jtapley-2

The Curiosity of Chance (2006)

Overall a good indie effort - with solid acting and likable characters.

I was prepared to be disappointed with The Curiosity of Chance - but fortunately it does not follow the exact pattern laid out in the short blurb about the movie and the storyline is actually more interesting and clever! This is NOT a coming out story. Chance IS out. This is more of a "coming to his own" type of scenario.

Fortunately, he does not recruit the hodge-podge of characters to get revenge on the bully as we are led to believe -- instead, it is his friends who do so just because that's what real friends do. The acting is solid - giving us quirky characters with interesting stories and a bit of mystery. Tad Hilgenbrinck is perfectly cast as the eccentric Chance Marquis - giving a wonderful Willie Wonka quirkiness to the character. He is very much like a few people I have met in my life - and I could readily identify with him. Pieter Van Nieuwenhuyze couldn't be better as the rather odd sidekick photographer friend Hank Hudson. In fact, Pieter has some of the funnier lines of the movie - which his delivery of made even funnier. And Aldevina da Silva as Twyla Tiller is another wise casting move - bringing us a beautiful film image of the female friend that almost every gay boy has in high school - tough, sarcastic and deeply loyal and loving.

Not to be left out is the solid, if understated, performance of Brett Chukerman as Levi Sparks - the soccer star/next door neighbor/amazingly empathetic and insightful jock that is in every movie of this ilk but almost does not exist in real life. However, Brett makes this character believable - with his subtle style, perfect facial expressions to match each scenario and his dream that ultimately has nothing to do with football. I immediately liked this character - just as I did the other main characters.

The peripheral characters are colorful, odd, and obviously have deeper stories that are only hinted at but never totally, or in some cases even slightly divulged. Magali Uytterhaegen as the Vice Principal is somewhat a stereotypical character but as the movie progresses toward it's obvious conclusion you begin to understand that she seems to really get it and actually cares about Chance. The fact that we know little about her - other than Twyla's idea that she is transsexual and that she inexplicably smells - adds to her mystique. Chris Mulkey as the father (Sir) is well played. One senses from the beginning that while he is extreme military that he is not necessarily an extreme disciplinarian - there is a sense that he cares even if he is unsure how to manifest that feeling. He, in the end, is the father every struggling gay kid wants to find out he/she really has.

The Battle of the Bands conclusion is basically formula movie-making . . . however, the addition of the drag queens (which, by the way, were some of the best and most realistic drag queens I've seen in a movie in a long time) was, while expected, quite delightful. The final scene with the kiss was sweet while leaving the mystery of whether it was real or fantasy.

This might be a new entry in my list of favorite gay-themed movies. Not as much for the story as for the acting and the solid directing for a low-budget indie film. Bravo to Writer/Director Russell P. Marleau for making the most of a limited budget. And double bravos to whomever did the casting for this movie - well done!

I still want to know what was in Hank's case.