Married couple Thomas (Nico Tortorella) and Oscar (Juan Pablo Di Pace) find themselves growing apart after the child they fostered is returned back to its mother after a year of living with them. Thomas feels the loss deeply, pining for the return of the child and eager to be a father while Oscar, a child star turned TV actor, would rather focus on his career when a big opportunity unexpectedly presents itself. With Oscar focused on his career and working away, Thomas starts to realise that what he wants doesn’t align with the wants of his husband, forcing him to make some difficult choices.
‘The Mattachine Family’ from director Andy Vallentine, which is written by Andy’s husband Danny Vallentine, is a meditation on parenthood from the perspective of a gay couple. To the outside world Thomas and Oscar seem to have it all – money, security, a rock-solid marriage – but the removal of the child they’ve spent a year caring for, threatens to completely derail their life. Oscar is firm about not wanting to be a father, although he enjoyed the experience of it, while Thomas can focus on nothing other than being a full-time parent. For Thomas, the situation is exacerbated by those around him having, or trying to have, children including his close friend Leah (Emily Hampshire).
What ‘The Mattachine Family’ does well, is it highlights and explores the changing wants and needs of a couple that has been together for a long time. Quite often, we mistakenly think that what we want when we’re young is what we’ll want when we grow older but that’s rarely the case. Of the central couple in the film, it’s Thomas that was initially reluctant to be a father but his experience with their foster child completely transformed his outlook. Add to that the unresolved feelings he has about his own father, who died when Thomas was only young, and things get complicated very quickly.
Nico Tortorella really is the glue that holds the film together. His performance as Thomas is nuanced and emotive, and he’s the character that the audience spends the most time with. Tortorella really brings Thomas’ inner-turmoil to the fore and you root for him. He has a believable chemistry with co-star Juan Pablo Di Pace, who isn’t actually in the film as much as you might expect, and there’s some nice scenes between Tortorella and Emily Hampshire, as the two friends that support each other’s journeys.
‘The Mattachine Family’ may not be perfect but it touches upon a serious subject that its core audience can likely resonate with. It could have dug deeper than it does and at times it’s perhaps lighter than it should be, but I felt emotionally invested in the outcome. There are great performances from the cast, especially Tortorella, and the film does make you think about how priorities change the older you get. ‘The Mattachine Family’ may not be a perfect watch, but there’s plenty here to enjoy.
Cast: Nico Tortorella, Juan Pablo Di Pace, Emily Hampshire, Heather Matarazzo, Jake Choi Director: Andy Vallentine Writer: Danny Vallentine Certificate: 15 Duration: 99 mins Released by: Peccadillo Pictures Release date: 24th June 2024 Buy ‘The Mattachine Family’ now
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