Closet Monster

Closet Monster centres on Oscar Madly, a creative teenager in Newfoundland who is determined to leave his hometown behind. His parents have separated, and he lives with his father while supporting himself with a job at a hardware store. Art is where his real talent lies, expressed through makeup work for his best friend Gemma and drawings inspired by fantasy films. A childhood trauma has left him fearful of being open about his sexuality in a small town, and the arrival of a rebellious co-worker named Wilder stirs feelings he struggles to understand. His imagination and a hamster he talks with help him confront what haunts him.

Stephen Dunn wrote and directed the film, his first feature. Connor Jessup plays Oscar, with Aaron Abrams and Joanne Kelly as his parents, Aliocha Schneider as Wilder, Sofia Banzhaf as Gemma and Jack Fulton as the young Oscar. The production involved 27 credited cast members and 57 credited crew.

Released in 2016, the Canadian drama runs 90 minutes and blends drama with fantasy and mystery. It holds a rating of 7 out of 10 on IMDb from around 9,700 votes and 7 out of 10 on TMDB from roughly 300 votes, while critics gave it 6.8 out of 10 across 35 reviews. The two audience scores are closely aligned, and the critics' rating sits only slightly below them.