon Stone star-maker, SunKissed is ultimately a very different kind of film.

Though beautifully shot and well-acted, the disjointed filmbecomes difficult to follow. The story moves backwards and forward in time,often jump-cutting to scenes that seem to have no relation to each other. Partsof the film are set in the characters' minds, while other segments take us intothe "real world." Are all the characters real? Are all the events wesee actually happening? Until the final fade-out, nothing is made clear, whichmay frustrate many viewers, though the story does come together at the end.

In an interview included on the disc, the openly gay McGuinntalks of his admiration for the avant-gardeworks of Luis Bunuel. At the film's website www.sunkissedmovie.com, he reveals hislove of horror films and thrillers. The influence of these genres is plainlyevident in SunKissed, a work thatwas made to entertain and titillate, but with no political or sociologicalmessage. It's refreshing to see LGBT filmmakers make gay variants on the filmsthey grew up with.

But because of its disjointed presentation, SunKissed ultimately falls flat. Too bad, as its sensualimagery is unforgettable. McGuinn obviously knows how to get what he wants fromhis cast and how to create an eerie, noirish atmosphere. He's a superbcraftsman who needs to write better, less pretentious scripts.

This is cache, read story here