gerontophilia
2015 review number 138:
Gerontophilia: (Comedy/Drama): 65 out of 100: This Canadian production is in French and English and has some appeal to those who like independent cinema. It definitely belongs in the quirky category with characters that have unusual idiosyncrasies and a story that can be called different in the sense that it is restricted to the arthouse set. It's not something that mainstream audiences will flock to as the plot is so peculiar, slow and meandering at times.
Pier-Gabriel Lajoie plays Lake, a teenager who seems to be happy with his girlfriend, Désirée (Katie Boland). That is until he resuscitates an elderly gentleman while working as a lifesaver at a pool. He finds himself sexually aroused while resuscitating him. He then takes on a job at the nursing home where his mum works. That's where he fully realises his attraction to older men and one in particular, Melvyn Peabody (Walter Borden), with whom he develops a relationship.
The best scenes involve the road trip that Lake and Melvyn embark on. Their interactions are offbeat and occasionally touching. This is where the character development improves on the superficial characterisations of Lake's mother and girlfriend. We don't learn much of their characters except that Lake's mother likes having sex with men and nags her son to death, and Désirée likes people who change the world. When they are out of the picture, the movie generates more emotional depth.
The road trip also offers the opportunity of presenting the landscape of Canada during winter. The cinematography during these scenes is one of the highlights of the film. You just wish that the road trip could last longer to explore more of Canada and the relationship between Lake and Melvyn.
Bruce La Bruce, the writer and director, provides enough entertaining moments to sustain interest, but he has a tendency to overdramatise scenes by including unnecessary slow motion. By my count, there were seven extended slow motion sequences. By the seventh slow motion scene, it seemed like an advertisement for sports replays. His script has amusing moments without resorting to melodrama; it's more his direction which achieves this.
It is worth noting that the lead actor makes his feature film debut and it is a brave performance considering that he shares several intimate moments with someone nearly four times his age. He brings the right amount of sensitivity to his role.
Gerontophilia isn't a movie for everyone especially those who are homophobic. It has a few rough edges and isn't polished, but it does engage if you bear with it.
Starring Pier-Gabriel Lajoie, Walter Borden and Katie Boland
(82 minutes)
Parental advice: Nudity, coarse language, sexual references, adult themes
Additional scene during or after credits: No
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hEHa8t2GpfA (Movie trailer)
(Reviewed on Monday 21st September, 2015)
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