Author: pASslosS
If the LGBTQ equal rights movement had not been effective in recent years (although some people would still call it "political correctness"), then according to the rules of the game in previous Christmas movies, they would still be a Christmas exclusive for heterosexual couples. This type of film is more entertaining and commercial, but it also has inherent conservatism. Even today's LGBTQ films have improved in quantity and quality, but are dominated by two "lesbian characters" The Christmas videos are still scarce. Fortunately, the launch of "The Happiest Season" has filled the vacancy of such Christmas movies this year.
First, disassemble the main creative team here. Director Kerry Duval has a background. This film is her second feature film, and her 2016 "Interference" is also a comedy that incorporates some rainbow elements, but it did not achieve much success.
But her aura is elsewhere. After all, Duval played the impressive Graham in the classic LGBTQ movie "Cheerleader" twenty years ago .
She has been filming for many years and has developed steadily in both film and television. The TV series include "Beauty Terror" and "Vice President" , and the movies are "Fatal ID", "Zodiac" and "Escape from Tehran" are the most well-known audiences.
"The Happiest Season" is about the experience of director Duvall, and Abby played by Little K is largely based on her.
The reason for making this film is also very simple-as an audience who loves Christmas movies, she has never seen her experience in the new Christmas movies year after year.
When it comes to casting, Duval has a very unique vision. She said that she has always been a fan of Mackenzie Davis. After Davis appeared in Ray's "The Martian" , Duval saw her work one after another.
Davis always chooses his role, either with a strong queer subtext (even though she is not), or focusing on the friendship between women. She was able to stand out and also benefited from this, from Sophia Tarkar's "Forever Shining" and Jason Reitman's "Tali", to the third season of "Black Mirror" and "Terminator: Dark Fate" , It was these roles that made her an independent actress.
As for Little K, since her shocking spoof short film "Totinos" in SNL, too many girls have been looking forward to the arrival of such a film.
Another person who needs to be mentioned is Mary Holland , who starred in "Vice President" with Duvall . She is the co-writer of the film and also starred in Harper's neglected and very stealthy sister Jane. This role is really embarrassing, and even has the old style of "Climbing Sister" Christine Wegg ...
Victor Gabo , who plays Harper's father , is gay in real life, but he starred in the film as a straight gay Republican guy.
And Dan Levy , who plays the role of Abby’s girlfriend , has just won all seven awards in the comedy category at the 72nd Emmy Awards in the final season of "The Rich and Poor Road" written and directed by him , creating a comedy. A new record for the most award-winning projects in a single season.
In general, "The Happiest Season" is a big platter of "coming out stories + romantic love + family conflicts" . Abby , Harper, and Harper’s ex-girlfriend Riley are responsible for the romance, and Harper’s three sisters and them The hypocritical and indifferent parents presented us with the large-scale family "PUA" scene.
But for Abby played by K, this is definitely a horror movie. God knows how many times Abby has lost love in the movie, and wakes up with his eyes open every day, while being stuffed into the closet by his girlfriend Harper, watching his girlfriend play Naoto. And the most terrifying thing is that Harper played quite skillfully, as if this mask of self-concealment had been internalized as part of her.
Duval did not give up on interpreting such contrasts. Abby and Harper have conflicts in many aspects. Just as Abby’s parents are open and inclusive but no longer alive, although Harper has a large and complete family, no one can show his true self in it.
Of course, what they hide is not just their sexuality. You will find that in this horrible family, every woman has a secret, and everyone has a "cabinet."
So what this film really wants to explore is not the LGBTQ group’s low self-esteem and depression in the face of the outside world. When Abby appeared in Harper’s family disguised as a straight daughter, she had no fear, instead she was facing a conservative and stubborn backwardness. The system conveys goodwill, which is actually a subversion of perspective.
However, this kindness is also achieved through self-harm. I believe that every member of the LGBTQ community has learned a truth through personal experience: if love is at the cost of trauma, then you should turn back to think about whether your "love" is being held hostage and exploited by some selfish rules.
Just as Abby thought her love for Harper was enough to support her hiding her identity, Harper believed that loyalty to the extended family should take precedence over her sincerity to her sexuality, but in the end they were all wrong. Compromise will never happen. Good results will only destroy yourself and everything you love.
The role of Harper has caused a lot of controversy, and many comments are tearing up "How Harper is not like a lesbian character / There is no call between her and K / She is a scum girl who has let down Abby".
In fact, Duval and Holland had long considered the difficulty of expressing such a role. They tried to make this "not brave enough" role less objectionable, because even the LGBTQ group themselves would abandon and hate their own cowardice and not. For the sincere part, Harper just showed this more in the film.
But from another perspective, how to shape Harper's role is one of the challenges of this film. How to understand her choice, how to understand her slow coming out process and have great sympathy for her, can actually reflect the extent to which the LGBTQ group has reached a reconciliation with herself.
Nevertheless, I still feel that the "intimacy" between Harper's ex-girlfriends Riley and Abby in the film is closer to the real Lesbian group.
Riley appears in the story as Abby's ally, and they are all characters in the film who "have no hidden self". There is no doubt that there is a real sexual attraction between Riley and Abby.
And irresponsibly guessed that the heterosexual group will be familiar with the sweet moment between Abby and Harper, because the expression of this emotional line still continues the heterosexual tradition, but the lesbian group is more able to get Abby. The sparkle between Riley and Riley.
For example, this kind of implicit speech of "using coat as a matchmaker" in the first conversation, although the plot implies that the relationship between the two and Harper is very similar (the experience of being stuffed back into the closet by a bludgeon), it is also It is indeed the psychological subtext used by Lesbian.
Then there is the bar scene, the best part of the film. Knowing that they are of the same kind and the same aura, Xiao K is heartbroken throughout the whole process, but the only moment when he is not tight is also here.
At this moment, it is only one step away from the new Jiyou to the new girlfriend. It all depends on how determined the two are. They can slide from their seats to the same side to sing and dance.
Aubrey Plaza and K , who play Riley, are particularly good at cold humor. Duval is afraid that he has put a lot of careful thinking on this pair of CPs, and there are many old-fashioned plot arrangements between Harper and Abby. God knows how many times it has been repeated.
But "The Happiest Season" also does quite well.
For example, Harper’s sexual orientation was revealed by the whole family in an unexpected situation. Such large-scale revealing scenes usually occur at the climax of the plot, and appear in many romantic comedies, like fireworks that have been dulled for more than an hour. Suddenly exploded, and by the way, the contradictions and conflicts that had been laid out before were collapsed. This is exactly the reason people like this kind of film.
But "The Happiest Season" still brought a painful turn for the audience. At the key point, Harper did not come out at the moment when the gunfire started, but hid herself deeper, allowing the audience to see her cowardice and fragility deep in her bones, and finally did not push the story to the family carnival until she could really face herself. . This design actually allows the film to avoid the frivolity of the paradigm.
Just like the best Christmas movies, the progress of "The Happiest Season" is that it truly returns to life and family. It does not face the untimely tension and hustle and bustle of a same-sex theme .
Every character in the film is very accurate, it is not a funny farce, and it will not make some ignorant and low-level jokes on LGBTQ topics, which makes many viewers feel extremely relaxed.
However, as the first lesbian Christmas movie with a "famous cast", "The Happiest Season" may still rely on the sameness that belongs to the heterosexual tradition. It is very standard, but standard is also a double-edged sword.
For reference, apart from "Home Alone", Duval and his team basically didn't watch a few Christmas movies. Their references are more "Groundhog Day", "When Harry Meets Sally", "Sleepless in Seattle" Classic romantic films such as "Pretty Woman" and "Pretty Woman" have inherited their grammar and rhetoric, putting the ancient warmth on top of a more modern narrative.
Perhaps because of this, "The Happiest Season" seems to be able to satisfy many people at the same time. People who love to watch romantic comedies can find resonance, and heterosexuals can also find their own aesthetic traditions.
In addition, Duval has also blurred the political background of Harper's family to a certain extent. Its purpose is very clear, that is, not to talk about troubles, and to use routines to help you relax . At least one film every Christmas raises the question: Will this film become the next "eternal classic"? Will it be the next "How Beautiful Life" or "True Love Is First" or another bad "Dad Home Alone 2" ?
So what does the "eternal classic" look like? That is, no matter which paradigm the film takes, as long as it meets the requirements of the standard items, it will attract audiences who want to experience the healing atmosphere every Christmas.
A Christmas movie should be as comfortable and familiar as an old sweater. "Family atmosphere, love atmosphere, holiday atmosphere" is its core appeal, and I found these three points in "The Happiest Season". Perhaps the best Christmas movie this year is this one.
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