New Film Cherub Uplifts Big Men and Their Admirers

Cherub, the new film about a straight man discovering the queer chub/chaser scene, from Toronto based filmmaker Devin Shears will screen at the BFI Flare queer film festival this month.

Harvey is a chubby, single man approaching middle age, watching the world move without him and yearning for some form of connection. Working as a lab technician and living alone, he is stuck in a cycle of routine monotony, spending his days all but invisible to those that he encounters. So when he comes across Cherub, a gay magazine for “big men and their admirers” and their call for a new “Cherub of the Month”, a spark is ignited in him – the chance to give something, to be seen, and to be desired.

Almost entirely dialogue-free, Cherub is a gentle film that takes its time in exploring all the nooks and crannies of Harvey’s life through long, observational tableaus and an understated yet dynamic performance from newcomer Benjamin Turnbull.

“Years ago I came across a gay bear magazine from the turn of the 21st century called the Fat Angel Times that featured, amongst the ads for events and personals, erotic photos of large men” shared filmmaker Devin Shears. “Growing up fat and queer, I had access to communities online to contextualize my body and my desires, and seeing this magazine struck a nerve. What would it be like to have come across this magazine at a time where there were virtually no intimate photos of bodies like mine? I was also struck by the invocation of an otherworldly being in the publication’s name, as if to be gazed upon like an angel from heaven. With these ideas in mind, Cherub was conceived, with Harvey as it’s fat, ostensibly-straight conduit to explore this corner of queer history.”

“As with many of my short films” Shears continued, “Cherub explores queer alienation and loneliness, but with the aim to delight and surprise as much as create moments of quiet introspection. Much of this is achieved through the incredible work of my principal performer, Benjamin Turnbull. Despite having very little acting experience, he gives so much nuance, pathos, and joy through the simplest of expressions. Ultimately, the film is about making visible a life unseen, and Ben brings so much vivid detail to Harvey and so beautifully paints a portrait.”

The film has previously screened at the Vancouver Intl. Film Festival and Montreal’s Festival du Nouveau Cinema and will screen at BFI Flare Film Fest in London later this month. (Get tickets HERE.)

Devin Shears the visionary filmmaker behind Cherub is from St. John’s, Newfoundland and currently living in Toronto. His past work has played at VIFF, The Atlantic Film Festival, and Antimatter, among others. Cherub is his first feature film, made as part of his MFA thesis at York University.