“The Mattachine Family” is directed by first-time filmmaker Andy Vallentine, who co-wrote the screenplay with husband Danny Vallentine. It opens with a voiceover by protagonist Thomas as he reflects on memories of his growing up years as an upbeat boy who found his groove with the help of Pat Benatar’s “Shadows of the Night.” This—along with an overall supportive family environment—allowed him to express himself freely. This voiceover continues well into the present day as grown-up Thomas (Nico Tortorella)—who freelances as a wedding photographer—voices a desire to build a family after a change of heart. He begins to consider a domestic life with his husband, Oscar (Juan Pablo Di Pace), a popular television actor. However, the couple lack the most important ingredient to fulfill this desire—a child to call their own.
Parenthood is a process mired by obstructions, with both biological and binding legal factors playing spoilsport. And after the couple’s first attempt at fostering is cut short, Oscar backpedals on his desire to start a family. He instead shifts his focus to work commitments, which only keeps the couple further apart. The stress, heartbreak, and unfair nature of the situation eats away at a neglected Thomas. He finds himself in a state of emotional limbo, bitterly processing his agony of not being a parent.
Some Shortcomings, but Has Good Intentions Behind Them
“The Mattachine Family” joins the league of unapologetically queer-centric and progressive works before it, in line with the overlooked “A Home at the End of the World” (2004). Like “The Mattachine Family,” it sensitively tackled the themes of compromises that are attached to building a family. It, too, addressed the life-altering changes that come with major decisions, and the double-edged sword of surrogacy and adoption. The films both touch upon how gay men often only exist as wish fulfillment or human sperm banks for cis individuals. Subsequently, they are often robbed of opportunities to fulfill their own individualistic desires. “The Mattachine Family” explores this. An example is when one of Thomas’ friends confides in him about sending suggestive content to strangers on the Internet who pay him for the ‘full gay experience.’
Apart from the aforementioned aspects, both “A Home at the End of the World” and “The Mattachine Family” even share similar-sounding taglines such as ‘Family can be whatever you want it to be’ and ‘Celebrate your chosen family,’ thus conveying a like-minded messaging. And while “The Mattachine Family” unfortunately ends up sharing some shortcomings with its predecessor—namely an uneven and disjointed narrative—it is also carried by a whole lot of heart and good intentions behind it.
A Good Portrait of Paralleled Relationships
The layered on-screen portrayals of its various same-sex relationships prove to be a major strength of Vallentine’s film. Significant screen-time is dedicated to how the experience of fostering a child brings about a change of heart for Thomas. Beginning his journey at Oscar’s insistence, it also leads to him warm up to fostering. He emerges from the experience a more prepared and keen caretaker. Such character building allows viewers to sympathise with Thomas’ disappointments when the opportunity is quite literally snatched from him. It also allows us to follow him as later he yearns for a wholesome holiday season where he doesn’t feel unloved nor lonely. However, he’s instead overwhelmed by unprocessed issues that catch up to him as he grapples with age passing him by.
The film also touches on other key themes. As Thomas searches for closure within the community, he’s daunted by the success of everyone else in his friends circle. They all appear to have accomplished the same desires he’d envisioned for himself and for Oscar. Thomas and Oscar’s relationship is paralleled with their mutual acquittances, such as Leah and Sonia (Emily Hampshire, Cloie Wyatt Taylor), a lesbian couple. Their relationship was deemed as a fluke in their friend circle, but now seem to be enjoying a fruitful life.
A Fitting Soundtrack and Visual Motifs
Much like Oscar and Thomas, they too can’t have it all. Despite their best efforts, parenthood seems amiss for Leah and Sonia. But unlike Oscar and Thomas, the women haven’t allowed their struggles to slow down their intimacy—the road bumps only strengthen their dynamics as a couple. Even subtle dietary changes—such as sacrificing material desires like dairy—in the journey of surrogacy don’t seem to be a setback for the pair in chasing their goals of building a family of their own.
The soundtrack for “The Mattachine Family” complements the couple dynamics too. Oscar and Thomas turn to “Moon River” from “Breakfast at Tiffany’s,” a comforting melody that holds them during and after their fostering attempt. It also aids in pulling through and rekindling during tough times. The film also inserts visual motifs—such as Polaroid photos—to remind of happier times. However, they also act to depict Thomas’ stunted state of mind and hopelessness as his grief overpowers the sweet memories.
Real-World Parallels
The movie also uses parallels to convey messages of unjust, real-world scenarios for its characters. One instance lies in its title: the movie gets its name from the Mattachine Steps, a stairway located in LA built to push for gay rights and celebrate new beginnings. The moniker doubles as imagery to signify Thomas’ literal and metaphorical climb to fill an emotional void, only to stumble and lose hope. Another example includes Oscar’s childhood rise to fame, headlining the first-ever television show to feature a Latino family. However, his role is short-lived when he is outed in an incident similar to the ordeal faced by Kit Connor. Connor is a young actor who recently became a household name after playing the lead of the Netflix show “Heartstopper,” but simultaneously was subjected to a forced outing on social media.
Furthermore, the in-depth and complex character equations are balanced out with some tragi-comic scenarios that lighten up the gloominess. One example is an awkward and amusing situation as Thomas shoots his last shot at conception, opting for a sperm bank, only for his excitement to be killed off by medical complaints from other patients. Later, he throws a tantrum in public over a Thanksgiving turkey as all his friends are out of town, leaving him stranded with an already-fatigued Oscar. Oscar isn’t a festive person and lies through his teeth on talk shows about his love for Thanksgiving food, but would secretly happily settle for a steak over a turkey, which of course doesn’t align with his spouse’s childhood memories of an all-American holiday.
An Inclusive Cast
Lastly, the movie deserves its flowers for an inclusive cast led by genderfluid actor Nico Tortorella, Emily Hampshire—who identifies as pansexual—and Heather Matarazzo, who has been out and proud since her “Princess Diaries” days. They all bring a whole lot of personality to their roles. Tortorella especially delivers in the emotionally-intense scenes, when Thomas opens up on his need for validation and fulfillment. Meanwhile, Hampshire and co-star Wyatt Taylor lend good support as the vivacious and fun-loving lesbians Leah and Sonia. They offer reassurance and spoonfuls of ‘feel good’ pie to their gay bestie when he’s on the brink of hysterics. Matarazzo—who has pretty much been typecast as the shrill bestie—also proves to be an inspired casting choice as the amusing but painfully out-of-touch ‘Momfluencer.’ Juan Pablo Di Pace rounds out the cast as Oscar, the level-headed husband who balances out Thomas’ stubborn personality.
A Life Lesson to Overcome our Stumbles
Ultimately, “The Mattachine Family” is a promising and personable debut from the Vallentines. The film serves as a life lesson on how even the smallest of compromises shouldn’t be considered setbacks, but opportunities for growth and fulfillment. It asks us not to let our failures—or stumbles—determine our final outcome. It also asserts that if one sets out with unwavering courage in their conviction, even a steep and winding staircase can give way to a more optimistic view of the future ahead.
“The Mattachine Family” is available on Peccadillo POD, Amazon Prime, Apple TV, Google Play, Amazon Italy and Amazon Japan.
