Arts

Calgary filmmaker explores the Sensitive Parts of relationships

“Honey? Ummm…don’t freak out or anything, ‘cuz it’s not a big deal, but… I know what your best friend looks like naked. What’s that? Goodbye forever? Aww, jeez.”

If love is a minefield, some people detonate at their first step. Sensitive Parts, the new micro-budgeted dramatic comedy from writer/director Brendan Prost (Generation Why, Spaces and Reservations) introduces us to a fragile protagonist named Delore (Carolyn Yonge) who is over-the-moon happy with her new boyfriend Riun (Sean Marshall Jr.), until she introduces him to her best friend Sinead (Jennifer Kobelt), and finds out that the two of them already … er … “know” each other. 

Is that a deal breaker?

It might be for Delore, who is such a bundle of insecurities that this unexpected connection between her two favourite people completely destabilizes how she feels about herself.

The filmmaker explains that Delore’s conundrum was inspired by his own romantic paranoia. 

“Like her, I had a moment when I realized that I was fearful of someone I was falling in love with,” says Prost.  “I began to panic when I imagined how they could use this power against me.” 

While she may be saddled with Mr. Prost’s fears and trepidations, she is aided by an invisible pop diva (Monice Peter as “Fierce”), who serves as the heroine’s emotional support and imaginary friend. (That’s what pop divas do, right? They sit quietly in the background and focus all their energies on your feelings. Right? Well, imaginary friends do, divas or no.)

It doesn’t cost much to film people talking, and this team of talented folks managed to keep the production costs of this heartfelt, Vancouver-shot tale down to a thrifty $8,000.

You’ll have a chance to be among the first people to see Sensitive Parts at the world premiere screening at the Globe Cinema on Thursday, April 13th at 7 p.m., followed by a Q&A with the filmmaker, and select members of the cast. Tickets are $10 at the door, advance tickets can be ordered at http://sensitivepartsfilm.com

For everyone else, the film is set for a digital release in May.

John Tebbutt is the Video Vulture. He has been writing about obscure and ridiculous cinema since 1997. You can keep up with his nonsense on his websiteFacebook and Twitter. You can also watch Volume 1 of his new series produced for NUTV here.

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