Educational Media Reviews Online

This film written by a group of teens and produced by Scenarios USA deals with Emily’s decision to tell her friends that she is a lesbian and involved in a relationship. The film gets off to a rocky start with an awkward scene of young Emily putting on her mother’s lipstick that morphs into a scene of Emily the teenager putting on lipstick in the school bathroom. The action then moves straight into a Hollywood-class soccer scene complete with toe-tapping music. The audience sees Emily happy with her friends and then also sees her make excuses about not going out with them so she can see her girlfriend. After her girlfriend berates her for keeping their relationship a secret, Emily decides to come out to her friends by kissing her girlfriend in the middle of a pizza parlor. Her friends react with shock at first, but most of them come around quickly, except for her friend Amy, who refuses to speak to her. The issue is resolved somewhat abruptly when Amy admits that she’s uncomfortable and needs some time to get used to things. The last scene shows Emily and Amy in the bathroom at school putting lipstick on together, comfortable friends again.

While Emily probably has an easier time finding acceptance from her friends than many gay and lesbian teens do in reality, the film provides positive role-models for how teens can react positively and supportively when they find out someone is gay. The teens in the film repeatedly express the idea that Emily is still the same person she was before her coming out and that they still feel the same way about her. The film has a clear and professional quality, with excellent cinematography, acting, music, and dialog. Fine moments abound. We get a hint of the true Emily when she sneaks a peek at the photo of her girlfriend that she keeps in her makeup bag. When Emily’s girlfriend moves over to make room for her at the table, Emily chooses to distance herself and sit on the other side of the booth. After Emily’s revelation, Amy refuses to make eye contact through several scenes. In spite of a few weaknesses, the production creates a compelling and believable story and provides fodder for thought and discussion of an issue many people struggle with. Highly recommended for high school and college classrooms.