A Very Serious Person

Director(s): Charles Busch
Writer(s): Charles Busch, Carl Andress
Producer(s): Peter Bobrow, Richard Guay
Starring: Charles Busch, Carl Andress, P.J. Verhoest

Gil, a precocious pre-teen with a propensity for old Hollywood films and show tunes, loves spending time with his grandmother. When she gets too old and ill to care for herself, the two hire a nurse. After the first few nurses fail to meet high standards, along comes Jan, the Danish gay male nurse who lets nothing go by unnoticed. What starts as a summer of constant clashing soon becomes a the best summer of Gil's life. Together the two learn to live, laugh, and appreciate the finer things in life.

Gil is the standard effeminate boy in school growing up. While he may not be the first to jump in the pool or play ball with the boys, he is definitely the type to touch the hearts of all those around him. Similar to Scot from Breakfast With Scot, Gil's effeminate qualities create for quality amusement in any plot. The best part of this film would be the unlikely relationship between Jan and Gil. Rarely. do you see children having a positive impact on adults in film. Children are often the first to be overlooked as too young or too inexperienced to understand. But if you pay enough attention to them, you can find that its children that know a helluva lot more than adults. When it comes to sexuality and love, kids are often the first to recognize pure love without the pretense of sexuality and labels.

I find that this film has taught me to continue the fight as a gay man. I was never effeminate growing up and in a way, I wish I had been. It is the effeminate gay men that deal with so much in life. But it is also these men that have a stronger sense of self and a stronger drive to make it in life. With so many people blocking your way to your goals, the only thing to do is live your life and walk on by. Pride is more than just taking off your shirt in a parade. Pride is being yourself in the face of adversity.