October 20, 2005
The Tell-Tale Penis
by Jessica Cogan
We are now in the dull, dark and soundless days of autumn that Poe described. The air has a gloomy, oppressive chill. The desolate sky grows dark too soon. Nature everywhere turns a dreary brown and dies. Melancholy thoughts turn naturally to the grave and mortality. And we face our darkest, most insufferable fears – misery, death and… puberty.
Yes, puberty, that mythical, miserable time when we learn firsthand just how ugly and uncomfortable growing up can be (two words: Chelsea Clinton). Now one brave filmmaker has tackled the ugly beast and handled it with just the Gothic touch it deserves.
Late Bloomer is a short film by director Craig Macneill. It follows a boy on a horrifyingly humorous trip through Ms. Lovecraft’s sex ed class. You remember, don’t you? All the discomfort of pronouncing “vagina” aloud. Of envisioning Fallopian tubes and ovaries in the girl sitting next to you. And, most terrifyingly, of your body’s own mutinous reaction to the lesson.
The film’s voiceover is spot-on for a Poe narrator – all twitchy and agitated and supremely articulate. He guides us through the apprehension, the terror and the, ahem, climax of the lesson. The frantic storytelling is well supported by the wonderfully cacophonous score by Brooklyn’s One Ring Zero.
Late Bloomer was written by Clay McLeod Chapman and is loosely based on the bizarre works of H.P. Lovecraft. An award-winner at Sundance, the film is screening Friday, October 21st at Bluestockings in New York. Go ahead -- face your fears. Because now, they’re funny.
Late Bloomer, was an official selection at the 2005 SUNDANCE FILM FESTIVAL, SXSW Film Festival (*Best of Comedia), Calgary Int'l Film Festival, Film Anthology Archives, Atlantic Film Festival, Florida Film Festival, Cinequest Film Festival, Maryland Film Festival, Nashville Film Festival, Montreal Comedia Film Festival (Best of the Fest), Lake Placid Film Festival (Audience Award: Best Short Film), CineVegas International Film, Rhode Island Int’l Film Festival, Los Angeles Int’l Short Film Festival, St. Louis Int’l Film Festival, Long Island Film Festival, One Reel Int’l Film Festival, Rooftop Films, and the Museum of Modern Art in San Diego.
On The Web | www.northlakefilms.com
Posted by Trigger Magazine at October 20, 2005 10:35 AM Permalink
Comments
It should be also noted that as well as authoring the movie Clay narrated the entire epic and provided additional impact on this most amusing short film. The direction made the production all the better but the writing and narration were remarkable. The reception to this entertaining bit has reportedly been exceptional and I hope the author, narrator and director all enjoy some career benifits from this so well done production.
This is an unbias evaluation.
Sincerely, Clay's Grandfather
Posted by: Bill Henshaw at October 23, 2005 8:12 AM
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