Best Boy

About the director's cousin, Philly, who's 52, says he's 16, and actually has the mental age of a five-year-old. When Wohl started filming, it was because he'd convinced Philly's protective, elderly parents that they had to help their son towards greater independence. The result is in part a sensitive record of that three year process, in a film which never preaches but almost incidentally points out what help is available, where it works and where it falls short. It's also a tale of the love, guilt and stoicism of Philly's parents, and despite moments of real sorrow, the final impression left by the film is one of optimism - in the way it discovers dignity in ordinary people, an infectious sense of humour in adversity, and the songs in the heart of a mentally disabled man.