Das Kulture
FREAKSHOW
Posted on February 20, 2017
By Konrad Kögler
The “Freak Show” by Trudie Styler, which ran in the Generation 14plus series, is particularly worthwhile for its main actor Alex Lawther . The British talent should be kept in mind. In “Freakshow” he appears much more flamboyant than in his first lead role in “Departure”, where he noticed as a poem writing, timid teenager.
He plays Billy Bloom, a teenager who loves the big performance and likes to present himself as David Bowie, Lady Gaga, Marilyn Monroe or in fantasy bird costume fantasy costumes. He has inherited this tendency to drama and eccentricity from his mother ( Bette Midler in a parade role and her first small cinema appearance for five years).
The film tells of the bullying of the queer boy at his high school. In the first half the film convinces thanks to its excellent soundtrack and its outstanding main character, which shows the extroverted and sensitively-emboldened facets of the figure well.
The second half is less successful as too many stereotypes of high school comedies are served: the cheerleaders, against whom Billy Bloom compete in the election to the “Homecoming Queen“, are blond dolls, the flamboyant star of the football team is not allowed absence. While these figures are ironically broken, they take up too much space and weaken the overall impression.
“Freakshow” is the directing debut of Trudie Styler , who has been an actress since the 1970s, most recently as a producer of, for example, “American Honey” ( critics ), based on a novel by James St. James .
