Soft is actually kind of loud: a story of 3 young queer friends in Toronto enjoying summer and wanting to be older so they can get into dance clubs.
Our 3 friends are Julian (Matteus Lunot), Otis (Harlow Joy), and Tony (Zion Matheson). They have different levels of adult supervision, but they seem to spend a lot of time together, especially at night.
We see more of Dawn (Miyoko Anderson), who is not Julian's mother but acts in that role to Julian as well as Otis and Tony.
Julian is definitely the leader of the group. The dialogue of the 3 young people feels partially scripted with some improvisation. Joseph Amenta, writer and director, gives us what feels like real dialogue from gifted young actors.
There is a pool scene that adds a wrinkle where we don't want to give away what happens.
Those in Canada who frown on Toronto should see how exciting the city seems at night. Amenta showcases their excitement that makes you want to dress up and hit a club.
The film turns when Dawn goes missing. They seem to thrive without adult supervision but you see the vulnerability when Julian and the group lose their central adult role model.
When we finally see Julian and Julian's mother, that scene will break your heart.
The one major drawback to the film is that the characters truly live in the moment so when events, minor or major, happen to them, we don't see any impact on their lives. You won't get that kind of closure in the film.
2022 WIFF Canadian films in review: English
Soft reminded your humble narrator of the film Something You Said Last Night from Luis De Filippis that we saw last fall. De Filippis has talked about the idea of a film with a trans person where being trans isn't a big deal. We applaud that idea very much.
The world of Soft features a variety of people with different identifying categories and treats them with dignity. The difference between the films is Soft has more interesting characters doing more interesting things than what we saw in Something You Said Last Night. Both films are progress in making different worlds seem "normal."
CanadianCrossing.com film reviews
CanadianCrossing.com film coverage
Soft places you in a world and you feel like you are there in the apartment, on the street, trying to sneak into a dance club. The film is a little intense, though most audiences should be fine. The main characters are enough to keep you interested in the story.
Soft premiered in the Discovery program at the 2022 Toronto International Film Festival.
video credit: YouTube/Level Film
photo credit: Soft
Comments