Henry Gamble’s Birthday Party
I have an expression I use ….
Christian with a “K”
(as in Khristian).
To me, it means Christians who really are not Christian. They are “married to Christ” act holier than thou….you know the type?! They hate gays, they don’t drink, they don’t have fun in life. Because GOD is their life. GOD controls them. Hey, I am not against religion. But the extremists, the one’s that want to take away our rights, the on’e that hate on gay people – I have NO USE FOR!
In Stephen Cone’s “Henry Gamble’s Birthday Party”, a 40-something mom of two nearly-grown kids, confesses to her daughter, “Something happened to me and I’m not sure what I’m becoming.” Every single one of the 20 characters has a similar moment at one point or another during the course of Henry’s party, which takes place over an afternoon and evening. Stephen Cone is a humanist; he can’t help but perceive that every person, even those we might write off as “types,” has complexity.
This may sound like “Henry Gamble” is a dreary psychological drama, but it’s not. It’s a rambunctious, often hilarious, and carefully-constructed story about a teenage boy starting to question his sexuality in the midst of his Evangelical Christian world. Instead of keeping the focus tightly on Henry, Cone widens the scope, giving each character a unique arc. There are times when the film plays like a French farce, or a suburban version of Jean Renoir’s “Rules of the Game,” with different couples running in and out of different rooms, having whispered melodramas before leaping back into the pool. Underneath the exuberance, the film roils with turmoil.
A lot of low-budget films have a similar setup to “Henry Gamble”: they take place in one location and focus on interpersonal relationships. But “Henry Gamble” is huge in comparison. It’s about people in the process of “becoming.”
Get a sneak peak HERE, Watch on Netflix, Stream it Amazon hereHenry Gamble’s Birthday Party OR Buy the DVD here Henry Gamble’s Birthday Party