Written by: Amnon Buchbinder and Daniel MacIvor

Directed by: Amnon BuchbinderStarring:  Aaron Webber, Robert Joy, Rebecca Jenkins

Starring:  Aaron Webber, Robert Joy, Rebecca Jenkins

Teen angst, mid-life turmoil… and a little Shakespeare

With the singular exemption for all things David Cronenberg, I usually don’t like Canadian films. As a matter of fact, I really dislike them. So, watching A Whole New Thing was exactly that. And the whole new thing I experienced was a whole new sensation, and that was pleasure. Amnon Buchbinder’s serious coming-of-age indie is an intimate, deftly painted, interestingly peopled sonnet.

Our precocious protagonist, Emerson Thorsen (played by newcomer Aaron Webber), the thirteen-year-old son of liberal intellectuals living in Nova Scotia, has just completed writing a (thousand-page) novel. Their home is a remote, isolated cabin in the snowy woods.

Emerson no sooner has his first wet dream, than he is informed that the limitations of home schooling have become apparent, and he shall, forthwith, be “sentenced” to attending the local middle school. The savvy Emerson is less than overjoyed at being thrust into the ignominy of experiencing teenage cruelty and pop-culture mentalities. But Mr. Grant, his new English teacher, turns out to be pretty smart and pretty cool. Having no particular preference for one distinct sexual orientation, Emerson becomes enamored of Mr. Grant and is not only uninhibited about conveying his attachment, but has no understanding of why this attachment might be a problem.

The story doesn’t sound like anything terribly unprecedented. Honestly, its components have been used with great regularity. But where Buchbinder and his co-writer, Daniel MacIvor (who also plays Mr. Grant), have succeeded is in the creation of their very watchable characters. While not entirely original in conception, each character has his or her own very skewed perspective, and when these perspectives collide—as they indeed must—the collision is affecting.

Part of the credit for this belongs to the cast. Robert Joy, delightful character actor and veteran of too many films and TV episodes to name, plays Emerson’s bookish, libidinously challenged dad, Rog, with a dorkish dignity. Beautiful Rebecca Jenkins (if you recognize her, it’s probably due to recent recurring appearances on CW’s hit show Supernatural) plays Em’s assertive, uninhibited mom, Kaya. Can you do the math? Yes, movie lovers, between Emerson’s fervent pursuit of his first feral, if ill-fated, liaison, and Kaya’s hormonal frustrations, this family has its work cut out for it. And all of this drama is so well played that it’s amazingly easy to relate to. This is impressive, considering A Whole New Thing is only Buchbinder’s second feature film.

This film is a strange rendition of one family’s struggle to sustain a semblance (albeit somewhat discombobulated) of family values. Despite its off-beat tone and eclectic array of odd-men-out, the film’s touch is kept light enough to retain a sense of realism. In the end, it manages to make us care about the humble fiascos of its denizens, giving them a genuine humanity and allowing us a real sense of satisfaction. There’re no salacious set pieces or cheap surprises here—and given the subject matter, there certainly could have been. Instead, we see people blundering through the throes of mid-teen and mid-life crises, via choices that are not outside the realm of understanding; because of this, it’s a journey we take with full enthusiasm. I, for one, was glad I went along. And that, as I said, was for me, a whole new thing.

Grade: B+