CLOSET MONSTER

Canada, 2015, 90 minutes, Colour.
Conor Jessup, Aaron Abrams, Jack Fulton, Joanne Kelly, Aliocha Schneider,Sophia Banzhaf. Voice of Isabella Rossellini.
Directed by Stephen Dunn.

Rather a disturbing title. Who will the monster turn out to be? And the implications of closet and sexual orientation?

All this is taken up in this Canadian film, filmed on location is in the provinces, written and directed by Stephen Dunn who had been making short films since the age of 19, some television episodes, and then this first feature film, released when he was 26.

As regards the monster, he is Oscar, whom we see as a little boy, hearing a story read by his father who wants him to be tough, not a sissy. The father is a tough man and, suddenly for Oscar, his mother leaves. Later, at school, Oscar will come across a gay boy who has been bashed in a hate crime, his father expressing dislike of gays.

In his teens, Oscar is on the way to being something of a closet monster. He is interested in leaving home, lives with his brutal father rather than his mother, is interested in film, photography and make up, with the help of the school friend, Gemma.

As regards the closet, he has a job in a supermarket, being trained by the woman in charge in how to deal with customers but, is eventually fired. But he does encounter a fellow worker, Wilder (Aliocha Schneider) who borrows his shirt – with an effect on Oscar’s psyche and his sexuality. He becomes friends with Wilder, taking him to his treehouse, going to a party, but sometimes misinterpreting Wilder’s stances.

There are some symbols, especially with spiralled iron emerging from Oscar’s stomach symbolising his disturbance sexually. When young, he was given the gift of a hamster by his parents and the film has him continually conversing with the hamster, sharing his life, getting advice. Later the hamster is brutally killed by his father, leading to a violent confrontation between father and son, the father being seen as monstrous towards his son and his son behaving accordingly.

However, he is reconciled with his mother and finally goes by himself to the coast, experiencing the spiralled iron again and talking with a new hamster (the hamster being voiced by Isabella Rossellini).

A realistic/fantasy exploration of gay sexual awakening and its effect.

1. The title? Oscar and his growing up as a monster? The closet and the allusions to homosexuality? Repression?

2. A Canadian production, filmed in the provinces? The home, the parents, little boy, the introduction? His father being tough, not wanting his son to be a sissy, learning to fight? Arrows? His mother and her love? The father, reading the stories, breathing them into the balloon, putting them on Oscar’s forehead so he could dream? The shock of his mother leaving, the argument between his parents, the father telling Oscar?

3. Oscar, in his teens, as a character? His father’s erratic behaviour, work, the clashes? The brutality of his father? His mother absent?

4. At school, seeing the boy bashed, the hate crime, gay boy, the cemetery? The effect on him?

5. Teenager, at school, working at the supermarket, the woman in charge training him to deal with customers, the effect? The encounter with Wilder, lending his shirt? The interest, sexual rousings, the attraction? His attitude towards Wilder, imaginative? Real?

6. His ambitions, movies, special effects, make up? His working with the girl, helping her? The attraction, her response? Distancing himself from her?

7. Gemma, her ambitions, work with Oscar, meeting with him, helping him?

8. The importance of the hamster, the gift from his parents, the character? The hamster talking, tone of voice, shared life and confidences? The finale with the death of the hamster, his father’s intervention? At the beach, with the new hamster, the explanation that there were several hamsters in his life with his parents buying new ones?

9. Oscar, his imagination, the twisted iron in his stomach, with his homoerotic imagination? At the end and his drawing out the long piece?

10. Wilder, his character, talking of going to Berlin, the friendship with Oscar, inviting him to the party, Oscar at the party, his misinterpreting Wilder? The effect?

11. The treehouse, taking Wilder to the treehouse? The effect? His father’s reaction?

12. The bizarre behaviour of Oscar’s father? The buildup to the confrontation, Oskar abusing his father, the violence?

13. The visit of his mother, her interventions, taking care of him, reconciliation, explanations?

14. Oscar, going away, to the beach, with the hamster? His future?