ThiefHott Too much of everything

KnotStronger This is a must-see and one of the best documentaries - and films - of this year.

FirstWitch A movie that not only functions as a solid scarefest but a razor-sharp satire.

Geraldine The story, direction, characters, and writing/dialogue is akin to taking a tranquilizer shot to the neck, but everything else was so well done.

p.newhouse@talk21.com This film sensitively but starkly illustrates the fears, confusion, yearnings and sense of exclusion that a boy can feel when coming to terms with himself and the life around him. The seemingly tangential nature of the symbolism in this film is a mirage; We are seeing the symbols exactly as a boy of 10 or 12 who feels apart and bereft because of bereavement and his emerging sexual orientation would see them, and the confusion we as viewers feel is his confusion, and the viewer will love this boy, and his friend, but will share their feelings of palpable awkwardness at the same time. This film is a rare treat of an opportunity to relive our own days of awkwardness and come to understand them better through adult eyes, and maybe even remember those times fondly.

traymasters The Nature of Nicholas -- An interesting film, uniquely done with compelling, open-ended metaphors with some dark comedic moments and thought provoking cinema photography. Noteworthy acting from two very young actors. Homosexuality is not really what this movie is about. It's more about accepting who you are and the struggles we go through to achieve that. The homosexual theme was just used to communicate that point. In addition, there isn't really just "one" meaning to this movie. It is created in such a way so that everyone can come to their own conclusions.Here is my interpretation of the movie: Pre-teen Nicholas and Bobby are best friends who are becoming mutually attracted to one another. In the beginning, Nicholas is a bit more aware of it than Bobby. When Nicholas acts on an impulse and kisses Bobby in their clubhouse, Bobby's shocking realization of this new emotion sends him into a state of deep denial. The only way Bobby can distance himself from his homosexual feelings is by manifesting a separate entity. Created from all the shame and guilt he feels -- probably influenced by societies regard to homosexuality in the late 50's -- Bobby's homosexual self comes alive as a grotesque, zombie-like twin which he casts-away to die and rot alone in deep pain, suffering and sadness.Nicholas is still very much in love with Bobby. Although they stay friends, Nicholas's romantic feelings are ignored by Bobbies heterosexual, normal-looking persona. Nicholas finds mutual warmth and understanding by nurturing Bobby's suffering and dying homosexual entity. He hides it under his bed, protecting it and feeding it with pilfered food from his kitchen and entertaining it with comic books. It is obvious Nicholas is desperately trying to keep it alive.Nicholas's mother comes into his room. The hand of Bobby's entity sticking is out from under his blankets. This provokes paranoia in Nicholas, assuming that his mother now knows his true feelings.Nicholas's dead father -- A stern military man -- comes back from the spiritual side with a bizarre dual personality of compassion and retribution. It temporarily uses Nicholas' mothers' body to communicate with Nicholas -- confirming the paranoid feelings Nicholas has that everybody knows how he feels toward Bobby and how wrong it is. (It's not clear if that was intended to actually happen or if it was a figment of Bobby's imagination sparked by paranoia and guilt. I guess that's left for each person to decide) Overwhelmed with guilt and shame, Nicholas shuns his homosexual feelings by creating a zombie-like twin, much like Nicholas did, which he casts-out and leaves to rot and die alone.Toward the end of the film, the heterosexual, normal-looking Bobby takes his now rotting, homosexual "alter ego" away from Nicholas before it dies. We see Bobby carting his almost lifeless bag of bones into the distance. At this point it is believed that Bobby is taking it away to finally kill it -- or to finally put an end to his homosexual feelings. However we find out later this is not the case.Later, while walking in a field, Nicholas asks Bobby: "What happened to him?" Bobby points to himself, shrugs his shoulders with a shy grin and replies: "I'm right here!" -- It is clear that Bobby was no longer ashamed of his homosexual feelings and no longer needed that separation or "alter ego". Bobby took his alter-ego away so that he could accept his homosexual feelings before they died. So In other words -- Who Bobby is, is who he is -- part gay, part straight, a mixture of every feeling and emotion (like all of us probably are) -- And Bobby was finally at peace with that.However poor Nicholas is not so lucky. He will have a much more painful road in life to travel. We see Nicholas's decaying, homosexual entity and his fathers spirit meet at an old abandoned little house on a lonely road. The spirit attempts to put Nicholas's alter ego (or homosexual feelings) to rest forever. It looks down at the rotting, Nicholas-like figure lying on an old bed and says: "All in the past. It's a part of growing up. There are allot of little houses down this road." it then covers the entire body with the blankets. The scene cuts to the outside of the old house -- On the roof is printed the name: NICHOLAS.The little house where Nicholas's homosexual self resides is symbolic to what it would feel like to have your true emotions imprisoned due to an unacceptable, prejudice world. Putting Nicholas's alter ego to rest communicates the very common parental (and society) disapproval of homosexuality -- especially in young children. The "other little houses on the road" that the spirit mentions, tells us that many other children were also denied their true feelings -- They too had to put their feelings to rest.While waking into the yard on his first day of the new school year, Nicholas notices boys and girls sitting and laughing together. He realizes that his homosexual feelings -- A true part of who he is -- has been forced to be at rest. However, he pauses, looks around, boyishly stone-faced and bit confused as if he realizes in his heart that his true feelings will never, honestly be put to rest. This inner turmoil is something that Nicholas realizes he will have to face. He understands that life goes on and he must go forward and so he continues walking into the school.Dressed in his military uniform and cap, His father's spirit walks slowly behind with arms crossed behind his back. This metaphorical scene communicates clearly all of the intolerance, forced-denial, guilt and shame -- not just from his dead father, but from society as a whole -- that will "haunt" Nicholas's life forever.

Carl-70 and yet very watchable.I don't pretend to know what this film is about, I just know that it was very satisfying to watch. Some movies, a very few, leave you with that feeling, the one that says, yeah, that's what a movie should be; that's how you feel when you have watched cinema art.I know I should discuss the freudian symbolism and explain how it all fits into Freud's stages of sexual maturation, but I just can't bring myself to reduce this film to such cant.It is a mythic story, best experienced in a childlike (vs.childish)state.

Salvador_Dream Be Prepared, you may be confused..but to be honest The Nature Of Nicholas is one of the most creative and innovative films I have watched in a long time. It is an avante-garde surreal masterpiece of reality and hallucination that is like The Wonder Years on acid. It's ideas and themes may be familiar..but the way Erbach deals with them is fantastic. This film may not be for everyone, but for all of you who love to see something new in film making watch it if you can. Jeff Erbach is a great new Canadian director who is reminiscent in the likes of David Cronenberg, Guy Maddin & David Lynch.