Fairies away!

When Out's film fest reviewer filed his notes on the musical drama Were the World Mine during Outfest, I happily edited and posted them. Then I went and saw the movie that night, under a starry sky at an amphitheater in LA often used for Shakespeare plays, and fell completely head over heels in love. Like Romeo & Juliet tragic, would stop at nothing to get my hands on more kind of love.

Both a reinvention and gloriously queer retelling of A Midsummer Night's Dream, the film follows resident outcast Timothy (Tanner Cohen) as he tunes out his all-boys academy in favor of sweetly sexy fantasies about head jock Jonathon (Nathaniel David Becker). It's a gorgeously, richly shot piece of cinema, and it also somehow features the best original soundtrack I've heard in years. (Though it has not much in common otherwise, this is absolute the best indie queer-themed musical since Hedwig.)

The lyrics are lifted in large part from the original text, most powerfully in the breathtaking title sequence, in which a lace-winged Cohen raises Becker from a bed of flowers so they can sing their devotions to each other. Watch a clip of it here -- but also, as of today you can buy the full album from PS Classics, normally busy bringing you the best of Broadway cast recordings (Xanadu, Grey Gardens, Assassins). You can get it at iTunes and other digital dealers, too.

The film begins theatrical runs in New York and the Bay Area on November 21, with other engagements across the country following (they're all listed here), and please take my word when I say it's something you want to see on a big screen. I spoke with Cohen and cowriter/director Tom Gustafson for our December/January issue, and we'll be posting an extended version of that piece on Out.com later this month. But in the meantime: Listen!

Previously > The fairytale we've been waiting for

Comments

[Phil Miner]

I have nothing clever or fun to say about this movie. I'm just absurdly excited about it in that wide-eyed, watch-the-preview-so-much-my-roommate-threatens-to-break-my-lap-top kind of way.

[shana naomi]

@Phil i've seen it three times and still get little chills up my spine. the preview is a great representative sample -- i think you're going to love it!