Netflixes have a way of sitting on top of my television for weeks before my neglect is realized. What happens after is a viewing binge or they're returned unplayed, so I can get the next batch of soon-to-be-neglected films. I know, how embarrassing. Must. Stop. Now.

The other night, while taking a break from never-ending errands, I finally committed myself to "Blue Gate Crossing," something I threw in my que awhile back and I can't quite remember why I did. But...

Wow. How fucking poignant.

Just when I thought the whole am-I-or-am-I-not-gay setup has been done to death, something comes along and smacks me in the face. Hard.

Two girls in their early teens. One's in love with a boy who swims. The other is in love with her. Later, the boy also falls for the girl who can't love him back. Yes, the classic love triangle, but the approach was entirely refreshing, because the sexuality was never treated as the foreground. Emphasis is placed on their behavior*, their routines, their words**, and most of all, their moments, ranging from the most awkward to the most human***.

*Feeling heartbroken, the girl goes to her mother's room at night and lies next to her. We learned by now that she was raised by a single parent. She asks her, "How did you survive when dad left you?" Mom took the question as an indication that perhaps her daughter was just ditched herself, but she answers, "I don't know. I just did. I really don't know." The girl falls asleep, followed by the woman. A beat. Then she opens her eyes, stares into space and right then, we know she knows her real answer to the question.

**Boy: What should I say?
Girl: A secret.
Boy: Secret? All right... my pee fans out.
Girl: What?
Boy: It fans out, like a showerhead. Never in a straight line. I don't know why. Maybe the opening is too big. Don't tell anyone!
Girl: Okay.

***By now the boy realizes that his first love will be unrequited. For now, the friendship will do. They're riding their bikes, as they often do after school, racing each other from time to time. While stopping at a red light, he says to her: "Maybe some day, in a year... maybe three, if you start liking boys, you have to tell me first. Don't laugh. I'm serious." Green light. He rides away ahead of her. Her voiceover: "Watching you ride away, I'm thinking... in a year, three years, five years... where will we be? You're kind, cheerful, uncomplicated; you'll be even better. I can see you years from now. You're in front of a big blue gate, in the afternoon sun. You still have a few zits. You smile and I run towards you. You nod at me. Three years, five years later... or later, much later... what kind of grown-ups will we be? Like our teacher? Like my mom? I can't see myself but I can see you."

The film also effectively uses the Frente! song, "Accidently Kelly Street." I was frantically searching for my "Marvin the Album" CD, intending to play the track to death in my iPod.