Zerophilia

This one's an odd one that's actually oddly enjoyable.

"Zerophilia" imagines a world in which a communicable disease exists that causes sexual partners to suddenly change gender.

The change is triggered in macho Heath Ledger lookalike Luke, who promptly transforms into sexy babe "Luca" after a backseat tryst with a gal played by "Weird Science" hottie Kelly LeBrock, whose star has clearly fallen so, so far.

What's charming about this movie is the way the characters so awkwardly navigate their male and female selves. Some humor is tossed in as their friends struggle to deal with these abrupt changes.

The "odd" comes in at, of course, the premise, as well as how expertly the casting director matched the male and female representations of each character. Their physical similarities made the film's low-budget transformation SFX seem like straight-up magic.

It's not as laugh-out-loud funny as you might expect, but is a lot more enjoyable than you might expect, too, thanks to some endearing performances and a sensitive script.

I was walking down the street when I... anyways I met the director and got tickets to see the world premiere of it at Rebel Fest in Toronto. It should have been in the TIFF, but it didn't meet the deadline.

The movie is "so creative" as my friend put it and I haven't seen anything like that for a long time. Both of us are taking film courses in college.

The premise is the main character has a disease that changes his gender in minutes when he gets turned on. My only complaint is that it's hd quality and not widescreen.

I think most people would enjoy this film's quirky subject, and comedic dialogues. Unlike most films, Zerophila isn't predictable and not conservative. Also there's also some sort of frog motif going on in there.

I always appreciate a body swapping story and, although feeling very budget and corny in parts, Zerophilia is mostly a good time.

It's a coming of age story with a gender bending twist, as protagonist Luke discovers that he suffers from a rare genetic disorder (zerophilia) that causes him to transform into a woman every time he gets... excited. A pretty good hook and one that is explored decently. I do think there was potential to take the concept a lot further though, with scope for a lot more comedy and also a better exploration of gender. Maybe if this film were made today, where gender expression and sexuality are talked about more openly and freely, it could have had more depth. For the time it was made though, I think it did a pretty good job. It could have been quite offensive and stereotyped and it managed to mostly avoid this. It presents a pretty funny, thought provoking, and at times tender message and story, so overall pretty solid.

The performances weren't necessarily the best but they were all pretty serviceable. Taylor Handley / Marieh Delfino as Luke / Luca were both good, navigating the complex emotions of swapping genders and trying to come to terms with their new reality. Gina Bellman was another highlight, as was Alison Folland. The chemistry between the various iterations of each character was actually pretty good too.

Overall I was quite surprised by this film. It does feel very low budget, particularly in the editing and direction, but actually it is decently entertaining. It has a fun idea which it largely executes well, blending comedy, gender commentary, and relationship drama into a perfectly good film.

I suppose that my summary says it all I had medium expectations for this film. I liked the concept but was worried that it would be played for the wrong laughs and bathroom humor. Instead I, and you will be as well, was rewarded with a sensitive and witty look at how we deal with our own identities.

Luke has to work through the age old question of "who he is" though he is working in some unfamiliar territory.

Pay attention to the dance of characters and you will not be too startled in the end. Though the premise is far fetched the director has managed to pull it off delicately and satisfactorily.

I loved all the leads, but found the character named Jeanine to be the wisest of the bunch.

Without dropping any spoilers - though if you're reading this you probably already know too much ;) - I'd sum the point of this movie as "before you can find your soul-mate, you have to truly know your own soul". It playfully & non judgmentally deals with gender roles, and desires. It's cute, at times contrived - but I'll cut them lots of slack, because this is an unusual plot and moving the story along sometimes takes some real contortions. The cast is all wonderful & likable - even those who could be deemed 'villains' have their own understandable logic. In a world of teenage comedies about finding sex, recreational substances, or adventures involving large amounts of toilet humour, this is anything but a mainstream movie. Still, for those who took the effort to seek it out, it's a worthwhile, and heartwarming watch. Does using the term "heartwarming" constitute a spoiler? ;)

See it at least twice. Once with fresh eyes, and again with wisdom.