I re-watched this last night. Fun fantasy. Tanner Cohen is first-rate as the protagonist but this time I was also impressed with his co-star, Nate Becker, who plays the love interest and transforms from rugby jock to sexy nice guy.
The trailer . . .
And a fairly recent review . . .
Wicked may have recently reminded audiences just how powerful a musical with queer undertones can be, but it's far from alone in the annals of LGBTQ+ history. From classics like The Rocky Picture Horror Show to more recent adaptations of shows like Rent and The Prom, Hollywood has long used musicals to platform underrepresented sections of society, and one film in particular deserves additional attention from the genre. Directed by Tom Gustafson, Were the World Mine is a 2008 coming-of-age film that blends elements of fantasy and lyricality alongside an adaptation of Shakespeare unlike any that you've ever seen, culminating in a thought-provoking exploration of teenage sexuality as cathartic as it is relevant today.
A full-length feature version of Gustafson's 2003 short film, Fairies, Were the World Mine centers around Timothy (Tanner Cohen), a gay high school student attending the private, all-boys Morgan Hill Academy, where he is bullied relentlessly for his sexuality. Despite the support of best friends Frankie (Zelda Williams) and Max (Ricky Goldman), Timothy's personal life is also bogged down by a fractious relationship with his mother, Donna (Judy McClane), who herself struggles to support her son while financially reeling from a recent separation from his intolerant father. Coupled with a seemingly hopeless crush on the captain of Morgan Hill's rugby team, Jonathon (Nathaniel David Becker), Were the World Mine subsequently provides Timothy with a bleak portrait of early 2000s angst, making the film particularly poignant for viewers who experienced growing up queer at the start of the century.
Everything changes for the lovestruck boy, however, when Timothy is convinced to try out for Morgan Hill's production of Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream by his emphatic English and drama teacher, Ms. Tebbit (Wendy Robie). After members of the rugby team paint a slur on Timothy's locker, he uncovers the power to brew Puck's love potion in real life while practicing his lines. Timothy then uses this power to upend the conservative conventions of his daily life, spraying Jonathon, the rugby team, and countless other authority figures around Morgan Hill with a concoction that sees them fall madly in love with the first person they see. Soon, queer pairings begin popping up everywhere where Timothy was once alone, and the joy of watching this reversal makes Gustafson's film a refreshing piece of wish fulfillment for a genre that often goes hand in hand with heartbreak.
Wicked may have recently reminded audiences just how powerful a musical with queer undertones can be, but it's far from alone in the annals of LGBTQ+ history. From classics like The Rocky Picture Horror Show to more recent adaptations of shows like Rent and The Prom, Hollywood has long used musicals to platform underrepresented sections of society, and one film in particular deserves additional attention from the genre. Directed by Tom Gustafson, Were the World Mine is a 2008 coming-of-age film that blends elements of fantasy and lyricality alongside an adaptation of Shakespeare unlike any that you've ever seen, culminating in a thought-provoking exploration of teenage sexuality as cathartic as it is relevant today.
A full-length feature version of Gustafson's 2003 short film, Fairies, Were the World Mine centers around Timothy (Tanner Cohen), a gay high school student attending the private, all-boys Morgan Hill Academy, where he is bullied relentlessly for his sexuality. Despite the support of best friends Frankie (Zelda Williams) and Max (Ricky Goldman), Timothy's personal life is also bogged down by a fractious relationship with his mother, Donna (Judy McClane), who herself struggles to support her son while financially reeling from a recent separation from his intolerant father. Coupled with a seemingly hopeless crush on the captain of Morgan Hill's rugby team, Jonathon (Nathaniel David Becker), Were the World Mine subsequently provides Timothy with a bleak portrait of early 2000s angst, making the film particularly poignant for viewers who experienced growing up queer at the start of the century.
Everything changes for the lovestruck boy, however, when Timothy is convinced to try out for Morgan Hill's production of Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream by his emphatic English and drama teacher, Ms. Tebbit (Wendy Robie). After members of the rugby team paint a slur on Timothy's locker, he uncovers the power to brew Puck's love potion in real life while practicing his lines. Timothy then uses this power to upend the conservative conventions of his daily life, spraying Jonathon, the rugby team, and countless other authority figures around Morgan Hill with a concoction that sees them fall madly in love with the first person they see. Soon, queer pairings begin popping up everywhere where Timothy was once alone, and the joy of watching this reversal makes Gustafson's film a refreshing piece of wish fulfillment for a genre that often goes hand in hand with heartbreak.
Mélange de film fantastique et romantique sur le dilemme du passage à l'âge adulte.
ReplyDeleteMonsieur Dutronc 🇫🇷
Novelty for me, thanks
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