Dayton And Faris Sizing Up Second Feature

Surprises like Little Miss Sunshine are all too rare. At the start of the year, I had barely any awareness of it at all - beyond knowing that the cast was really very interesting and that directors Dayton and Faris had made some pretty strong music videos. The, after Sundance and the record breaking pay-out that secured distribution rights for Fox Searchlight, I was very keen to see the film and suss out the fuss. I was going to have to wait quite some time.

It was six months later, when I finally managed to scoop tickets to a preview, keen and intrigued but hardly expecting a masterpiece. Seldom do I so underestimate a movie from having seen it's trailers.

The film is a classic example of good sense, good taste, skill and impeccable craftsmanship. From beginning to end, I was rivetted, and I don't appear to be alone in this - actually, I expect Little Miss Sunshine to swag a whole bag of Golden Globes and Oscars, for what it's worth. Then again, I said this about Maria Full of Grace - almost every word.

Dayton and Faris are now in talks to firm up their second feature film and it sounds like a massively promising prospect. The Abstinence Teacher is to be adapted by Tom Perotta from his own novel - as-yet unpublished, due in the Autumn. The lead character is a sex-ed teacher in 'small town America' who fights Conservative groups for her right to tell the kids all about the birds and the bees, all the while starting a romance with a born-again soccer coach. Certainly sounds like Perotta.

We're going to have to wait sometime to see this film and I can't help but hope that it ends up being the third film from Dayton and Faris - if only so they can get something moving in the meantime. I don't cope so well with waiting for films from my favourite directors - I can get quite boring, going on and on and on and on about them...

So, prepare yourselves for two years (or more) of posts about The Abstinence Teacher.