Shadows on the Wall | The Mattachine Family

The Mattachine Family

dir Andy Vallentine
scr Danny Vallentine
prd Mike Diaz, Scot Boland, Siddharth Ganji, Cameron Hutchison, Stuart Heinlein, Andy Vallentine
with Nico Tortorella, Juan Pablo Di Pace, Emily Hampshire, Jake Choi, Cloie Wyatt Taylor, Carl Clemons-Hopkins, Heather Matarazzo, Annie Funke, Colleen Foy, Garrett Clayton, Jack Perry, Patrick Starrr
release US 4.Jun.24
23/US 1h39

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choi, di pace, tortorella, hampshire and wyatt taylor

With a sparky tone, this drama uses earthy comedy to bring characters wonderfully to life. As the narrative moves briskly, there's a swirling emotionality to the way director Andy Vallentine and screenwriter Danny Vallentine tell this story through such an intimate perspective. Sometimes the confessional voiceover and its huge emotionality become a bit much, but the interaction between these likeable characters is skilfully written and brightly well-played.

After being married for a year, photographer Thomas (Tortorella) and his actor husband Oscar (Di Pace) foster a child, relishing being parents but crushed when they have to say goodbye. While Thomas can't escape his desire to have a child, Oscar pivots to his career. So for support Thomas turns to his assembled family: Leah, Jamie and Sonia (Hampshire, Choi and Wyatt Taylor). Thomas is happy that Oscar's work is back on track, but he hates the thought of moving to Michigan and breaking up the family. And he really wants to be a dad.

Serious conversations pepper the film, creating a knowing exploration of that innate urge to be a parent, even for gay men and women. Big questions ripple through the dialog, asking whether this is a genuine heart's desire or an attempt to fill a void. And the intentionality of it for various couples has big repercussions for all aspects of their lives. The script sometimes overstates these hurdles, but it also remains focussed on the deeper feelings these people are experiencing.

The always-charming Tortorella shines as a guy who never wanted children but now finds it difficult to think of anything else. And it seems that everyone around him wants kids too, aside from his husband. Meanwhile, the charismatic Di Pace's Oscar is finally getting a break as an actor, and the question is how this couple can navigate their diverging aspirations, with the nagging feeling that they are losing each other in the process. Side characters are also vivid and engaging.

Relational problems add a bittersweet sensibility to the central narrative, nicely balanced by the ongoing snappy banter among this loving family of close friends. The film carefully explores the options that same-sex couples have if they want to be parents. And while the surge of sentimentality in the final act is somewhat overwhelming, it's also genuinely moving. It also opens an important conversation about an issue that isn't always easy to talk about.

themes, language, violence, sexuality 30.May.24

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