A Revry original, Unconventional is a really well-liked queer dramedy that feels totally different from the usual stuff. The heart of the story is about two pretty eccentric queer siblings and their partners trying to build a family that doesn't follow the traditional rules. It takes a super raw and unfiltered look at queer life, diving deep into things like mental health, addiction, and how complicated identity and relationships can get. It’s not afraid to get messy or show people at their most vulnerable, and it really pushes boundaries while showing a lot of different queer experiences. The first season has nine episodes, and each one is about a half-hour long. The story centers on Noah, a grad student who’s been struggling for years to wrap up his PhD. He’s been with his husband, Dan, for nine years, and they’ve recently gotten married and moved to Palm Springs. While they're trying to figure out how to start a family and have a baby, they decide to shake things up by in...
In 2012, director Suzi Taylor came across a small news story about the ‘Same Sex Formal’ – an event held in Melbourne each year for same sex attracted and gender diverse students and their allies. It was an event for the kids who did not feel safe – or in some cases, had been forbidden – from attending their own high school formals and debutante balls. Filmed over three years, they shared their experiences of being bullied, rejected by family, falling in love and coming out. Their disarming honesty, warmth, wit and insightfulness moved audiences around the country – to laughter and to tears. A student recounts how he was bullied for being gay and how the principal was happy was not going to join the formal since he would have brought a male partner with him. Another bisexual teen Stephanie tells us she ended up staying at home with her dad while the friends went out – it was really sad. Stephanie credits the filming of the Love In Full Colour documentary for helping her through the difficult period in her life.
We see 10 other queer students, gay, bi, lesbian, trans, questioning who all share similar experiences of a hard time in school but this same sex formal event bringing them all together. The documentary was done not too long ago. Barely 10 years ago, this was still a big issue and I am sure things would have improved but maybe not to the extent that we would like them to. I have to say that the director of this documentary has indeed come up with a fascinating subject and has kept the run time of the film well under an hour there by keeping it sharp, crisp and to the point. The director Suzi met and interviewed some young organizers of the event when she heard about it, along with others who were attending for the first time. Hearing about their often harrowing experiences at high school, Suzi realized that this film was about much more than a party. "It was about overcoming rejection, discrimination and invisibility, often across many different facets of their lives." These words nicely sum up he heart of this documentary. (5.5/10)
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