June 27, 2008

LETTERS From CAMP Rehoboth

CAMP Film

Youth Has Been Served…at Least on Film

This article is geared towards “youth,” the definition of which is up to individual interpretation. Whatever the reason, GLBT film has certainly taken notice as this is a banner year for youth-oriented films. Coming out stories have often been a staple of the GLBT festivals, but rarely has a year showcased not only a huge number of films, but also such breadth and depth. Many are ultra-low budget films, but what they lack in money, they make up in sincerity and story.

So whether you are young, young at heart, or just appreciate the experience of contemporary youth, be sure to look for these films at your local film festival or add them to your Netflix queues.

Dream Boy Based on the best-selling novel, Dream Boy tells a story of awakening adolescent desire against the backdrop of dark family secrets and small-town repression. Nathan, new in town, is a 15-year old boy whose awkward shyness stems from an abusive family situation. He longs for escape, and finds it in the older boy next door, 17-year-old Roy, an attractive and ostensibly straight jock. As Nathan pursues his crush, a secret relationship formsbut when others learn of their forbidden desires, things take a sinister turn.

Fashion Victims Driving his father around to sales meetings was not the way cute teen Karsten Zenker expected to be spending his holidays. But when his dad Wolfgang, a traveling ladies’ fashion salesman, loses his license, Karsten finds his vacation unceremoniously cancelled at the last minute. Things aren’t quite so badenter Steven, an attractive blond quite a few years older than Karsten who immediately captures the boy’s heart. But Karsten doesn’t know that Steven is his dad’s chief rival and Steven doesn’t know that Karsten is Wolfgang’s son. And Wolfgang? Wolfgang doesn’t seem to know much of anything! Fashion Victims is a sexy farce of a comedy.

Mulligan’s Tyler Davidson is back from college, and he’s brought his best friend Chase home to work with him on the golf course for the summer. The Davidson family immediately embraces Chase like a member of the family, which makes Chase’s attraction to Tyler’s dad, Nathan, especially awkward. But when Nathan returns the attention, the cracks in the family’s foundation threaten to tear them all apart. Starring Thea Gill (Queer As Folk) and Charlie David (A Four-Letter Word), Mulligan’s is a frank and sensitive exploration of family, love, and sacrifice.

Newcastle features Australian surfers; the words alone ignite the imagination. This beautifully shot coming of age story follows pro-surfer-in-the-making Jesse, and the lost weekend he and his buddies spend on a secluded beach. Jesse’s brother, Fergus, tags along eager to be one of the gang (and not so secretly crushing on sexy Nathan).The guys will be tempted, taunted and tested as their lives change forever, in this risk-taking film that paddles out past the breakers and takes on the big waves. The film was directed by Dan Castle, who grew up In New Castle, Delaware.

Ready? Ok! A stressed out single mom must juggle work, her directionless and recently returned twin brother, and especially her precocious, and likely gay, nine-year-old son, whose obsession with dresses, dolls, and cheerleading is leading to problems at his Catholic school. Ready? OK! is a wonderful comedic delight. Writer/director James Vasquez’s indelible characters are lovingly made real through standout performances from Carrie Preston and Lurie Poston, and with a fantastic supporting turn from Michael Emerson (“Ben” from TV’s Lost).

Sugar Rush This award-winning British TV series focuses on 15-year-old Kim and her desperate crush on her sexy and fabulous best friend, Maria Sweet, AKA Sugar. Kim also contends with her dysfunctional, embarrassing family and life in her new home in Brighton. Experiencing forbidden love (or lust) for the first time, Kim forges her own path through life. Her wry observations and bad girl ways have made her a popular anti-heroine for young British lesbians, demonstrating what it’s like to be young and queer in the UK today.

The Sensei In a small town in 1985, two outsiders forge a friendship that helps them both fight back against prejudice and violence. After ostracized gay teen McClain is savagely beaten by locals, his mother turns to Karen (writer/director D Lee Inosanto) to teach him self-defense in secret. But Karen, a martial arts expert who has only recently returned to her estranged family, has other secrets that could rock the close-minded community to its core. The Sensei is a powerful exploration of prejudice and the strength it takes to combat it.

Other enjoyable youth-oriented films include: Breakfast with Scot, The Secrets, Tru Loved and Were The World Mine. So you can see that at least on film, Youth Has Been Served!

For more information, visit the Film Society web site at rehobothfilm.com or call 302-645-9095.

LETTERS From CAMP Rehoboth, Vol. 18, No. 08 June 27, 2008