Whole New Thing (2005)

Strong and Moving!

Excellent but underrated film

A great movie, one of the best of this year. There was a bit of confusion at one point in the plot, but nothing serious.

The best films of this genre always show a path and provide a takeaway for being a better person.

I saw this movie without a clue what it was about. I had just been given the cover and glanced at the front, believing it to be a comedy in the likes of American Pie and such.Well, after getting over the initial surprise about what this movie was actually about, I found it to be nice anyway. It tells a good story and you can easily follow the characters and understand their personalities.The cast was good and it had some nice supporting roles as well. Especially the parents, they were well cast and did a great job bringing their roles to life.The movie is uplifting and have fun moments, but I don't believe it is the type of movie that you will watch more than once.

Wow, this is a really thoughtful, well-made coming-of-age film. With a sea of dreck in this genre flooding the market, it is refreshing to see such a well written, sincerely performed narrative that feels so real and personal. Set in snowy Nova Scotia, the story of a bookish 13 year old named Emerson falling in love with his male school teacher (who is gay), might easily veer toward the distasteful, but this film never does. The performances are honest and heartfelt and the storyline goes to some unexpected places, contributing nicely to it's indy feel. There are a few moments that might have been more thoroughly explored (Emerson's relationship with an geeky school friend, the obvious direction of his awakening sexuality, is given short shrift.) But overall, this was an intelligently made, sweet and sincere film about human relationships - something that we can never have enough of.

...perhaps in a first year film school nightmare??... I'm not really sure where to start with this one. Perhaps I should talk about why I think this 90 min+ miracle of Canadian cinema could have easily been condensed to a 10 min (that's even pushing it) mediocre short film. Or, perhaps I should talk about the the character of Emerson and my fascination as to why people think this kid gave a great performance. Yes, that'll do. This was a TV movie, a lesser episode of Degrassi Junior High (sorry Degrassi for making this comparison, I still love you), an After School Special. This was not fresh , this was not original, and this in no way gave me confidence in my Defending Canadian Cinema argument I sometimes bring out when there's an awkward silence at parties. All I can say is don't see it, don't waste your time, and strive to expect more from us Canadian filmmakers. We need less praise for our mediocre achievements (Sarah Polly anyone?) and more accountability for our government funded mistakes. Enough said. ps. Daniel MacIvor, you did your best and played your role with heart, for this I thank you...but then again you also wrote it, so I'm still upset.

Very enjoyable film. The chemistry cultivated between the lead actor and his teacher and parents is impressive. The film opts for cleverness over cuteness; which sets it apart from most of the rest of the films I've seen in the "coming of age" genre. Challenging subject matter and a fresh approach to sexuality and growing up. Easily one the most entertaining Canadian films I've seen. It's a shame that it only played for one night at the film festival, I would have gathered as many friends as I could find to watch it a second time. I will keep an eye out for the DVD.Thank you to Amnon Buchbinder for coming to the Q & A as well.