Big Boys

Corey Sherman's first feature follows fourteen-year-old Jamie on a camping trip with his family. Jamie, played by Isaac Krasner, begins to feel drawn to his cousin's boyfriend, and that feeling turns into an awareness of both his sexuality and his relationship with his own body. What is notable is that the film puts an overweight teenager at the centre without making him ridiculous or pitiable. Jamie likes cooking, is good at it, and the film does not present this as a flaw. On a camping trip the body is constantly visible, which turns adolescent shame into a natural source of tension. Sherman stages no large events. One weekend, a few meals, a walk, and several sentences nobody says. The running time is short and the tone holds to the end; there is neither tragedy nor an easy scene of acceptance. Who it's for: viewers who like quiet, small-scale films about adolescence and queer coming-of-age stories. Who it's not for: viewers expecting a dramatic turning point; nothing here is stated outright, and the film prefers it that way.