Say Uncle

Re: Peter's movie debut This is a wonderful film about a horrific subject , ( eerily topical at the time of screening at the Los Angeles Outfest film festival. ) and one that very few would dare to tackle.. Peter Paige takes on that challenge and in doing so creates a moving and stunning film.

In his first feature, Peter as the writer, director and lead actor, takes us on a kaleidoscopic ride with a young gay man who by attempting to process grief crawls into denial and reverts to the safety and innocence of childhood. And in his naiveté unknowingly generates false accusations of pedophilia.

It would seem impossible to find comedic elements in such a film but Peter manages to do it masterfully and with great finesse while still voicing a profound statement of his own.

Kathy Najimi provides much of the vehicle for that humor in the unlikely role of a homophobic housewife and does it skillfully as if by second nature. The rest of the cast with each of their own unique talents create credibility to a film that beats with wildly with emotion, pathos and ultimate triumph.

A gay man with a love for children gets accused of pedophilia. There's a couple of problems here. One is that if Peter Paige (writer/director/star) is trying to make a point, he's doing a poor job of it. The message is rather unclear. At one point he seems to be saying that parents shouldn't be so uptight about letting men play with their kids, and later seems to be emphasizing that it's gay men in particular who are demonized, and then he compounds the issue by making the protagonist unbearably stupid and naive (adding hints of mental disturbance didn't help one bit). He tries to mitigate it by saying "I know I made some mistakes" at the end, but that only ends up confusing the message more. I did appreciate that there was some complexity to it, but it was just too muddled. Also, the second act involves a lot of repeating the same points over and over again and feels sluggish. I think the largest problem is the Kathy Najimy character. Paige paints her (this is an extremely clever pun if you've seen the movie) with a very broad brush: she has knee-jerk reactions, blows things way out of proportion, tells lies to whip up hysteria, has mechanical sex with her husband, isn't a very good parent. This is a character who belongs in a much more satirical comedy, something like CITIZEN RUTH. She doesn't match the quieter (and not terribly funny) humor of the rest of the film. However, it's not all bad. Despite a low-budget production (right here in Portland) it feels pretty professional, and the performances are good, even when the characters aren't very well written. The film is somewhat pleasant to watch, despite the subject matter. And I really did enjoy the complexity and that it wasn't as broad as it could have been, if only the Najimy character had been toned down. Overall, though, it's a near miss.

I am a gay man in the South, and while I have spent a good part of my life working with children as a camp counselor, daycare worker, and therapist, I STILL don't think I can empathize with the character Peter Paige portrays in this movie. For one, is he retarded? I don't think any grown, single, childless man who isn't just at least a little mentally challenged would think it was appropriate to spend that much time with strangers' children without good reason. Also, this character seems REALLY mentally unbalanced. He blacks out, lies about his background, cannot form a stable romantic attachment, becomes detached from reality, can only relate to children, and has what can only be described as a hyper-obsession with his godchild. I'm thinking Kathy Najimy's character in the film is right...he DOES fit the profile of a pedophile.

I don't know where Peter Paige was going with this movie, but I think he missed his mark. I rented this film, hoping for something that would break down the stereotype that gay men are freaks and pedophiles. Instead, this movie just made my skin crawl. I would NEVER, EVER let my child near a man like Paul Johnson.

Ick.

-s-

Peter Paige's enthusiasm for his film is contagious only there are parts of the film that are uneven. There is good pacing , but at times the pace moves so fast that some of the storyline seems forced. The general premise is already addressed in the tag line and so there is a constant sense of uneasiness. The main character is believable but the denouement feels saccharin sweet and that minimizes the seriousness of the threat to the main character.

If you are a fan of Emmett on QAF, then you'll find that Paige is quite a talented actor. In the end, not bad for a first movie. The premise is original and touching and even with all its faults is capable of conveying the state of American culture of fear.

This film is about a gay man who likes interacting with children, and hence being mistaken for a paedophile.

I find this film very impressive. The cinematography is excellent, the set designs are very well composed and visually attractive. The most important thing is that the plot is outstanding.

It deals with many social issues. It looks at how one person jumping into conclusions can cause so much bias and distorted viewpoints. It looks at how one vocal and persuasive person can influence the crowd, creating a herd effect not dissimilar to what Hitler was able to do. It examines how people are protective of children in such a way that they would rather accuse the good than to miss one bad guy. It also looks at how gay men are robbed of their rights to adopt, or to be near children because of the mistaken idea of "homosexuals have to be paedophiles".

I am immensely impressed by this film. It touches me and I am sure it will touch you too.