No matter what anyone says, bullying anyone for their romantic attraction is never the answer, whether you like the opposite or the same sex. In the case of Kim Rocco Shields' 2011 drama short Love Is All You Need?, the film subverts the bullied homosexual tale by swapping the taboo mindset towards heterosexuality instead. The short did so well that it spawned a feature length film adaptation in 2016, also directed by Shields. As for the short on its own, while its narrative is fairly typical in terms of what it's tackling, it's still a harsh reminder that we should not treat others any differently than ourselves.
Set in a world where heterosexuality is considered a sin outside of reproduction, a young girl named Ashley has interest in boys despite living with two moms who are unsupportive of opposite sex couples. Her interest in the opposing sex goes from being made fun of by her female peers to soon becoming the subject of in person and cyberbullying, to the point where the family members of a male classmate she is attracted to get on her case. The plotline isn't too different from narratives dealing with horrific incidents of bullying and harassment towards misunderstood people, but the subject matter itself is what makes the short timeless. Regardless of the sexual orientation from anyone watching this film, the amount of hatred Poor Ashley receives from blind ignorance is no different than the sadly still relevant times we are living in where being different seems to be a truly horrible sin. Not helped is how savage and brutal children can be in regards to being different, as it is possible that what occurs in the film could possibly trigger anyone going through similar trauma.
Arguably, based on the film's fairly short runtime, certain topics like same sex couples being heterophobic or how boys perceive girls probably could've been tackled a bit more. Seeing Ashley's parents, Karen and Vicki, argue over their child's sexual interests and the lives of other human beings is appropriately jarring in its own right, although perhaps a bit more screentime with their own points of view might have benefited a more in depth look. Not to mention, Ashley's love interest isn't that memorable of a character on his own outside of his basic role in the story, making him more of a plot convenience than anything else. That being said, this film is meant to be from the POV of a bullied teenage girl who doesn't understand why the world hates people like her, and it does its job quite well. The climax itself is probably more devastating than anything else in the film, as anyone who has lost their child to a similar fate could attach themselves to such a horrible turn of events. It's quite amazing how a film like this goes for the straightforward drama so anyone and everyone can relate.
It's hard to say whether Love Is All You Need? Will appeal to everybody given how serious its commentary is, but that shows how well the filmmakers did their homework. No matter if you happen to be straight or gay, man or woman, cis or trans, nobody deserves to be picked on or ridiculed for who they identify as. People hate what they don't understand and we need to be reminded why being different is not ultimately a bad thing, and it starts with works like this. Whether you check this film or its feature length adaptation, hopefully it will remind you that love is in fact all you need first and foremost.
Set in a world where heterosexuality is considered a sin outside of reproduction, a young girl named Ashley has interest in boys despite living with two moms who are unsupportive of opposite sex couples. Her interest in the opposing sex goes from being made fun of by her female peers to soon becoming the subject of in person and cyberbullying, to the point where the family members of a male classmate she is attracted to get on her case. The plotline isn't too different from narratives dealing with horrific incidents of bullying and harassment towards misunderstood people, but the subject matter itself is what makes the short timeless. Regardless of the sexual orientation from anyone watching this film, the amount of hatred Poor Ashley receives from blind ignorance is no different than the sadly still relevant times we are living in where being different seems to be a truly horrible sin. Not helped is how savage and brutal children can be in regards to being different, as it is possible that what occurs in the film could possibly trigger anyone going through similar trauma.
Arguably, based on the film's fairly short runtime, certain topics like same sex couples being heterophobic or how boys perceive girls probably could've been tackled a bit more. Seeing Ashley's parents, Karen and Vicki, argue over their child's sexual interests and the lives of other human beings is appropriately jarring in its own right, although perhaps a bit more screentime with their own points of view might have benefited a more in depth look. Not to mention, Ashley's love interest isn't that memorable of a character on his own outside of his basic role in the story, making him more of a plot convenience than anything else. That being said, this film is meant to be from the POV of a bullied teenage girl who doesn't understand why the world hates people like her, and it does its job quite well. The climax itself is probably more devastating than anything else in the film, as anyone who has lost their child to a similar fate could attach themselves to such a horrible turn of events. It's quite amazing how a film like this goes for the straightforward drama so anyone and everyone can relate.
It's hard to say whether Love Is All You Need? Will appeal to everybody given how serious its commentary is, but that shows how well the filmmakers did their homework. No matter if you happen to be straight or gay, man or woman, cis or trans, nobody deserves to be picked on or ridiculed for who they identify as. People hate what they don't understand and we need to be reminded why being different is not ultimately a bad thing, and it starts with works like this. Whether you check this film or its feature length adaptation, hopefully it will remind you that love is in fact all you need first and foremost.