Kestrel-3

i had the distinct pleasure to catch "war story" at the pittsburgh international lesbian & gay film festival, and it was the highlight of the night. the film is a splendid homage to the world of silent cinema, and a touching queer story in its own right. its wonderfully reconstructed silent film slapstick elicits more than a few hearty laughs, while at the same time maintaining the atmosphere of silent cinema's bygone days. metly moorville, the film's fictional hero, is akin to a queer little tramp, and his performance by director john baumgartner made me wish for a scad of sequels. it was also quite amusing to see abraham benrubi, best known as "kubiak" from "parker lewis can't lose" and his work on e.r., with extravagantly villainous facial hair -- mustachio, beard and especially eyebrows.

There is a simple joy in going to see a film that is totally against the grain of standard movie fare -- true independent cinema as gritty as the video Chuck & Buck is shot on. Many of the users who commented on this film chose to highlight empathy towards the characters, the plot climax, and the theme of homosexuality as attractions/detractors. I say that any film viewer takes away from his or her watching exactly what they put into it. For me, sexuality was not an issue. Buck is not a homosexual, not in the classical sense, but rather an emotional child who knows only of sex as a "game," like the ones he used to play (or was forced to play) with Chuck. Moreover, I do not believe that any character is made to be empathetic to the audience, each kept at just enough distance to make this film as objective an experience as possible -- in clear contrast to the subjective reactions most viewers seem to exhibit. This is extraordinarily hard to achieve, especially with the taboo subjects the film explores.

Who is more "real," the man-child Buck or the work-obsessed Chuck? What message or reflection on childhood innocence is presented? Does the film portray stalking or homosexuality in a/n un/fair light? Who cares? Just be thankful Mike White produced such a uniquely original script with a bevy of intriguing characters that make this film entertaining and thought-provoking -- no matter what those thoughts may be.

if nothing else, this film is provocative when it comes to the issue of identity. georges du fresne is mesmerizing as ludovic, the boy who wants to grow up to be a woman. i was taken aback at the severity with which his parents reacted (both mother and father are deeply affected), feeling altogether astonished at how realistic the portrayal was. this is, of course, a rather interesting notion given that fantasy and stylization are keenly employed herein. the ending left me puzzled, which i believe to be a good thing, as there can be no pat hollywood ending to a matter of this importance. overall, this movie just made me wonder about how the abnormal really can only be judged as a figment of the people who deem it such.