Their home lives are drastically different too, as shown by Maggenti's juxtaposing shots at dinnertime.Randy lives with a blue-collar aunt (Kate Stafford) and the aunt's girlfriend, in what she calls a "normal, typical lesbo household." A rainbow pride flag hangs on the wall, Act Up slogans are pegged to the refrigerator among pink triangles, and the goddess is celebrated at dinner.
It's also a safe place for a young, out lesbian: When Randy announces her coming out to a classmate, it's received by her two Moms the way more traditional parents might cheer on a straight daughter making the cheerleading squad.
Oh, and Randy's white. Evie's not.
The gentle overturning of racial and class stereotypes iscrucial to the film's success because of their undeniable truth - families like Evie's and Randy's exist as surely as lesbian teens fall in love. That same honesty infuses a hand-holding scene in a greasy diner that is quietly moving, much like River Phoenix's fireside chat with Keanu Reeves in "My Own Private Idaho."
The relationship develops tentatively and fairly believably. And while a montage of scenes of the girls getting to know each other (lying in the grass, trading Walkmans, dancing) stops this side of mawkishness, how often do we get to see this at the movies?
The couple's love scene at Evie's house while her mother is away for the weekend will remind audiences that this ain't no Afterschool Special.
But sex causes problems for our heroines and sets up the farcical, playful conclusion.
THE INCREDIBLY TRUE ADVENTURE OF TWO GIRLS IN LOVE * * * 1/2
Produced by Dolly Hall, written and directed by Maria Maggenti.
Running Time: 1 hour 35 minutes
Randy Dean - Laurel Holloman
Evie Roy - Nicole Parker
Rebecca Dean - Kate Stafford
Parents Guide: Rated R; Adult language, nudity.
Showing at: Ritz Bourse
