The Wise Kids (+Skype Q&A) at Number 70, Oxford Street
Creative Tourist
Set over the course of their final year at high school, three teenage members of a South Carolina Baptist church wrestle with questions of body and spirit as they prepare to leave for college. As Brea (Molly Kunz) struggles to maintain her faith in God, Tim (Tyler Ross) begins to explore his homosexuality — meanwhile their close friend Laura (Allison Torem) tries to reconcile her beliefs with the new paths chosen by her companions.
The three teenage leads are excellent, with a fine supporting performance from writer/director Stephen Cone as the church’s music director struggling with his own conflicted feelings. Acclaimed by critics, Cone draws upon his own upbringing to craft this gentle, keenly observed drama of impending adulthood and explore the rocky intersection of religion and sexuality.
