50 Ways of Saying Fabulous

Directed and Written by :
Stewart Main

Set in beautiful Central Otago, this 1970s set coming of age film is the first feature-film outing for director Stewart Main since 1993’s Desperate Remedies.

Chubby 12-year-old Billy shares a vivid fantasy life with his tomboy cousin, Lou. In their world he’s Lana and she’s Brad. Lou fears her burgeoning womanhood because it will interfere with her rugby playing, while Billy endures being called a ‘poofter’. A lonely and sex-obsessed newcomer to school teaches Billy to masturbate, and things get further complicated by the hunky new farmhand on whom Billy develops a crush.

Based on a novel by Graeme Aitken, this is a gently funny, often-touching look at growing up queer in rural New Zealand of the 1970s. The young cast give realistic, gawky performances that give the film an honesty and authenticity that can’t be faked.