a short film by Abdi Nazemian 2010 | 16 mins | US ›› Revolution a multi-cultural coming-of-age work. Official Synopsis:- A coming-of-age story about Jack; a sixteen-year-old Iranian boy growing up in 1989 Los Angeles. With the 1979 Iranian Revolution a distant memory, the AIDS movement as a backdrop and a haunting score by Rostam Batmanglij, Jack learns how to stage his own much smaller revolution within the confines of his traditional family. Dave Says:- Staged for the main part within a lush apartment building straight off the Dynasty set, this multi-cultural work delivers the ever poignant message of taking care when attempting to change a bad situation for the better, given you could get more than you bargained for in return. It is one that finds Jack's mother so incensed by the hired help teaching her devout son a Filipino prayer, that her replacement is called for; only for the new maid on the block's son to take to Jack, with more than just open arms. Set against the turbulent political times of yesteryear and here we're talking about archive footage to both the Iranian Revolution and the "silence = death" marches on Washington, this is a nice story refreshingly told, charting as it does the coming-of-age experiences of two young men and of a mother's changing attitude to the diversity of life. Sure it could have done with a touch more bite, not least to challenge the official line that "in Iran, we don't even have gays." But that said, it's both heartwarming and touching, with the developing relationship between the boys naturally played. And whilst US based, it marks an all too rare occurrence of a gay film that dares to speak of homosexuality within an Iranian household. And credit to writer and director Nazemian for that. Gay Visibility - overt.  Nudity - strictly from the waist up.  Overall - file under ... 3 stars.  ›› Available to buy from Amazon.com.   available on DVD as part of the Guest House Films catalogue - 'Blue Briefs' release: 26.June.2012 / US. starring: Mojean Aria / Jack, Sunday Burke / Letti, Zach Cumer / Gabe, David Diaan / Ahmad, Lisa Goodman / Juanita, Busy Philipps / Emily, Sheila Vosough / Behi and Ziggy as Antonia Azadi, the Dog. Copyright 2012 David Hall - www.gaycelluloid.com. archive reference #504 ›› previous page | back to top | print me ‹‹