LFF 2010: 'Spork'

The precocious school misfit has been a regular cinema hero since John Hughes placed Molly Ringwald and Anthony Michael Hall front-and-centre of his '80s classics. The genre is also a malleable one, accepting apocalypse-heralding rabbits (Donnie Darko), Lindsay Lohan (Mean Girls) and finely-tuned reverence (this week's Easy A). Spork - from writer-director J.B. Ghuman Jr - is a fine addition to the (junior) high school movie canon, a lovingly crafted little gem with affection for its predecessors and a new angle on familiar targets. It's part musical, part underdog dance picture and part self-acceptance story. In all its forms, though, it's completely heart-warming and lovely.

The story centres on the titular Spork (Savannah Stehlin), a hermaphrodite who lives in a trailer park with her older brother. Their mother died when she was young and the only company she has is fast-talking neighbour Tootsie Roll (Sydney Park) and her taxidermied dog Buster. School is also a minor form of hell; her wild, frizzy hair and gender confusion make her a target for bully Betsy Byotch (Rachel G. Fox) and the Britney Spears-obsessed blonde minions that trail her every move. A hopeful light flickers as Spork gets the chance to enter a school dance competition and befriends Charlie (Michael William Arnold), a boy mocked almost as much as her thanks to his two gays dads and fey personality.

Ghuman Jr is able to bring out fine performances from his Spork cast, notably Stehlin, who's previously had bit parts in Hannah Montana and Without A Trace. The chirpy 8-bit soundtrack, DIY visual effects and pop cultural hat-tipping lend the film an infectious charm. It resolves itself triumphantly, but the pay-off is well-earned (though watch out for the very last shot). If the thought of a clapped-out DeLorean, multiple Justin Timberlake and The Wiz name-drops, and a re-enactment of Britney's '…Baby One More Time' appeals then you'll leave Spork with a massive grin on your face. The most fun movie of the London Film Festival so far.


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