A new documentary asks us to consider “What is family?” as it depicts a teen boy finding two dads in a gay couple (in spirit if not in law) while staying connected to his birth family. At the same time, one of the men prepares to introduce his own mother to the boy for the first time. Watch a trailer here and stream it today.
Circus Boy, by Lester Alfonso (First Run Features), focuses on a gay Canadian man named Thomas who coaches circus arts (think Cirque du Soleil more than Ringling Brothers) to all age groups. He and his husband Michael find a special connection with Ethan, a young teen Thomas is training. They become, with Ethan’s birth mother’s consent, effectively additional parents to him. As the story unfolds, we learn that Ethan and his father had a “rough” relationship, and his mom shielded Ethan from him, so “there was no bonding.” She is grateful that Thomas and Michael can be male role models who show love and empathy and “another type of father,” even though Ethan and his birth father get along somewhat better now. Ethan explains that he’s not “replacing” his birth father, but “I’ve got my family and I’ve got these two other dads.”
We also watch as Thomas’ mother meets both Ethan and Ethan’s mother for the first time, and tries to understand the family’s loving, if unconventional, relationship. While Thomas’ mother is visiting, Thomas and Ethan also prepare to show her an act on the challenging Cyr Wheel, through a performance that embodies the nature of their bond.
Press materials for the film say that Ethan is the men’s “adoptive son,” but this is somewhat misleading, since Thomas and Michael have not legally adopted him. (One scene raises the possibility of them becoming Ethan’s godparents, though.) Emotionally, perhaps they have adopted him—but to think this is a film purely about two men and their adoptive son is to miss the point that it’s really about the larger circles of family that we may sometimes form in order to best raise a child.
Visually, the sequences of Thomas and Ethan on their Cyr Wheels are mesmerizing, offering a glimpse at a rare and lovely skill as we meet this rare and loving family.
Stream Circus Boy (52 minutes) from Vimeo On Demand, Apple TV, or iTunes.