Boychick (2001)
Desires and sublimation
9 January 2011
Boychick (2001) Gaylord's short film revolves around the life of a Jewish gay teenager who lives with his somewhat invasive and talkative mother. She calls him Boychick all the time, and she's convinced every time his son is in his room he's indulging into masturbatory practices. In fact, during the first minutes she jokes with him pinching his butt and assuring him, quite loudly, that "it's OK to masturbate in your room". So loud does she speak, in fact, that the neighbors and a few bystanders are witnesses to the scene.

Although it's a rather succinct story, "Boychick" displays the most lovely characters one could create in such a short span of time, it has very humorous moments and one can easily laugh at the embarrassing and awkward situations the shy and chubby protagonist experiences.

Boychick daydreams all the time about a famous pop star, who not unlike Pinocchio's fairy, grants him a glance into his innermost desires, and what's more important, a possible way to reach them and enough courage to embark upon a vital journey. Contrary to what his mother believes, sexual activities in Boychick are actually sublimated by his daydreaming. As Jacques Lacan would say, guilt comes when one gives up on one's desire; id est, not fulfilling one's desire. From the first scenes it's made clear that Boychick admires and desires the body of one of his classmates, a blonde and attractive boy, but all he can do is stare at him, and sadly realize some guys are just out of his league.

How, then, can one overcome guilty? By taking care of that which sparked our desire in the first place. That's why, without spoiling the final scene, at the end Boychick resolves one of his most serious conflicts. Albeit briefly, his desire and his actions no longer transit on divergent paths.
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