50 Ways of Saying Fabulous

A poignantly comic story of friendship for anyone who grew up in a small town, grew up gay or simply grew up.

50 Ways of Saying Fabulous, New Zealand, 2005

MF Films
Director/writer: Stewart Main
Producer: Michele Fantl
Original writer: Graeme Aitken
Director of photography: Simon Raby
Editor: Peter Roberts
Costume designer: Kirsty Cameron
Composer: Peter Scholes
Sound: Dick Read
Production designer: Ken Turner

With: Andrew Paterson (Billy), Harriet Beattie (Lou), Georgia McNeill (Babe), Jay Collins (Roy), Michael Dorman (Jamie)

35mm, 90 minutes, PG-Parental guidance recommended for younger audiences

A poignantly comic story of friendship for anyone who grew up in a small town, grew up gay or simply grew up. For 12-year-old Billy, growing up is a mystery, until he discovers all he has to be is himself.

“Set in a 1970s summer in New Zealand's stunning Central Otago landscape, charming thirteen year old Billy is about to discover that growing up is a lot more confusing than he could have ever imagined. Sweet and theatrical Billy feels he was never cut out to be a farmer or a rugby player, but as his 'good kiwi bloke' father's only son he's obliged to try. He finds escape in his fantasy world where a turnip paddock becomes a lunar landscape and a cow's tail a head of beautiful blonde hair transforming him into ‘Lana’ the heroine of his favourite TV show. 50 Ways Of Saying Fabulous shows how the most extraordinary events can occur to wonderfully ordinary people, it celebrates difference and being true to one's self. The film is a fresh telling of sexual awakening, infinitely real, funny and moving by turns.” www.nzfilm.co.nz; 09/03/2006

“This film, which is based on a book, was made in New Zealand for a reason. It could have never been made in America because the subject matter, as tame as it may be and as maturely handled as it is, would offend too many people. What is that subject matter? Gender issues in children and a same sex crush on an older man (who is also desired by a girl just entering puberty). That said, this is a family film that kids may really like ... if they have really liberal parents who can explain some of the nuances to them. Yeah, good luck with that. Set in 1975, the film centers around the heavyset Billy, an adolescent who often fancies himself as a female astronaut. He imagines his cousin, Lou, as his male counterpart. Lou is a girl, however, who is just starting to develop. That doesn't stop her from being a tomboy, though. Thrown into the mix is the new kid, Roy, who is every bit the outsider. He and Billy are kindred spirits who hang out together (usually in secret), and masturbate each other. When a twenty-something farmhand named Jamie arrives at Billy's home, the man becomes an object of fixation for Lou and Billy, while Roy just stands in the woods and seethes with the kind of anger boys his age seem to have in spades. Lou tries to act more feminine to capture Jamie’s eye, while Billy watches the guy take showers and tries to kiss him in his sleep. Roy? He gets a gun. Again, this film could never be made in America. Conservatives would fume. NAMBLA would pre-order the DVD, and the ratings board would have no idea what to do with it, though by all accounts the harshest rating it could possibly get would be PG-13 for some language which isn't really all that bad. It's the tone of the film that would cause the problem. The movie is professional and mature, and it is also tasteful. Older kids and young teens will probably like it, though the younger ones may not get everything that's going on. Adults, on the other hand, will be very uncomfortable. The fact that it's not sleazy seems to make the ideas presented even more unsettling ... at least to those a little less than open-minded. The fact of the matter is that this is a great coming of age film that doesn't shy away from "taboo" subject matter. This kind of stuff goes on all the time with kids, but few adults ever even think about it. Guess what? Kids can be sexual, and because of that they experiment. Sometimes kids develop crushes on adults, and they try to act on them. Scary? Only when adults take advantage of it. It's part of growing up, and that's rarely shown in films, especially with kids this young. Hats off to the filmmakers and actors here. They've made a film Americans should see but most never will because they could never handle it. Good job. You deserve more than one award.” – Doug Brunell, http://www.filmthreat.com/index.php?section=reviews&Id=9260

Screening: 50 Ways of Saying Fabulous screened on 4 March 2009 supporting Gay Pride week.