IMDb RATING
7.0/10
9.2K
YOUR RATING
A creative and driven teenager is desperate to escape his hometown and the haunting memories of his turbulent childhood.A creative and driven teenager is desperate to escape his hometown and the haunting memories of his turbulent childhood.A creative and driven teenager is desperate to escape his hometown and the haunting memories of his turbulent childhood.
- Awards
- 10 wins & 10 nominations
Isabella Rossellini
- Buffy
- (voice)
Bradley Nippard
- Teenage Boy
- (as Brad Nippard)
- Director
- Writers
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaStephen Dunn's debut feature film.
- Quotes
Brin Madly: If you are forced to walk through shit, then you might as well grow a thick skin.
- ConnectionsReferences The Brady Bunch (1969)
- SoundtracksGhosts
Performed by Ladytron
Written by Daniel Hunt
Published by Artwerk Music, LLC, worldwide administration by Nettwerk One Music (Canada) Ltd.
Courtesy of Nettwerk Productions, Ltd.
Featured review
One of the best coming-of-age films you will ever see.
"I wasn't always this confident. Growing up as the awkward gay kid in a small town in Pennsylvania, you're constantly told, 'Don't be yourself, don't be proud of who you are.'" Carson Kressley
From fast Times at Ridgemont High (1982) to Boyhood (2014), coming –of-age movies over the last 30 years or so have been richly diverse from fantasy to reality. Certainly, being oneself was top priority.
Closet Monster deftly bridges that variety, presenting the tale of queer Oscar (Jack Fulton as a boy, Connor Jessup as 18 years old), whose mom abandons him early in life and dad doesn't measure up in the sensitive category. This entertaining film is more like a bittersweet indie than a mainstream comedy and one of the best of its kind in years.
Along with some appropriate fantasy sequences and a talking hamster (voice of Isabella Rossellini), director/writer Stephen Dunn nonetheless gives us the feeling of reality. Oscar comes slowly to the realization that he's gay with a whole bunch of interest and concern our part. Jessup plays Oscar with such low-key humility and humanity that he makes us want to spend more than ninety minutes with him. I hope Jessup gets the acting recognition he deserves—he's that good.
So real seem Oscar's challenges, from coming on a murderous sex crime as a boy to kicking dad into the closet (nice touch) as a young man, that when we bid him goodbye at a living that will foster his artistic talents, we may well feel we have taken mom's place, or at least the hamster's, in watching him grow up.
The film is realistic but uncompromising as it allows him to be a boy outsider but also befriend an attractive girl, confide in a hamster, and confront his dad with a maturity that suits his perceptive, tough-minded persona. It's no coincidence that the tree house he occupies is a refuge from his dad's temper and a home for his eccentric companions, from the hamster to attractive male friend, Wilder (Aliocha Schneider), and therefore a home for his alternative life.
Even if you are uncertain you would like a gay-centered film, Closet Monster will make you see that a well, warmly-told story from any youth pv will be more exciting than any other mainstream romance you will have seen in a long time.
From fast Times at Ridgemont High (1982) to Boyhood (2014), coming –of-age movies over the last 30 years or so have been richly diverse from fantasy to reality. Certainly, being oneself was top priority.
Closet Monster deftly bridges that variety, presenting the tale of queer Oscar (Jack Fulton as a boy, Connor Jessup as 18 years old), whose mom abandons him early in life and dad doesn't measure up in the sensitive category. This entertaining film is more like a bittersweet indie than a mainstream comedy and one of the best of its kind in years.
Along with some appropriate fantasy sequences and a talking hamster (voice of Isabella Rossellini), director/writer Stephen Dunn nonetheless gives us the feeling of reality. Oscar comes slowly to the realization that he's gay with a whole bunch of interest and concern our part. Jessup plays Oscar with such low-key humility and humanity that he makes us want to spend more than ninety minutes with him. I hope Jessup gets the acting recognition he deserves—he's that good.
So real seem Oscar's challenges, from coming on a murderous sex crime as a boy to kicking dad into the closet (nice touch) as a young man, that when we bid him goodbye at a living that will foster his artistic talents, we may well feel we have taken mom's place, or at least the hamster's, in watching him grow up.
The film is realistic but uncompromising as it allows him to be a boy outsider but also befriend an attractive girl, confide in a hamster, and confront his dad with a maturity that suits his perceptive, tough-minded persona. It's no coincidence that the tree house he occupies is a refuge from his dad's temper and a home for his eccentric companions, from the hamster to attractive male friend, Wilder (Aliocha Schneider), and therefore a home for his alternative life.
Even if you are uncertain you would like a gay-centered film, Closet Monster will make you see that a well, warmly-told story from any youth pv will be more exciting than any other mainstream romance you will have seen in a long time.
helpful•6013
- JohnDeSando
- Oct 11, 2016
- How long is Closet Monster?Powered by Alexa
Details
- Release date
- Country of origin
- Official sites
- Language
- Also known as
- Dolaptaki Canavar
- Filming locations
- St John's, Newfoundland, Canada(filmed on location)
- Production companies
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
Box office
- Gross US & Canada
- $42,166
- Opening weekend US & Canada
- $6,118
- Sep 25, 2016
- Gross worldwide
- $42,360
- Runtime1 hour 30 minutes
- Color
- Sound mix
- Aspect ratio
- 1.78 : 1
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