Closet Monster

Stephen Dunn's semi-autobiographical directorial debut revolves around a young Newfoundland man with a vivid imagination. After telling young Oscar (Jack Fulton) that his mother is leaving, his father, Peter (Aaron Abrams), gives the boy a hamster as a sort of consolation prize. When Oscar needs to talk, he turns to his furry friend, and expresses no surprise when Buffy talks back (in the voice of Isabella Rossellini). At a time when he's already questioning his sexuality, Oscar witnesses a violent hate crime, but neglects to tell anyone what he saw. Closet Monster flashes forward to Oscar's (now played by Connor Jessup) senior year, as he and his best friend, Gemma (Sofia Banzhaf), dream of getting an apartment together in Brooklyn. To earn money, Oscar takes a job at a home improvement store, where he develops a crush on the easygoing, non-judgmental Wilder (Aliocha Schneider), a French-Canadian co-worker, but the memory of the hate crime continues to haunt him. Tension builds as Wilder sends mixed signals, Oscar's college plans fall through, and the latter's relationships with Peter and Gemma become strained—leaving no sympathetic companion but Buffy. A solid drama, this is recommended. (K. Fennessy)