The world would be mine

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Movie
German title The world would be mine
Original title Were the World Mine
Country of production United States
original language English
Publishing year 2008
length 96 minutes
Age rating FSK 12
Rod
Director Tom Gustafson
script Cory James Krueckeberg ,
Tom Gustafson
production Tom Gustafson,
Cory James Krueckeberg,
Peter Sterling
music Jessica Fogle
camera Kira Kelly
cut Jennifer Lilly
occupation

The film Were the World Mine is a musical film and the feature film debut by director Tom Gustafson from the year 2008 . He deals with the topics of coming out , unrequited love and intolerance towards homosexuals . The film is a reprint and continuation of Gustafson's short film Fairies . In Germany, the film is sometimes titled with the addition of the original title or as If the world were mine - A dream comes true .

action

Timothy is a student at an American private school for boys. Because he is gay, his classmates regularly beat him up. He's also in love with the heartthrob and sports fanatic Jonathan.

The play A Midsummer Night's Dream by William Shakespeare is to be given at the annual theater performance . Timothy is placed in the role of Puck by his mysterious art / literature teacher Ms. Tebbit, while his crush Jonathan takes on the role of Lysander . As the text is memorized, the words of Timothy's edition of the piece change, revealing a recipe for Cupid's Love Juice . With the help of this recipe, he creates a magical flower that sprays a watery nectar. Anyone who gets this nectar in their eyes will instantly fall in love with the first person they see afterwards.

Unfortunately, at that moment, Max, a very good friend of Timothy's, comes by, is accidentally splashed with the nectar and immediately falls in love with Timothy, feels great lust and immediately takes off his shirt. Timothy finds it difficult to get rid of his new suitor.

During the rehearsals of the play (Act II, Scene 2) Timothy sprinkles his crush Jonathan with the nectar of the flower. He is also in love with Timothy immediately, which is acknowledged with negative comments from his classmates. Since Timothy tears his patience at this moment, he sprays the nectar into the eyes of his classmates, who immediately fall in love with each other and attack each other.

After the coach has seen this, he is also splashed with the love nectar, whereupon he falls in love with the director of the school.

For Timothy's best friend Frankie, who is actually with Max, a world collapses when he tells her that he doesn't love her anymore, but that he would love Timothy. Max and Jonathan, who are both madly in love with Timothy, fight over him, but Timothy's heart belongs to Jonathan.

Timothy wants to open the eyes of the whole city, whose inhabitants have been portrayed as extremely homophobic during the course of the film , so that they can see how he feels. So he leaves the nectar with the fire brigade and in churches. probably in the extinguishing and holy water]. The next morning much of the city is gay and the mayor passed a law that all couples, regardless of their sexuality, can marry.

Since the situation seems to get out of hand, Timothy is asked in a dream sequence to put an end to the whole thing in the scheduled theater performance. Timothy complies with this on the corresponding evening. He tears the flower towards the sky, whereupon it begins to rain slightly in the auditorium. This rain ensures that all enchanted fellow citizens become normal again.

After the theatrical performance, which brought many compliments for Timothy, the latter sits depressed in the mask because his great love is no longer covered with the magic of the flower. Jonathan suddenly appears and kisses Timothy. He is amazed, but realizes that this time it is real love and returns the kiss.

The film ends with a shot of the teacher Ms. Tebbit, who seemed to have the film about special magical powers and who had partially guided the story, and her words “Who's next?”.

A midsummer night's dream

One part of the film is the performance of A Midsummer Night's Dream . But the rest of the plot is also influenced by numerous borrowings from this play. For example, the play is also about an enchanted flower that can make people fall in love, and there are also numerous errors and omissions in the play, which can also be resolved.

All the people who were enchanted during the film quote "The course of true love did never run smooth", that is to say, loosely translated, that true love has never been easy and everything went smoothly.

Towards the end of the film, Timothy, in his role as Puck, speaks the final words of the piece, in which he asks that the story be viewed as a dream in case it didn't like it. This can also apply to the film, in which the lines between reality and magical fantasy are very blurred (see review).

The numerous songs in the film use almost exclusively original quotations from the play. However, text was often compiled here from different sources and the (original) roles can also change line by line. For example, the beginning of the song Were the World Mine :

Original Shakespeare Timothy

"I see their knavery: this is to make an ass of me;
to fright me, if they could. But I will not stir
from this place, do what they can: I will walk up
and down here, and I will sing, that they shall hear
I am not afraid. "

- Note : Act III, scene 1
I see their knavery,
This is to make an ass of me,
To fright me - if they could.
But I will not stir from this place -
Do what they can
I will work up and down here.
And I will sing that they shall hear,
That I am not, I am not afraid,
I am not afraid

"I know not by what power I am made bold"

- Hermia : Act I, Scene 1
I know not by what power I'm made bold

"But you must flout my insufficiency?"

- Helena : Act II, scene 2
But still you flout my insufficiency

"The more my prayer, the lesser is my grace."

- Helena : Act II, scene 2
The more my prayer, the
lesser is my grace.

"My ear should catch your voice, my eye your eye,
my tongue should catch your tongue's sweet melody.
Were the world mine "

- Helena : Act I, scene 1
My ear should catch your voice;
My eye, your eye,
My tongue should catch your tongue's sweet melody,
My tongue your tongue
Were the world mine

"And I will sing, that they shall hear
I am not afraid."

- Note : Act III, scene 1
And I will sing that they shall hear,
That I am not, I am not afraid,
I am not afraid

"Fairies, away!"

- Titania : Act II, scene 1
Faeries away ...

"Fetch me that flower"

- Oberon : Act II, scene 1
... fetch me that flower

"I will lead them up and down"

- Puck : Act III, scene 2
I will lead them up and down

"Fairies, away!"

- Titania : Act II, scene 1
Faeries away ...

"Swift as a shadow"

- Lysander : Act I, Scene 1
... swift as a shadow

"I will lead them up and down"

- Puck : Act III, scene 2
I will lead them up and down

"Oh, why rebuke you him that loves you so?
Lay breath so bitter on your bitter foe. "

- Demetrius : Act III, scene 2
Oh, why rebuke you him, that loves you so?
Lay breath so bitter, on your bitter foe,
On your bitter foe
...

Publication in Germany

The film has already been shown at various film festivals in Germany. The official German theatrical release was not until May 14, 2009. The DVD was released in Germany on June 3, 2009, but only in an English version with German subtitles, as in the cinema. So there is no German-language soundtrack.

The soundtrack of the film (songs, score and original sounds) has not yet been published in Germany, but the US version of PS Classic is available from various providers as an import or as an iTunes download.

Reviews

  • BR Online: “[…] an unconventional gay musical that is not only fun because of the colorful theatrical costumes and the lively music. The young actors also impress with their acting and vocal skills. However, the story and the establishment of Shakespeare in the gay community should not be for everyone. "
  • Critic.de: “In spite of its genre framework, if the world were mine remains very good and unspectacular. The parallel story of Timothy's mother reconciles the generations, but takes up a lot of space and robs the actual story of its expressiveness. The harmonious correspondence of the musical interludes [...] drowns out some weak points within the plot. "
  • Cinema: More original than professionally staged, but definitely personable.

Trivia

  • Leading actor Tanner Cohen is openly gay and leads the indie band "The Guts".
  • Wendy Robbie played a regular role in David Lynch's Twin Peaks almost 20 years ago .

Awards

  • 12-time jury award winner, u. a .:
    • Grand Jury Award for Outstanding US Dramatic Feature (Heineken Red Star Award): Outfest 2008
    • James Lyon Editing Award for Narrative Feature: 2008 Woodstock Film Festival
    • Scion Award for First-Time Director: 2008 Philadelphia Int'l Gay & Lesbian Film Festival
    • Best Music in a Narrative Feature Film and Best LGBT Feature Film: 2008 Nashville Film Festival
    • Directors Award: 2008 Connecticut Gay & Lesbian Film Festival
    • Jury Award for Best Overall Film: 2008 Fort Worth Gay & Lesbian Film Festival
    • Adam Baran Rainbow Award for Best Narrative Feature: 2008 Honolulu Rainbow Film Festival
    • Jury Award for Best Feature Film: 2008 Outflix Film Festival
  • 11-time audience award winner, u. a .:
    • Best Narrative Feature: 2008 Florida Film Festival
    • Best Narrative Feature: 2008 Turin International Gay & Lesbian Film Festival
    • Best Feature: 2008 Inside Out Toronto
    • Best Feature: 2008 Kansas City Gay & Lesbian Film Festival
    • Best Feature: Cinema Diverse 2008: Palm Springs GLFF
    • Grand Prize Best Feature: Rhode Island International Film Festival 2008
    • Best Feature: 2008 Vancouver Queer Film Festival
  • over 100 times in the official selection of international film festivals

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