Breaking Glass Pictures, a distributor that specializes in bringing independent LGBT cinema to the DVD and streaming markets, offers two films that take very different looks at the theme of young, first love.
Set in Northern Ontario over the course of a single summer, Ingrid Veninger's "Porcupine Lake" introduces viewers to Bea (Charlotte Salisbury), a shy and isolated 13-year-old who's desperate to break out of her shell. She's spending the summer in a small town with her parents (Delphine Roussel, Christopher Bolton) whose marriage is in trouble. Dad is an alcoholic.
This not-too-happy family is working at a gas station/diner combination that Dad owns. One afternoon, to Bea's delight, three girls her own age walk into the restaurant to buy some ice cream. Bea sees them as a chance to break away from her stifling family life and the strict hold her mother has on her.
A sharp contrast to Bea is the brash, outgoing Kate (Lucinda Armstrong Hall), one of the three. Bea and Kate are immediately drawn to each other, and enter into a fast and deep friendship, to the chagrin of Bea's mom. As Bea and Kate become closer, it becomes obvious the two may be falling in love, an unspoken love. Is Bea feeling the first stirrings of a lesbian identity she may not yet be aware of?
"I'm glad you don't have a penis," Bea tells Kate after they look at nude centerfolds of buxom women. The two girls also share a few kisses, as Kate teaches Bea how to French kiss.
Bea wants Kate to return to Toronto with her and her family at the end of the summer, but that can never be. When the summer is over, both girls' lives are forever changed.
Salisbury and Hall give nuanced performances as Bea and Kate, both actresses beautifully conveying the stirrings of first love. Salisbury is especially good as she plays out Bea's frustrations: she has never been allowed to be herself. Through Kate she finally lives.
A far different film is Breaking Glass' "My Life with James Dean," a French film with English titles. Johnny Rasse stars as Geraud, a filmmaker who comes to Normandy in order to attend several screenings of his latest film. His first screening is a disaster, with only one person in attendance.
But Balthazar (Mickael Pelissier), the theater's 15-year-old projectionist, also watches the film, and immediately falls in love with the 30-ish auteur. This is a coming-of-age experience for the young Balthazar, who realizes that he's gay by watching the gay-themed movie. At first Geraud seems interested, but he balks when he realizes how young his new fan is.
Their story alone might have made for an interesting film, but director Dominique Choisy brings in too many subplots, making "My Life With James Dean" feel disjointed. Completely out of left field comes a storyline in which the theater's programmer is revealed to be a distraught lesbian who's desperate to hold onto her girlfriend. When we first see the girlfriend, she's bound and gagged. She decides to give the relationship another try.
There's yet another subplot about Gladys (Juliette Damiens), the concierge at the hotel where Geraud is staying. She seems to be off in her own little world, abruptly quitting her job in the hope that Geraud will cast her in his next film.
The film meanders aimlessly around these three plots, never giving much focus on any one storyline. Towards film's end, Geraud's estranged mother, not previously mentioned, shows up at one of his screenings. The two go out for coffee, make small talk, then say goodbye. Why they're estranged is never made clear.
"My Life with James Dean" is a confusing dramedy with too many storylines. It's obvious that Geraud has feelings for Balthazar, but this can never be properly explored in a film that jumps around its various subplots.