Heiners Filmseiten – James (en)

James

Russian title: Джеймс
Original title: James

Short movie – United Kingdom
Production year: 2007
Movie length: 17 minutes

Director: Connor Clements
Writer: Connor Clements
Cinematograph: Declan Keeney
Music: Kasia Middleton

Movie description:

»James« is a short film, written and directed by Connor Clements, that focuses on a young boy in Northern Ireland isolated by his sexuality and alienated from his family who, in his desperation, turns to his teacher for support.

Young James struggles as the outsider kid at his school. His teacher, Mister Sutherland, the only person he feels he can connect with. When James finally puts a voice to his feelings, Mister Sutherland’s response isn’t what James had hoped for.

James has learnt to be withdrawn and secretive in a family with long buried secrets. Lonely and confused, he is drawn to one of his schoolteachers, Mister Sutherland, focusing on him as the one person who might understand his inner turmoil. When an older man approaches him in a public toilet, James panics and calls his mother, but refuses to tell her what happened. Late that night, James listens to his parents arguing about him. His fathers offhanded dismissal of his mothers concern results in a vicious row. When a devastated James turns to Mister Sutherland for help, the teachers response leads James to take an irrevocable step.

James is a high school student in Northern Ireland. He has come to the conclusion that he is gay, and takes the big step of confessing this to a respected teacher, completely failing to surprise the man in the process. Although the man calls James brave, for his own reasons he makes it clear that he won’t provide any help or counseling to the boy. Left with nowhere to turn, James seeks out a man who had recently tried to pick him up in a local public toilet.

Boy Actors