Whole New Thing

To be honest, I purchased Whole New Thing because I needed to top off my DVD order to get free shipping. It looked most interesting among the dvd's I new nothing about. Is it a great movie? No. Am I glad I got it? Most certainly.

Whole New Thing tells the story of Emerson (Aaron Webber), a 13-year-old boy sent to public school after being home schooled for all his life. Emerson deals with adjustment issues, including a wicked crush on his English teacher. Besides the marital difficulties his parents face, there's not much else that happens.

The thing is, Webber and the film do a great job of capturing the social awkwardness of a teen being thrust into his first social situation with kids his own age. His social interactions--at least in film terms--largely involved giving massages to his parents' friends. Emerson is incredibly self-confident, but not easily able to engage with those he meets. He thinks nothing of stripping naked with another 13-year-old boy for a sauna before they do math homework.

Given his history, then, it's not surprising that he connects more readily with his teacher (Daniel MacIvor), a closeted man who gets sexual release from rest-stop sex. This creates another awkward dynamic. Emerson is clearly the aggressor in this relationship. It's a crush, but it's also a crush by someone who doesn't know appropriate boundaries.

Webber is always engaging and is supported by strong players. The ending of the film is not particularly satisfying, but in a slice-of-life story, there's always more to follow. And that's okay.