Henry Gamble's Birthday Party

I see a lot of films, and this is without a doubt one of the best I've seen in quite awhile. It presents so beautifully how conformity and organized religion stifles and twists and how badly the real person in all of us wants to be recognized for who we really are. The performances are so spot-on that it's almost eerie; having grown up in a Midwestern family very similar to this one I felt as though I knew every one of the characters.

The plot involves Henry Gamble, whose father is a preacher, who is given his 17th birthday party by his family and friends. Henry is realizing he may be gay, and as the party progresses throughout the afternoon and night everyone begins to show the various struggles they also go through being human and trying to adhere to the rigid expectations they've created for themselves.

What I found so impressive about this film is that all of the characters are fine, likable people who care about each other. Some of them, particularly the adolescents, are much more accepting of their differences and support each other; others aren't capable of doing that, especially as beautifully illustrated by a bitter, fearful mother who refuses to let her repressed daughter enjoy any of the party and never lets her out of sight. The daughter is heartbreakingly portrayed, and the image I couldn't seem to shake after the film was over was her testing the water in a swimming pool, wanting so badly to dive in.

It appears that HGBP has been released to pay-per-view and isn't being considered for a general release to theaters. This is a very timely film for 2016 and it would benefit so many if this project could receive the exposure it deserved. It's depressing to think that "Captain America: Civil War" will be bringing in crowds this weekend but very few people will know a wonderful film like this even exists.

I hope Steven Cone, who also wrote the amazing screenplay, continues to have the opportunity to make films. This is someone to pay attention to, as he is clearly a talented guy.

Not sure what I think about this movie. It spends next to no time with the title character, choosing to spend it on the plethora of side characters while almost entirely ignoring the premise that probably draws most of the audience for this movie: a cute guy coming to terms with his homosexuality.

And yet, its characterization of church goers isn't as much of a caricature as many think. All of their judgemental opinions and holier-than-thou attitudes are things that I personally experienced growing up around church goers.

I'm not really sure what this movie set out to be, but at least it was honest.

This movie tries to balance out multiple viewpoints, but in the end, The Christians come off as judgmental and thin skinned and too many of the characters are stereotypes of people we can not stand.

At first I thought I wondered into a Christian movie, and then other characters start to pop up and by the time the movie is over, everyone has major problems, except Henry who is working it out as he goes along.

But ... I gotta say, a sweet and nuanced performance by the lead actor Cole Doman, anchored the movie and there were excellent performances from Patrick Andrews (manic), Elzabeth Laidlaw(mom) and Pat Healey (dad) who made the most of the material that they had to work with.

After a promising start, this movie goes into many directions and introduces too many ancillary characters who we know nothing about, nor to do we care to know. It assumes we know the back story about each character - it may have made more sense as the last episode of a soap opera but not as a feature film. As a lawyer might say, "it assumes facts not in evidence"! Finally, screenplay is poor and the actors delivery hovers between stilted and merely adequate. Avoid this one.

Writer/Director Stephen Cone has crafted a film that on technical merits alone is heads above most films dealing with a gay youth coming of age. Cinematographer Jason Chiu's contributions must be recognized as well. Finally, a fairly strong cast all adds to a film that is confident and ambitious. It may not always achieve, but its parts are greater than the whole.

The camera is an observer and moves melodically throughout the film. Yet, cinematographer and director never become showy. Each angle and camera movement is intentional and honest.

The lead actors are strong. Their backstories are sometimes revealed through dialogue but their untold stories echo throughout rewarding the audience with so many three dimensional people rarely seen in smaller films. The supporting cast is mostly as strong.

A majority of the film deals with teenagers conversing at a birthday party. The written dialogue accurately reflects that world but the subtext of real world drama rings through loudly. Cast and director deserve strong kudos.

The pacing of the film is not as strong. Multiple story lines are difficult to balance and juggle. Here writer and editor (both Cone again) show their weaknesses. As well, and no spoiler, the ending is lacking. Technically, it is fitting and true to the world of the film, but that does not discount the audience leaving feeling short changed.

A third of the way through the film, I was very excited by what I had seen thus far. Two thirds of the way through the film, I became a tad restless but I was invested in the characters to want to see it through. By the end, I was disappointed based on my initial excitement but not enough to be disenfranchised.

Stephen Cone is a talent to be watched. His ambition should be encouraged and nurtured. His cast deserves to be seen in many more projects. Henry Gamble's Birthday Party is a very good achievement and possibly one that will be recognized in future years as a major leaping point for many people.