Prom Queen [DVD] [Region 1] [US Import] [NTSC]

Mark wants more than anything else to go to his school prom, but there's just one problem: he wants to bring his boyfriend Jason (Mac Fyfe) to the dance. While the Catholic school he attends tolerates homosexuality, and openly accepts Mark as gay, they absolutely draw the line at allowing him to partner Jason.

The stage is set for a battle that reaches all the way to the Canadian Supreme Court as Jason, with the hidden strength of Superman, demands his Canadian Charter rights and fights the Local School Board, an institution that has for years lived by the rules of extreme religious doctrine. Instilled with an almost fairy tale like quality, Prom Queen paints a portrait of a young man who is determined to stand by the strength of his convictions while never reneging on his deeply held faith.

Mark is supported by his surprisingly understanding blue-collar parents, Emily (Marie Tifo) and Audy (Jean Pierre Bergeron). Emily, while deeply religious, decides to accept his son the way he is, and Audy - who works at the local mill where some of his co-workers are getting pink slips - is helped by local union organizer (David Ferry) to quietly and gently, support his son. Meanwhile, Mark's plucky and supportive school friends, Beau (a very attractive Trevor Blumas) and Carly (Tamara Hope) get a pair computer nerds, to start a set up a proactive website to "get Mark to the prom."

When the crusade goes public, and the media come up board, Mark gets the help of a publicity seeking highflying lawyer (Scott Thompson). But he finds his way stifled by the tight-lipped School Board Chair Lucinda Pilcher, (Fiona Reid) who is wonderfully controlling. Help for Mark comes in the form of As Miss Lawrence (Victoria Adilman), his liberally enlightened school teacher. But while the teacher does an excellent job of supporting human rights in the classroom, can she stop herself from caving to Catholic dogma in the courtroom?

Ever mindful of commercial breaks, director John L'Écuyer has done an admirable job trying to let the story flow, employing animated headings to bring the next scene back from black. And for the most part the pacing is good, although the story tends to lose a little steam at the ends. We hear of Mark and Jason's breakup, but we never really see it and the eventual court ruling comes our way via fax. Also, the soundtrack often doesn't sit that well with the dialogue, with the often inappropriately placed dance music often coming across as over-loud and clangy.

Despite its shortcomings, Prom Queen is a delight to watch, and it shows just how much the world around us is changing. Gay teenagers are coming out at earlier ages, and are becoming increasingly politically active, and also more accepted by their peers - especially in enlightened countries like Canada. It's such a pleasure to see a film about the triumph of the "little man," a small town teenager who had the guts to take on a bigoted institution and risk his future for a slow dance with his boyfriend. Mike Leonard August 05.