BootDigest Such a frustrating disappointment

FirstWitch A movie that not only functions as a solid scarefest but a razor-sharp satire.

Tayyab Torres Strong acting helps the film overcome an uncertain premise and create characters that hold our attention absolutely.

Yash Wade Close shines in drama with strong language, adult themes.

Mat I hate pretentious movies that try so hard to be art that they forget to be entertaining. This movie falls into that category. I'm not really a fan of abstract surrealism at the best of times, but bleak self-loathing surrealism can just go take a jump in the lake! The trouble with symbolism is that if it needs a guide book to tell you what's going on (especially symbolism in movies where the viewer doesn't have the time to dissect every nuance), I think it fails. It just becomes a series of directorial in-jokes. I don't mind challenging film. I can stomach dark movies. But this simply failed to reward the effort.Furthermore, none of the non-surreal relationships (Nicholas and Bobby, Nicholas and his mother, mother and boyfriend) were remotely credible, so my mind was constantly tussling with the disbelief about their relationships, long before the actual surreal stuff started happening.This movie had the potential to be really worthwhile, with some mature performances from the young leads forging the way, but instead it disappeared right up its own self-indulgent rectum.Read traymasters' review above, then save yourself the time of actually watching the movie. His review is far more meaningful and lucid than the actual movie!

JustApt When we grow up we throw away our old personality we've become too big for like a snake crawls out of its old skin leaving behind a dry slough. So The Nature of Nicholas is a parable about coming of age when the boy should cast away his old, already dead nature to continue on the way into his adult life. Visual design of this drama in demonstrating this idea is absolutely unusual and innovative to the degree of becoming surreal. Don't you know the song "Lose This Skin" by The Clash: "Come with me, I thought he said, but that's not him anymore, he's dead. What's it like to be so free? So free it looks like lost to me. I've got to lose this skin I'm imprisoned in." The Nature of Nicholas is like an elaborate music video to this song.

traymasters The Nature of Nicholas -- An interesting film, uniquely done with compelling, open-ended metaphors with some dark comedic moments and thought provoking cinema photography. Noteworthy acting from two very young actors. Homosexuality is not really what this movie is about. It's more about accepting who you are and the struggles we go through to achieve that. The homosexual theme was just used to communicate that point. In addition, there isn't really just "one" meaning to this movie. It is created in such a way so that everyone can come to their own conclusions.Here is my interpretation of the movie: Pre-teen Nicholas and Bobby are best friends who are becoming mutually attracted to one another. In the beginning, Nicholas is a bit more aware of it than Bobby. When Nicholas acts on an impulse and kisses Bobby in their clubhouse, Bobby's shocking realization of this new emotion sends him into a state of deep denial. The only way Bobby can distance himself from his homosexual feelings is by manifesting a separate entity. Created from all the shame and guilt he feels -- probably influenced by societies regard to homosexuality in the late 50's -- Bobby's homosexual self comes alive as a grotesque, zombie-like twin which he casts-away to die and rot alone in deep pain, suffering and sadness.Nicholas is still very much in love with Bobby. Although they stay friends, Nicholas's romantic feelings are ignored by Bobbies heterosexual, normal-looking persona. Nicholas finds mutual warmth and understanding by nurturing Bobby's suffering and dying homosexual entity. He hides it under his bed, protecting it and feeding it with pilfered food from his kitchen and entertaining it with comic books. It is obvious Nicholas is desperately trying to keep it alive.Nicholas's mother comes into his room. The hand of Bobby's entity sticking is out from under his blankets. This provokes paranoia in Nicholas, assuming that his mother now knows his true feelings.Nicholas's dead father -- A stern military man -- comes back from the spiritual side with a bizarre dual personality of compassion and retribution. It temporarily uses Nicholas' mothers' body to communicate with Nicholas -- confirming the paranoid feelings Nicholas has that everybody knows how he feels toward Bobby and how wrong it is. (It's not clear if that was intended to actually happen or if it was a figment of Bobby's imagination sparked by paranoia and guilt. I guess that's left for each person to decide) Overwhelmed with guilt and shame, Nicholas shuns his homosexual feelings by creating a zombie-like twin, much like Nicholas did, which he casts-out and leaves to rot and die alone.Toward the end of the film, the heterosexual, normal-looking Bobby takes his now rotting, homosexual "alter ego" away from Nicholas before it dies. We see Bobby carting his almost lifeless bag of bones into the distance. At this point it is believed that Bobby is taking it away to finally kill it -- or to finally put an end to his homosexual feelings. However we find out later this is not the case.Later, while walking in a field, Nicholas asks Bobby: "What happened to him?" Bobby points to himself, shrugs his shoulders with a shy grin and replies: "I'm right here!" -- It is clear that Bobby was no longer ashamed of his homosexual feelings and no longer needed that separation or "alter ego". Bobby took his alter-ego away so that he could accept his homosexual feelings before they died. So In other words -- Who Bobby is, is who he is -- part gay, part straight, a mixture of every feeling and emotion (like all of us probably are) -- And Bobby was finally at peace with that.However poor Nicholas is not so lucky. He will have a much more painful road in life to travel. We see Nicholas's decaying, homosexual entity and his fathers spirit meet at an old abandoned little house on a lonely road. The spirit attempts to put Nicholas's alter ego (or homosexual feelings) to rest forever. It looks down at the rotting, Nicholas-like figure lying on an old bed and says: "All in the past. It's a part of growing up. There are allot of little houses down this road." it then covers the entire body with the blankets. The scene cuts to the outside of the old house -- On the roof is printed the name: NICHOLAS.The little house where Nicholas's homosexual self resides is symbolic to what it would feel like to have your true emotions imprisoned due to an unacceptable, prejudice world. Putting Nicholas's alter ego to rest communicates the very common parental (and society) disapproval of homosexuality -- especially in young children. The "other little houses on the road" that the spirit mentions, tells us that many other children were also denied their true feelings -- They too had to put their feelings to rest.While waking into the yard on his first day of the new school year, Nicholas notices boys and girls sitting and laughing together. He realizes that his homosexual feelings -- A true part of who he is -- has been forced to be at rest. However, he pauses, looks around, boyishly stone-faced and bit confused as if he realizes in his heart that his true feelings will never, honestly be put to rest. This inner turmoil is something that Nicholas realizes he will have to face. He understands that life goes on and he must go forward and so he continues walking into the school.Dressed in his military uniform and cap, His father's spirit walks slowly behind with arms crossed behind his back. This metaphorical scene communicates clearly all of the intolerance, forced-denial, guilt and shame -- not just from his dead father, but from society as a whole -- that will "haunt" Nicholas's life forever.

Salvador_Dream Be Prepared, you may be confused..but to be honest The Nature Of Nicholas is one of the most creative and innovative films I have watched in a long time. It is an avante-garde surreal masterpiece of reality and hallucination that is like The Wonder Years on acid. It's ideas and themes may be familiar..but the way Erbach deals with them is fantastic. This film may not be for everyone, but for all of you who love to see something new in film making watch it if you can. Jeff Erbach is a great new Canadian director who is reminiscent in the likes of David Cronenberg, Guy Maddin & David Lynch.