Messy Manifesto

“You have to see this film,” my dears Lauren & Adam proclaimed triumphantly to me, “It’s looks so… whimsical!” The ensuing view of the trailer cinched the deal. Were The World Mine, released around here December 12th, is portrayed as a surreal, sparkling dreamscape! Of course, this self-proclaimed Whimsibitch agreed to attend with gusto..

With reviews like “dreamy”, “surreal”, and “the next Hedwig(!!!)” flying around, any Whimsibitch knows when skepticism is in order. I consider myself a bit of a surrealism connoisseur, who has on more than one occasion fell victim to some disappointingly unpalatable consumption. Furthermore, flagrant comparison to Hedwig and the Angry Inch, a cinematic staple if you happen to have any interest in alternative lifestyle, borders blasphemy. Were The World Mine seemed to have a world of sweet promises riding on it’s white-winged shoulders.

Okay, so both musicals tell the tale of a gay youth seeking acceptance in rural America. But while Hedwig invokes the love-child of Aristophanes & Ziggy Stardust, the classically-themed World is a healthy mash-up of Bjork’s Dancer In The Dark and Dead Poet’s Society. These subjects, fleshed out over the film’s overall  Shakespearean skeleton, does result in satisfying surreality at times. About half of the film is a glittering, dreamed-up figment of musically-inclined imagination, presented by stifled dreamer Timothy, a fantastic character bent on being himself no matter what the opposition may be.

As a perspective fantasy, this film excels. Charming visuals are limited (conveniently, considering the low-budget) to a reality Timothy can sense but refuses to accept. Taking place in an all-boy’s academy, this set relies  much on the high-school gym dynamic, as do the props and costumes lent to Timothy’s fantasized musical interludes. The beautiful (but few) songs consist of resounding a cappellas featuring mostly male vocals, with pianos as heard through the doors of a mid-sized gymnasium thrown in from time to time.

From the drama teacher’s (coincidental?) decision to cast Tim & his rugby-jock crush as lead faeries in the  school play, to his mother’s begrudged acceptance of the task to sew him wings, little by little our hero melds his own dreamworld into his stifled settlement’s reluctant reality. Where in Hedwig we witness the becoming of self through experience, this film emphasizes the more fantastic effect of a strong, steadfast persona on a surprisingly (considering the times) unenlightened community. Uh oh .. it’s effing Angus all over again!

Seriously now though, it’s not very often that a controversial character remains this headstrong in the face of adversity – wrong or right, one is expected to learn a thing or two about themselves along the way. There are friends, families, all that constitutes a personal support structure, to consider.  Somehow, the character of Timothy is allowed to rebuke these things, all under a law that deems acceptance an uncompromisable virtue, damn the cost.

Thankfully for Tim, the commitment he directs towards his  ideals in this situation does, eventually, play out in his favour… Virtue triumphs! As I, Hedwig, and every other dreamer could probably tell you, this isn’t often the end result. In this respect, is Were The World Mine a realistic account on how big lifestyle-decisions gain credence? No indeed ..  But Timothy’s outlook and unrelenting acceptance of himself is admirable, while being admittedly exaggerated.  This Whimsibitch can excuse exaggeration. It’s just the sort of surreality our kind tends to prefer