We've seen enough coming-of-age films to know the angst of teen self-consciousness, but few performances are as awkward as Julia Sarah Stone in Wet Bum, the full-length feature debut from writer and director Lindsay Mackay.
Sam's awkwardness is apparent as she likes to wear her swimsuit to and from her lifeguard class so she doesn't have to change in front of the other girls. She also is unsure about her new job, cleaning old folks apartments in the home where her mother works.
Mackay makes Sam's awkwardness a focal point in the beginning of the film, but her interaction with two older residents — Judith and Ed — shows we are all awkward in some way. Sam is in the shadow of her older brother and the others in the lifeguard class. The older people are forgotten, just like Sam, so when the generation gaps come together, there is an understanding, eventually, though the transition is filled with awkwardness all around.
Judith (Diana Leblanc) likes to stay in her room and look out the window. Ed (Kenneth Welsh) tries to get out any chance he can get, begging people to let him get in their car to take him to an unidentified place.
Sam also has the to cope with a lifeguard instructor who has taken a liking to the awkward teenager. We see a streak of stubbornness with Sam refusing to do the front crawl, preferring to swim under water. That stubbornness is a sign that Sam is trying to find her way in the world.
Sam also has to deal with Molly, who has bypassed her former friend for the popularity of the other girls. This has a My So-Called Life vibe except that Sam is the Sharon character who doesn't understand why her former friend doesn't like her anymore. The audience knows what is going on because, well, they are adults.
Sam is thrown into adult situations that are handled realistically and precisely, a nod to Mackay's storytelling style. The awkwardness never seems forced, but feels very real.
Wet Bum available in U.S. on digital and DVD October 6
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Leah Pinsent (yes, daughter of Gordon) plays Sam's mother with firmness and warmth. Welsh is well-known on both sides of the border; you know his face if not his name. U.S. viewers might recognize Welsh as Windom Earle from the Twin Peaks TV series.
Mackay lets Sam fall on her face numerous times throughout the film but also lets Sam grow and learn a few things about life along the way.
Stone was named one of the 2014 TIFF Rising Stars and Wet Bum shows us why. You can also see Stone in Every Thing Will Be Fine, the Wim Wenders film shot in Quebec with James Franco. She also was the lead in The Year Dolly Parton Was My Mom.
For audiences outside the U.S. and Canada, the title might come up as Surfacing. You can find this film on the U.S. Netflix queue.
video credit: TIFF
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