User Reviews

Awful. Somehow this got onto my list of gay-themed movies (I'm gay), so that's why I watched it. Let me say this right away - this is NOT a gay movie. Not even close. A few of the guys are moderately cute, but the situations are not erotic, so that doesn't amount to much. The idea for the story has some potential, it could have been interesting, but the way it's developed is so labored and boring that any potential is totally lost. The characters are all total hetero Neanderthals, both male and female. So it's a boring straight film, told in a boring manner. No humor, no intelligence, no imagination. I had to force myself to watch the last half, just so I could write this review and feel confident I was not selling it short. There wasn't a single moment in the entire film when I thought "Wow, that's clever." Instead, watching scene after scene, I was groaning in pain and disappointment. An idea with potential was totally squandered. Everything is after-school-special level insight and execution. Trust me, it's boring. And NOT gay.

Just saw the film, "Zerophila", this past Monday as a part of the 7th Annual Deep Ellum Film Festival, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Hopefully besides the festival circuit, this film will at least receive some sort of theatrical run before it hits DVD.

In this fictional narrative, the main character dealing with a rare genetic condition that causes him to change gender with each erection, and the only way that this can be altered is to have sexual relations with another person with similar symptoms. There's plenty of genuinely funny scenes in this film, as well as some sensitive issues that handle without being bogged down with syrupy sentimentality.

I applaud the cast and writer/director Martin Curland for this film.

The blurb/description for this is actually quite misleading. Luke isn't insecure in his masculinity until his recently post-pubescent body starts becoming more feminine as his sexual desires become increasingly intense. The speculative fiction element proposes that Luke has a certain extra chromosome, which doesn't allow him to change sex at will, but rather to spontaneously switch gender after climax. This makes for a few rather amusing scenarios, as Luke so aptly puts it:

"I make out with a girl, I start turning into one. You've gotta admit that's a little weird."

While the science in this film is questionable at best, I absolutely love the idea of spontaneous gender-swapping.Of course this situation gets more complicated for Luke as he starts falling in love with a girl… even though he sometimes finds himself more physically attracted to her brother.

Aside from the hilarity that ensues when a teenage boy starts turning into a girl, there's an underlying thread of philosophy here, an important one that raises the question of gender identity, of love in the face of flexible sexuality, and of self-actuality. It's a refreshingly light-hearted take on some serious subject matter that ultimately results in a more spiritual-sexual awakening rather than just a typical coming-of-age watershed. While not explicit, the film doesn't shy away from open discussions of sex, including masturbation and the loss of virginity so be prepared.

I'd like to leave you with another favorite quote from the movie, which not only sums up the gist of this story and why I think this film is so special:

Luke: "I am supposed to be a guy."

Michelle: "There's no supposed to be anything. You just are."