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The Big Hug

Reunion of the Heart: Josie (Ellen McLaughlin) and Maria (Olivia Negron) get reacquainted in "Everything Relative." Photo by Irene Young Nostalgia drowns drama in 'Everything Relative' By Rob Nelson A "LESBIAN" Big Chill this has been called--and if you liked that insidious piece of bourgeois nostalgia, the plagiarism of Everything Relative might well annoy. Set in a cabin near North Hampton, NY, Everything Relative portrays the weekend reunion of seven old college friends (six lesbian, one straight) who performed together in a political theater troupe in the '70s. We learn all about them as soon as each has unpacked her bags to reveal which self-help book she's reading. Although some of the friends have sold out or bought in, and the young 20something girlfriend (the Meg Tilly character from The Big Chill) fails to appreciate the price her elders have paid for her freedom, the movie culminates in hugs all around. Basically, writer-director Sharon Pollack proves that a lesbian indie can be just as mainstream as any straight Hollywood one--which could seem to some like a step forward. Likewise, Everything Relative's strenuously "normal" depiction of middle-aged queer women will appear either refreshing or offensive. Everything Relative (Unrated: 110 min.), directed and written by Sharon Pollack, photographed by Zakaela Rachel Othmer and starring Ellen McLaughlin and Olivia Negron. [ Metro | Metroactive Central | Archives ]