Sometimes you discover a good drama that tugs at your emotional strings. They’re more than just good dramatic films, but films that need to be seen. I always love discovering those kinds of films, especially if it’s an indie movie. I had the pleasure of watching one this week that will hit “On Demand,” on August 1st. The film is called Icon. While the central theme is about teenage pregnancy, the underlying theme is about the choices that the two involved have to make because it isn’t just one person’s choice, there’s two people involved and what this film does is center more on the man’s perspective in the situation. He’s who’s trying to do the right thing in a world where there are no perfect answers and he doesn’t exactly have great examples to learn from. Stories about teenage pregnancy look at it from the female’s perspective and that’s logical, she has the biggest burden in that situation. The movie Juno dealt with very adult situations and the hard choices that the girl would have to make. It’s a charming film, but have we ever seen a film that looks at it from the perspective of the guy? Not really and that’s what this film deals with because the male protagonist isn’t just a stupid male teenager who comes from a good family and likely doesn’t have to accept responsibility. He’s being raised by a single mother and having to deal with the ghost of his father who he barely remembers, and he doesn’t understand the truth about why his father left.  Fathers are supposed to be good examples to their sons, but it’s hard when you deal with fathers in prison who won’t accept responsibility for their actions.

The story is set in St Petersburg Florida and definitely feels like it could be a story out of the 90s or the 2000s even though it’s set in 2010, but the themes are universal because anybody who deals with teenage pregnancy still has to make difficult decisions. Do you keep the baby and try to save your future or do you create a whole other future while having the child? Do they raise the child together or do they become co-parents? If you think those questions are hard to answer when you’re in your 30s and 40s, it’s a lot harder to answer when you’re a teenager makes this film great as well as the performances. The two leads, Parker Padgett who plays Sam, and Devon Hales who plays Ana are fantastic and carry this film. They play their parts as if they are seasoned actors of 20 years or more while bringing an emotional level to their characters that will instantly make you connect with them. Julia Denton is also great as Sam’s mother. I didn’t expect this film to be so intense and it slowly draws you into the despair that both characters are going through in trying to make the smart decision, especially Sam as he’s trying to raise money for an abortion. He can’t ask his mother there aren’t many options for a teenager to raise fast cash so you can imagine where he turns to, to get lots of money. The interesting part of this film is you look at Sam as having the harder choice because he’s trying to do the right thing and he’s been told that he has to be a man… that he has to step up. Being raised by a single mother, he doesn’t have the support network that Ana does. It’s not often we talk about how hard it is on a guy who is trying to do the right thing when his girlfriend becomes pregnant, especially if he’s a teenager. But through Parker Padgett’s performance, you do feel connected to Sam and all the emotions he’s going through until he finds the right choice. That’s not only the mark of a great performance but a great story.  Devon Hale is equally as good at playing the part of not only his girlfriend but his conscience in trying to keep him honest with himself.

I honestly didn’t have any problems with this film. There are scenes that do linger longer than they should, but they’re hardly noticeable as you are enthralled with the performances of the main cast. You don’t necessarily like Julia Denton’s character right off the bat, but by the end of the film, you see what a great mother she is and how much she truly loves her son. The flashbacks work well in helping you understand Sam’s perception of his father until he learns the truth. Perhaps 10 or 15 minutes could have been cut out of the film, but it doesn’t make it any less emotional or stop you from really connecting with these characters, so my critiques are minor. I’m not saying it’s the type of movie you would rush out to go see in the theater because of the emotional weight that it carries within the story, but it’s definitely worth renting “On Demand” even if you only watch it once. Now the film doesn’t set out to make a political statement about pregnancy and abortion because it was filmed in 2019, but the political ramifications behind the story are there, and no matter your personal feelings regarding abortion, it’s easy to see that everybody has a right to make their own choice especially when it’s a hard one to make. The film doesn’t set out to make a political statement, but if there’s a statement it does make, the choices surrounding an unwanted pregnancy are emotional and perhaps there’s no ultimate right answer except for what’s be for you.  That’s the kind of great storytelling you have with this film. And that’s why everybody should see it. It’s not an easy film to watch, but it’s one that everybody should see because of the emotional connection that we can have to the story and the characters which are universal. Time will tell, but the film Icon may just end up being iconic in the long run!