Abandoned by his father and raised by a single mother, Nate Merritt joins the Marines to support his soon-to-be fiancée. While on leave in Palm Springs, Nate meets a seemingly free spirited young gay man, who leads him on a path of discovery--and to the surprising identity of the father he never knew.
Dog Tags (2008)
A small character story, “Dog Tags” just misses out on greatness due to an obstinate desire to confuse through use of flashbacks (or are they flashforwards?). Setting that misstep aside, it’s an engrossing and affecting tale of two guys in ruts who help one another move forward.
Nate (Paul Preiss, who delivers a strong performance) has daddy issues (he doesn’t know his father’s identity) and joins the Marines. Andy (Batr Fletcher) is aimless and seemingly unwilling to step up and take responsibility for past actions. Once they meet, they help one another with their respective dilemmas. Yes, there’s one Andy-Nate coupling scene, but it’s never clear if Nate is gay, bisexual, questioning his sexuality or simply living in an emotionally charged moment. For the purposes of this movie, it doesn’t matter.
With “Dog Tags,” writer/director Damion Dietz crafts a finely tuned character study that’s marked by moments of quiet stillness. It’s engaging, simple and at times powerful, marred only by the unnecessarily messy and confusing introduction of Andy. — Rob Owen, Post-Gazette TV editor —
