‘Romance Cleanup in Aisle Five’ Review: A Warming LGBTQ Romance Short and Proof of Concept

“Romance Cleanup in Aisle Five” is a proof of concept short for a hopeful feature film written and directed by Richard Morell. It’s an LGBTQ+ romance of high order, leaving viewers with food for thought on relationships, connecting, and how we negotiate partnerships. It’s sweet and thoughtful, complete with background music that makes the film—at 16 minutes—feel alive. The film’s stars, Louis Stella and Matty Weiland, are a great focal point, with both giving and receiving acceptance. And under it all, it’s a hopeful film. It makes us think of the ways persons from all sexualities approach love, even maybe suggesting a way we could all do it better. 

The plot for “Romance Cleanup in Aisle Five” is simple: Jackson (Weiland) and Wyoming (Stella) meet late at night in a grocery store for a “shopping date” due to their busy schedules. They’ve started a connection years ago (in junior high), but are now perhaps ready to move on their feelings. There are multiple reasons for this, but mostly we feel it’s life getting in the way and young men who were afraid of sharing feelings at a young age due to societal pressure and assumed homophobia. We also sense it’s more than that: Wyoming has some armor built up. Jackson does too… he’s had to. Yet he seems more open to vulnerability than Wyoming, a topic the two will discuss as they connect. 

The Beauty of Relationship Negotiations

What I liked about “Romance Cleanup in Aisle Five” is the hopeful exuberance it imparts and the way Jackson and Wyoming connect. There are times throughout Morell’s film where some of the relationship faux pas’ either Jackson or Wyoming commit are often “red flags” or grounds for dismissal in straight couples, who many times give up too early. Wyoming has some blocks and hesitations. He hurts Jackson with how he holds back and the semi-dishonest way he’s structured their date. But his intentions are good and his needs are honest. In one scene, the two muse about what it would have been like to live in a world where one 7th grade boy can tell another he likes him with no fear. Yet the other brings it back to the present. That is what they’re doing; the fact it took all these years is okay if it brought them here. 

The two also negotiate the peccadilloes each has (Jackson says he’s ‘heavy’ and likes to eat). The way Wyoming encourages him to be his true self is endearing and hopeful, especially how he lets Jackson know he feels warmed by ways Jackson has accepted him and wants to do the same for him. It’s a touching scene without being overbearing or overselling the material. It helps, also, that Weiland and Stella are extremely likable. If Director Morell gets the chance to do a full-length film of “Romance Cleanup in Aisle Five” (named, doubtless after the way Jackson and Wyoming negotiate their burgeoning relationship), I can only hope Stella and Weiland will continue to play the roles. 

A Sweet Indie Film

Ancillary characters are fun here. I liked the supermarket owner, played by Tommy Brower, and a guitar-playing musician, played by Natalie London, who adds a true indie feel to the movie. She plays pop hits, changing the words to match what the couple are shopping for, and is really enjoyable. Likewise, the cinematography by Ashley Long is apt, especially the way she uses close-ups to make us feel for the protagonists throughout. There’s also some CGI work Morell and company add, and it’s impressive with what they were able to accomplish on a small budget. But under it all, this is a warm indie romance. You feel better having watched it, and it may just encourage you to have discussions with your partner (or hopeful partner) about negotiating all those little things—and personal demons—we often let sabotage relationships instead of working through them. 

“Romance Cleanup in Aisle Five” is currently in the festival circuit. It recently was recognized as a semi-finalist in the Portland Moviemakers Awards, and a quarter finalist for the Roadmap Writers Short Film award. FollowThe Movie Buff for more information as it becomes available. 

You can watch the trailer in the window below.