She Is a Camera: "We Are the Mods" at Philadelphia's QFest
By Sherri Rase
photo courtesy of QFest
Melia Renee as Sadie
E.E. Cassidy's "We Are the Mods" (USA 2009, 83 minutes) is a coming-of-teen-age story, but not of the John Hughes variety. Sadie (Melia Renee) is a soulful teen with short hair, long bangs and a Pentax camera fetish. She is trying to deal with the trials of school and the girls' French club, Entre Nous. Nico (Mary Elise Hayden) is someone whom Sadie has deemed off-limits as a portrait subject, but it's not immediately clear why. Unlike her classmates, Sadie is different-drummer, non-fashionable in her collection of plaid flannel shirts, and prefers to fade into the background, documenting what she sees around her.
Nico, by contrast, is insouciantly gamine. Looking like a 1960s model, she lopes through her day, as much as that's possible with a leg in a walking cast. Husky-voiced and sounding world-weary, Nico is assigned to partner with Sadie in photography class. Predictably, Nico needs some tutoring. Sadie's best friend Jenel (Najarra Townsend) is being rushed by Entre Nous, so Jenel cannot be seen with Sadie, who didn't make the cut.
It is clear from the beginning that Sadie and Nico's family experiences are completely different. Their life experiences are very different. Sadie is more sheltered, but Nico exposes her to books, movies and a different way of feeling. When Nico does a makeover on Sadie, it starts a chain reaction that leads to changes in all of Sadie's relationships. One of the best lines is Jenel's, when she exclaims, "Are you really going to let Entre Nous come between us!" When Sadie meets performance artist Vivian (Corinne Reilly), Vivian's rules for living come into play. When Sadie buys a Vespa, her transition to a Mod is nearly complete.
Love, anger, betrayal, forgiveness, and when what we feel exceeds what we touch and what touches us-is this the mark of becoming fully ourselves? When we transcend our labels, we succeed.
QFest (www.phillycinema.org), the gay and lesbian film festival, gives "We Are the Mods" its Philadelphia premiere on July 12 at 8:45 p.m. at the Ritz East, 125 South Second Street, in Theater One, and repeats it the following day at 5 p.m., in Ritz East, Theater Two.
