Last updated on 07 March 2012
Takes a look at gay and straight love among the new millennials. Everything from secret crushes to homophobic attitudes are revealed by the rambunctious students taking Drama and Dance from Loris. None of the teens are what they seem at first glance, with gay hearts lurking behind tough exteriors and straight kids expressing themselves in very queer ways.
Fit (2010)
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First of all, I think the ratings of this movie is really unfair. I will elaborate further down.
The movies is about what it is like to be gay, and how hard it can be to come out of the closet when you have homophobic friends etc. It follows the stories of a little group of students, who all participate in a dance/drama class. The issues regarding homosexuality is brought to the class’ attention when their new, gay teacher begins. All of the characters are dealing with emotional issues, both homophobic friends, family issues and school bullying.
I really enjoyed this movie and it is definitely on my top 5 of gay movies. Though the fact that there is four gay people in one class may seem a bit unrealistic. It has a great flow, it is not too slow, nor is it too fast. You get to know the characters really well, and it is just an over-all good story.
The only bad thing I can point out is their accent. I had some trouble understanding some parts, the slang and accent is pretty massive… But I guess it is easier for with English being their native language.
Every once in a while, along comes a film that in saying it like it is, gives encouragement and inspiration to others to proudly be their homosexual self. Well thankfully, this is one such occasion.
Then again, this heartfelt message of sexual acceptance should be of no surprise given this groundbreaking feature was made with the support of Stonewall. It tells, in effect, the story of six teenagers, each of whom has fallen foul of the school system thanks to their misbehaviour and who are forced to seek educational redemption by participating in a dance and drama class with a difference. That difference being Loris; the new teaching jock on the block who is as open with his homosexuality, as he is on hand to support his pupils, a mixed group of troubled teens who have far more in common with each other, than what they may care to realise.
And no need to guess that the common factor here is one of sexuality; albeit sexuality with a twist in its tale. Take Lee for example. Your stereotypical butch dyke. Only she’s straight and the best friend of Karmel, namely a girl into make-up, clothes and all that’s pretty, including girls. Hey, who says lesbians aren’t supposed to be girly. And then there’s Isaac, who along with his best friend Ryan is homophobic to the core, having made the life of school geek Tegs a bloody misery. Only who’s actually gay or straight here? Tegs’ best friend Jordan has an idea, but then this budding footballer has other things on his mind, as he sets his sights on a career in the so-called beautiful game.
In short, this is a film in which writer, director and don’t you just love him Rikki, think Metrosexuality, Beadle-Blair as Loris has set out to showcase the sparkling sexual diversity “that humanity has to offer.” It is a work that brilliantly plays on its performing arts scenario to allow for accusations of being gay to flourish, that of a series of cutting comments, that make for direct replies in return. And here cue such questions as am I gay?, what if my friend is gay?, together with such major issues as religion and homosexuality, sport and homophobia, let alone the differing parental attitudes to gay blood in the family.
That the talented young cast play their roles with added poignancy, should arrive as no surprise, given of a number of them had already performed in front of 20,000 plus people during the three winters that the original stage play / workshop toured the UK; at theatres, youth clubs and critically at schools. Yet that does not diminish their remarkably realistic turns here, even if Jay Brown of Hong Khaou’s Summer credit had the unenviable task of portraying the homophobic bully of the piece; albeit one that is shown the error of his ways, courtesy of seven episodic chapters that detail the life stories and thereby the very sexuality of the principal characters.
Notably reworked for its cinematic outing, along the way taking in many of the players previously seen in Beadle-Blair’s spirited Kick Off, this enlightening work equally contains a series of direct-to-camera monologues, that by way of a support group, emotionally cut straight to the hearts and minds of the gay and lesbian teens of today. The result is a vibrant mix of sexual home truths and street dance that is as entertaining, as it is informative. That an exhilarating feature such as this, aimed at addressing homophobic bullying in British schools should be required viewing as part of the National Curriculum, kind of goes without saying. Simply wicked.
Kickoff (2011) – A gay sport drama by Rikki Beadle Blair – Trailer
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