What an Idiot might be one the most perfectly-titled films in the history of cinema, because as I screened this movie in advance of the Whistler Film Festival – where it will have its world premiere – I found myself muttering, “What an idiot!” over and over again.
Shot in the 604 a couple of years ago and featuring a crazy-long list of local talent, What an Idiot is Peter and Julia Benson’s follow-up to their 2012 horror feature Death Do us Part (which the married couple starred in, co-wrote, and produced).
This time around, Peter and Julia developed the story themselves, and Peter slid into the director’s chair – oh, and they produced and co-starred, too.
We learn quite a bit about Peter’s character, Nick, in the first few minutes of the film.
He’s unlucky in love, but he’s yearning to connect with the right woman. He’s good-natured. He values his bros. He works really hard at his office job.
But it’s not until he interacts with the character of Jackie – played to ballsy perfection by Julia – that we learn the most important thing there is to know about Nick: He’s an idiot.
Nick is hot for Jackie, and because she’s his new boss (and the first impression he makes is less than stellar), she’s not interested.
It isn’t until Nick and his bros (the dynamite trio of Kerr Smith, Benjamin Ayres, and Dave Collette) spot Jackie in a nightclub, surrounded by a posse of gay men, that his bros identify her as a “fag hag” (a term I personally abhor, however descriptive).
Nick doesn’t set out to do what he does next. It all happens so fast, as the most embarrassing and awkward situations often do: Nick blurts out to Jackie that he’s gay.
Jackie’s delighted; now they can be friends! And then, because Nick’s head over heels for a woman who’s only interested in hanging with gay dudes, he’s got to keep the lie alive – even though it’s absolute torture.
What an idiot.
“We tried to think of the dumbest obstacle somebody could put in their way when trying to connect with a woman, and somewhere we came up with, ‘What if he blurted out he was gay and had to work against that the whole time,’” says Peter in a recent phone chat.
As with their previous feature, What an Idiot was an opportunity for them to work with their actor friends, many of whom – although regularly employed – don’t usually get cast in the kind of parts that they get to play in Benson movies.
“There’s so much talent in Vancouver, and so often we don’t get to do these sorts of comedies,” says Julia in a recent phone chat.
The cast includes Aleks Paunovic, Emilie Ullerup, Michael Eklund, Kyle Cassie, Nicholas Carella, Adam DiMarco, Leah Gibson, Zak Santiago, Jill Morrison, and dozens more.
This was Peter’s first time directing a feature, but juggling all of the different hats (actor, writer, director, executive producer) felt right.
“It was a lot to take on, but it was something that I really wanted to do, and Julia was right beside me making all of the decisions with me,” says Peter. “Julia and I both seem to do better when we take more on. We get into the zone.”
If there’s one thing the Bensons present, it’s a united front of mutual admiration and awe.
“Peter was amazing to watch, as a director and an actor,” says Julia, whose lengthy filmography includes plum roles on Stargate Universe, Cedar Cove, and the upcoming web series Paranormal Solutions Inc. “Comedy is where he lives. This is his world.”
“Everybody does go, ‘wow, you directed it and acted,’ but Julia took the reins with producing, which is, especially in the indie world, a lot of work,” says Peter, a busy actor who’s appeared on Hell on Wheels, Supernatural, Arrow, Arctic Air, and in one of the break-out hits of the 2014 Vancouver International Film Festival, Black Fly. “It was some of the most amazing multitasking I’ve ever seen.”
What an Idiot screens Dec. 5 and 6 at the Whistler Film Festival. For venues and tickets, visit WhistlerFilmFestival.com. Sabrina will be live-tweeting from the festival; follow the fun at @sabrinarmf.
