DVD
Review | You'll Get Over It
Written by: Kage
Alan
Considering how unique French films tend to be in
their treatment of sexuality, I was definitely curious to see how
they’d handle a gay film. It’s a rarity to see many films in the US
tackle the subject of gay sexuality in youth, so perhaps the foreign
market will make up for that niche. After all, those of us who are in
committed, loving relationships have to travel to Canada or Europe to
get married, so once again the US is falling behind the times of
enlightenment. Somehow, I’m just not surprised…in a cinematic sense
either.
Seventeen-year-old Vincent is the kind of high
school student many of the guys aspire to be like. Not only is he a
damn good student, but he has a beautiful girlfriend, Noemie, and he’s
also the best swimmer on the team. As for his home life, loving mother
and semi-stern father are nothing out of the ordinary, though his older,
bitter brother, Regis, is an unemployed schmuck. So, life moves on,
Vincent wins a swim meet and finally makes awkward love to Noemie. It’s
awkward mostly because Vincent has been getting it on with a
20-something “friend” of his while keeping it a secret from the world.
Yep, he’s the last person anybody would expect to be another “one of
those.”
Matters turn complicated when another student
transfers schools to Vincent’s and the two hit it off. By mistake
however, Benjamin lets something slip to some other mates and it’s not
long before the entire school is calling Vincent all the bad names we’ve
come to hear. Worse yet, fellow swim members turn their backs on him in
the worst way. Noemie is naturally upset and feeling betrayed, his best
friend tries to be supportive and his parents wonder if it’s just a
phase. Oddly enough, the school tries to intervene to protect Vincent
while he goes through his depression, but it takes something more to
help him realize that life isn’t going to change for the worse just
because he likes who he likes.
While some feel the need to dismiss “You’ll Get
Over It” as just another “coming out” story and can’t seem to appreciate
an uplifting ending for a change, I enjoyed it. The characters,
especially the parents, rang true as did the reactions of Vincent’s
schoolmates. There’s also a very important lesson or two here to be
realized. After so much anguish and drama, once the smoke clears, life
is still pretty much life. Nothing has really changed except for the
better. Also, there CAN be a happy ending. Nobody has to die, AIDS
doesn’t always have to figure into the equation and families can cope.
Pictures This! has released “You’ll Get Over It” in
its original Widescreen format. Video quality is generally quite strong
as is the original French audio track. Subtitles are easy to read, so
no complaints there. As one might expect, however, there are no extras
with this disc. Since it’s French, there are no audio commentaries,
though some interviews or press clippings might have been nice. There
are some trailers for other Picture This! releases, but nothing more.
When all was said and done, this is a film I’m
pleased to be adding to my library. It’s one of the few films I’ve
watched that I laughed in, identified with and appreciated its
optimistic conclusion. We need more films like this whether they’re
French, Spanish, Chinese or Antarctic. Hopefully this won’t be the last
time a film from Director Fabrice Cazeneuve graces our screen.
Film Rating:
B+
DVD Special Features: N/A
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