Whole New Thing

What happens to people who are raised without conventional social boundaries? Emerson Thorsen (Aaron Webber) is a thirteen-year-old boy living with his aging hippie parents in rural Nova Scotia. Even though they clearly love their son, Roj (Robert Joy) and Kaya (Rebecca Jenkins) often act more like Emerson's pals than his parents (they have the annoying habit of querying him about his burgeoning sexuality). After years of home schooling, the sensitive, highly gifted Emerson is enrolled in the local middle school where he immediately stands out from the more conventional members of the student body who have no interest in discussing poetry or reading Shakespeare. Emerson not only has problems relating to the other pupils, but he develops a crush of sorts on his English teacher (Daniel MacIvor, who co-wrote the screenplay), a common enough occurrence, except that Emerson, so long shielded from the societal norms of the outside world, feels no compunction not to act on his feelings, creating complications for everyone involved.

Alternately touching and queasy, "Whole New Thing" is a generally sensitive coming-of-age tale that distinguishes itself with its novel setting and its unusual set of characters. The movie doesn't always feel like it knows where it's going, but that can be as much a recommendation for the film as a criticism of it. There are times when it seems as if it is going to go completely off the rails - particularly in the marital travails of Roj and Kaya - but it always manages to somehow right itself at the last minute. Only at the VERY last minute does it fail to do so, succumbing to an ending that is far too abrupt, upbeat and amicable for what has gone before.

The acting is strong, and there is just enough complexity in the characters and storytelling to make us suspect that MacIvor (who has directed a number of films of his own) and writer/director Amnon Buchbinder, should they choose to collaborate again, will do even more sophisticated work in the future. As it stands, this is a promising early effort for the filmmakers.

This is one of those rare, seemingly perfect little movies that takes a specific situation and somehow makes it seem to contain the whole world… a universal story that contains a humor and poignancy we can all relate to. I'm thinking of movies like Harold and Maude, or The Graduate. It has that sheer deliciousness, a meal you find that you want to eat over and over. I saw it at the Toronto International Film Festival sort of by chance, it fit into my schedule and I wasn't expecting much, just another Canadian movie that might be competently made and sincere but somehow would fall short of really being satisfying or engaging or having much to say. Boy was I wrong. In the days that followed, the movie would not leave my head. And then I happened to be in Montreal this week and last night it was the opening night film at the image + nation film festival here so I went to see it again. And it was even better the second time, which is the real test with this kind of movie, by which I mean the kind that has lines of dialog you just want to repeat ("how long does this right of passage thing last?" or dad explaining to his son why masturbation is better than wet dreams, "too much laundry is bad for the environment"), and a cast of characters you wish you knew in real life. They are so complex and real, and the movie sees them with love and acceptance but at the same time humor, in spite of their failings and foolish actions. Its also the nuanced performances; as the teacher Daniel McIvor shows the character's strength and weakness. As the boy Aaron Weber is a revelation, the gutsiness of this kid's performance, from his naked saunas to his simultaneous innocence and calculation, is amazing (and hard to believe its his first film role). The story is consistently surprising, it never sells its characters short, or the audience, respects us enough to not spell everything out. The screenings were filled not only with laughter, but gasps of disbelief at how far the 13 year old main character goes. I still can't figure out how the filmmakers took something that should have been off-putting and weird (13 year old boy putting the moves on his gay 40-something English teacher) and made it something not only consistently surprising but touching and funny and involving. It is not per se a gay coming of age movie, I suppose you could say that it's a bisexual coming of age movie but really it seemed much more than that (as the kid in the movie says, "those are just labels"). Calling it a gay Napoleon Dynamite like one of the other reviews did is kind of silly, because that movie takes so-called *normal* people and makes them seem weird, this movie takes so-called *weird* people and makes us recognize ourselves in them even if we would judge them in real life. And this movie is damn funny but in a way that is at the same time open-hearted and totally unsentimental. After two viewings I feel like there's still so much more there to be revealed in this movie, and I think it's one I will return to again and again. Can't wait until I can purchase it on DVD. If this movie isn't widely distributed it will be a crime.

Amnon Buchbinder's "Whole New Thing" ranks among the best independent films of the past year. Solid performances, notably from newcomer Aaron Webber, and assured, mature direction bolster an excellent script (co-written by ubiquitous Canuck playwright and co-star Daniel MacIvor) about the vagaries of family, love and sexuality. Buchbinder's sensitive treatment of his characters never falls into cliché and consistently offers resonant insights. The script is well-paced and adroitly mixes comedy and tragedy to present a well-rounded view of humanity in bittersweet glory.

For those of you who thought Canadian cinema was just about Atom Egoyan and David Cronenberg, think again: Amnon Buchbinder is as strong and defined a voice as either of those two, and his soft touch arguably eclipses both in terms of his ability to explore the humanity of his characters.

The elements that were designed to visually encompass this film, are absolutely great! From the house, the clothing (or lack of) of Aaron's character family to the lighting schemes in every situation, Whole New Thing is exactly what Hollywood should tackle: a good story that resonates with real life situations, and a treatment where twists and turns, not manipulation, lead to a very convincing film.

The textures of every small detail were almost handcrafted, especially the music. This is one of the reasons why Canadian films are important: they are a counterweight to American films, (though I still believe that Canadians, as Chileans, Mexicans and all of America's peoples are American).

I'm proud of this film and the way it explores (maybe not in depth, because it was not its purpose) a really difficult issue to which we all close our eyes and ears, and think as impossible and weird. My hat off too for the co-writer and actor Daniel McIvor.

Maybe you'll love to see this film over and over again just to discover how well done it is!

This is a perfect Canadian family-in-crisis movie even if a 13 yr.old androgynous boy takes most of the attention. None of these characters knows where they are going and flip-flop along in irritable desperation until son and Mum break the mold and seek some freedom. In the interval a great witty screenplay involves us fully with editing from heaven which keeps the action running along. And the cinematographer is certainly no slouch with snow and pines shown as if painted by the Group of Seven. We expect good performance from the better known actors here but Aaron Webber in his first movie role interlocks the other characters in an insightful and low keyed performance.I only had a problem with the too neat ending which seems to overreach for dramatic incident and then comes up with a couple of overworked clichés which seem out of place in this thoughtful and revelatory drama.