1:54

This is an excellent French Canadian Film. The story is an outstanding demonstration of the trauma that gay adolescents sometimes have to endure in school. It is a wonderful film in that it will cause the straight guys who are watching it(if any) to question where all the hatred is coming from. "Tim" the male lead is magnificent in his role. All the acting is excellent with great directing. Unfortunately, the story demonstrates events that have actually happened(in real live high schools.) The gay guys that are watching will be pleased that someone cares enough about these issues to make a high quality, very entertaining film about these problems. I do think the general cultural atmosphere for gays is improving in most Western countries. What a relief! Although the film was not mood uplifting, it was extremely well done. Felicitation a les Quebecois!! Je vien du Canada Anglaise et j'adore cette film formidable.! By the way, there were some complaints about lack of English subtitles, that has been solved. The translation is very accurate. Don't miss the movie!

The write-up calls "1:54" a psychological thriller. That's only partly true, because the "thriller" part finally makes its entrance during the last five minutes. This is another film about the bullying that seems to be a universal element of high school life. I genuinely dislike the pack mentality in any form, but when it becomes the vicious teen against teen scenario, I get both angry and sad. Young people need acceptance from their peers more than almost anything else in life. They don't even know how they feel about themselves yet. So when the risk of a secret being shared online becomes an unbearable shame, better judgement takes a back seat, and common sense goes out the window.Tim is a sixteen year-old student grappling with his sexual identity. Well, at least he thinks of grappling with it, but just can't accept that he might be "different". His best friend, Francis, on the other hand knows he is gay, and knows Tim is too. They just can't seem to talk about it very successfully. Francis is already being bullied at school, and Tim, by association, becomes targeted. After an unnecessary tragedy, Tim closes up even tighter. Yet he still gets verbal abuse. His main tormenter is his fellow track-team member Jeff, who is used to being the "best" runner and will stop at nothing to maintain that record. When he threatens to blackmail Tim by posting an embarrassing video is when Tim begins to evaluate his own character and beliefs. Tim's father, coach and female friend offer their support, but when Jeff realizes Tim is a true threat and could win the championship, he releases the video to social media anyway. How Tim reacts and how he eventually resolves being bullied is the main thrust of the rest of the story."1:54" has all the ingredients of a good indie film. The direction and acting are very good. The soundtrack is bouncy when needed and lower key when necessary. The script is what I found difficult, because it's well written, but when it's all over, I thought: "Well, that was more than a little unfair." I didn't care for the lack of resolution on the way Tim chose to deal with the bullying. Even after the issue is addressed in the story, and Tim has tremendous emotional support, as already mentioned, the general attitude of the plot seems to be that bullying is terrible, yes, and we must work to prevent it, but what can you do? Kids will be kids. It's definitely worth a viewing, if only to see just how "a joke" can be anything but funny. This film takes no prisoners.

The acting and production quality of this movie was better than some of the other low-budget LGBT films available out there – so it was riveting for me to watch ... but like most European movies, it doesn't end all 'Happily Ever After' like U.S. films usually do. But at least there's a serious lesson to be learned here (that I hope straight society listens to) but I'm afraid this movie might just be 'preaching to the choir'. It felt very real and relatable to me because I remember being bullied like this in High School – and explains why the suicide rate among gay people is so high.

It was a well acted, written and produced film. But I don't watch for realism but to escape. I don't know the actors and if I wanted this I would watch the news which is real. So for me I did not enjoy the film but that does not mean it is bad or does not need to be spoken.

Warning: spoilers ahead.This movie has all the boilerplate elements we’ve come to expect from the tragic gay movie plot:Closeted gay kid.CHECK.Lashes out at his secret boyfriend when someone suspects them.CHECK.Bullying by jocks.CHECK.Clueless, indifferent teachers.CHECK.Movie ends with all the nasty straight kids alive, and the gay kids dead.CHECK.Oh, and who’s the villain?The gay guy!(Sorry for the spoiler!)Yes, I’m aware that bullying does happen, and it’s horrible. I’ve worked for years with those who are brutalized by other because of their sexual orientation or gender identity.But hasn’t this been done enough?Can’t we find new ways to explore the gay / coming out experience?Maybe show different…better…ways to deal with violence than with more violence?Some sense of justice?At the very least, provide some hope and/or crisis resources for kids who live this kind of existence!We can do more than merely dramatize the problem. We can offer help, and solutions.If not, then perhaps the description of the movie could include a disclaimer.Why would we want troubled LGBTQ youth to watch this film and see two equally gruesome responses to being bullied?

First of all, the acting is first rate by everyone. This probably had a somewhat limited budget, but proves what can be accomplished! The story is riveting and makes good sense. AND for all those people out there that tell you "it gets better", well, yes, that's true as in most situations it does in time. However, what happens in the meantime can be absolutely devastating when you learn to hate yourself.