Friday, February 15, 2013
NICE ANGST
Today's film was the Icelandic production
just now being distributed in the US.
This is a teen coming of age film featuring a gay boy who, on a field trip to England, discovers that he gets the "jitters" when he kisses another boy. They are room mates at the English School. From the same town.
When he rejoins his friends, we see a group of kids, his friends, who are having growing up issues. They are sweet together and give a lot of support. There are shitty parents and, here and there, a parent who is really supportive and helpful.
The gay kid, Gabriel (of course Gabriel) has an interfering mom but his dad who left the mom for the same reasons, interfering, is great as is, as it turns out, the stepfather.
There is no new ground being plowed in this but the Iceland angle is interesting (not much different actually) and the kids are very kind to one another. For once.
There is a sparkle to the whole thing. The acting is very good. The story concise and to the point. Rather complex actually.
The gay angle is actually not the only theme here although it is the through line for the entire film. Beginning to end.
Gabriel is described early on as a "cuddler", the one the girls all go to for comfort and support. He is that. So he is part of everyone's situation as well as, of course, his own.
How many actors are there in Iceland? How many good teen actors? I read that in Denmark, for example, there are so few actors that they are all in most of the television and movies. Similarly, Iceland has its own language so there is a call for an Icelandic cinema and television. A lot of work.
There is much to like in this film and I will buy a copy for our collection.
A 5 out of Netflix5.
Labels: films
