Ben Walton | Zinzan / 2017

backing off

by Douglas Messerli

 

Ben Walton (screenwriter and director) Zinzan / 2017 [11 minutes]

 

New Zealand filmmaker Ben Walton’s short film of 2017, Zinzan begins where most coming out films leave off. Long before the first scene of this work, with Mr. Lewis’ (Chris Hobbs) son Liam (Simon Mead) is seen in bed with his gay lover Michael (Dion Greenstreet), and it is established that the father has clearly accepted his son as a homosexual. We get a brief glimpse of his earlier discovery of them making love in the locker room.

        If he’s not yet totally comfortable with the situation, he is basically tolerant to it, hesitantly greeting Michael leaving his son’s room early in the morning, as he goes to awaken Liam for his rugby workouts. He drives both boys to the ruby field, with Michael making the decision to basically remain in the car while his friend goes through the athletic workout and a scrimmage. But even Michael’s daring to stand by the edge and watch the final moments of the game results in taunting by two of his teammates for Liam’s having brought his “girlfriend” along to the exercises, Liam reacting rather violently, but held back by his father.     

        Liam, we discover, is a local hero for his rugby achievements and in a few days we will be considered for recruitment into the national Under 20s team, a high honor which presumably may lead to further national rugby team placement. And his father is worried that something might get in the way of that possibility.

       So too is the affable Liam, who clearly loves his companion deeply and refuses to leave him behind or even uninvite him for an evening home with his dad watching professional rugby on the telly. You can see the tension of Mr. Lewis’ face, yet his response is simply to order up another pizza. The taunting of his son, however, looms large even in the father’s imagination.

       Just days before the event, Liam himself admits to being nervous about the upcoming event. Even Liam and his father’s shouts in support of the television game seemingly embarrasses him, perhaps afraid they will do the same from the stands in his try-out game.

       The next day when they drive to the stadium, the father also remains in the car with Michael. And, for the first time we get to see that Michael is also worried about his lover. He suggests that if the father wants him to “back off” for the time being he will take no offense and will do so. Mr. Lewis says nothing, but it is clear he appreciates the boy’s comments and that he also now recognizes just how deep is Michael’s own love for his Liam.

     The film ends with the two sitting on the back fender of the car watching the game far off from any others’ observation. They cheer Liam on as he once more goes for a win, realizing perhaps for the first time an alliance that they never before had felt.

       In the urban dictionary “zinzan” means “a cool person” and in Indonesia, a culture that simply through its geographical position is closely related to Australia and New Zealand it means, in particular, an aspect of being safe, of being protected. Both meanings work in this film as the father and his “son-in-law” realize that together they are “cool” with the situation in offering Liam their love from a safe position, whether he is chosen for the rugby team or not.

 

Los Angeles, March 31, 2022

Reprinted from World Cinema Review (March 2022).