Starting on April 30th, SPORK, a charming and quirky film about a 14-year old hermaphrodite navigating the treacherous social landscape of junior high school, will be available for download via Tribeca's Virtual Film Festival program. Fans of underdog stories everywhere should definitely push the button on this one at (http://www.tribecafilm.com/virtual/).
From the moment one lays eyes on the frizzy-haired Spork in her trailer park home -- complete with 3D sunglasses, stuffed dog on wheels and fetish for THE WIZ -- it becomes instantly clear why somewhere-over-the-rainbow may never be far enough away. Fortunately, to face mean girls like Betsy Byotch and her gaggle of blondes (not to mention less immediately menacing gender identity questions), Spork is aided by fellow oddballs such as her jive-talking neighbor, Tootsie, and the boy with two Dads, Charlie (young actors Sydney Park and Michael William Arnold in breakout roles.)
An appealing blend of camp and heart, Spork is uplifting and cheerful, despite occasional lapses into the self-consciously offbeat. The dance sequences are fun, and the (mainly wayward) adults who round out the cast turn in fine comic performances.
Director JB Ghuman, Jr. (who credits Todd Solondz, John Waters and Tim Burton as influences) is moving onto a documentary about Valley Girls entitled, "like OMG."
--Suzanne Lynch