Not a very pleasant movie, in fact, quite painful a lot of the time. Be prepared- this is very intense and melodramatic. Yet, it's also genuinely moving, and I was sobbing by the end- really sobbing!
The lighthearted narration by the lead character did not prepare me for the heavy film I was in store for! This movie has a lot of growing pains- but most of them are the growing pains of the parents, and I really felt for the struggle they were having with their daughter not only growing up, but becoming someone they felt they had to get to know all over again- someone they wished she wasn't.
I understand that parents pin their hopes and dreams on their child, and when that child defies expectations in a shocking way, well, I get that it will be hard for them to accept. And I appreciate that this movie shows how just because a parent might not be comfortable with a child's homosexuality, it doesn't necessarily mean the love they have for their child isn't there. It's just that it might take them some time to "come out" as parents of a homosexual.
Yes, the coming out process is often not just that of the child's, it is often a family affair. And that's a pretty important point the movie makes- that parents and whole families have a coming out process too, when a close relative is gay. And as much as people say that no one should force a homosexual out of the closet, that it is their choice whether to "come out or not" I think that it's only fair if the parents and siblings have that same choice.
The daughter in this movie was scary in how quickly she shunned her parents and lashed out. She definitely showed her age, in her lack of empathy and sympathy for her parents' struggles with the situation, only thinking of her own, and getting angry if they don't accept her right away.
And to those who see this and just want to hate on the mother- remember- just because acceptance is easy for YOU doesn't mean it's easy for everyone, so give her the same understanding you would hope she'd give you. Don't be a hypocritical viewer. If you want love and for people to accept you as you are, you must be loving, and try to understand and accept others as they are too. It's a process.
The only people in this movie that ultimately deserve a viewer's anger are the school bullies who taunt and tease just for the sake of being mean, not the mother- who was genuinely struggling. Remember- everyone's struggles are different.
The movie ended well though, and my tears by then were tears of the heart.
The lighthearted narration by the lead character did not prepare me for the heavy film I was in store for! This movie has a lot of growing pains- but most of them are the growing pains of the parents, and I really felt for the struggle they were having with their daughter not only growing up, but becoming someone they felt they had to get to know all over again- someone they wished she wasn't.
I understand that parents pin their hopes and dreams on their child, and when that child defies expectations in a shocking way, well, I get that it will be hard for them to accept. And I appreciate that this movie shows how just because a parent might not be comfortable with a child's homosexuality, it doesn't necessarily mean the love they have for their child isn't there. It's just that it might take them some time to "come out" as parents of a homosexual.
Yes, the coming out process is often not just that of the child's, it is often a family affair. And that's a pretty important point the movie makes- that parents and whole families have a coming out process too, when a close relative is gay. And as much as people say that no one should force a homosexual out of the closet, that it is their choice whether to "come out or not" I think that it's only fair if the parents and siblings have that same choice.
The daughter in this movie was scary in how quickly she shunned her parents and lashed out. She definitely showed her age, in her lack of empathy and sympathy for her parents' struggles with the situation, only thinking of her own, and getting angry if they don't accept her right away.
And to those who see this and just want to hate on the mother- remember- just because acceptance is easy for YOU doesn't mean it's easy for everyone, so give her the same understanding you would hope she'd give you. Don't be a hypocritical viewer. If you want love and for people to accept you as you are, you must be loving, and try to understand and accept others as they are too. It's a process.
The only people in this movie that ultimately deserve a viewer's anger are the school bullies who taunt and tease just for the sake of being mean, not the mother- who was genuinely struggling. Remember- everyone's struggles are different.
The movie ended well though, and my tears by then were tears of the heart.