Toby

Toby as a character is first introduced as a demoralized and disheveled young man, observing a hateful protest against gay rights from afar. He looks hopeless and lost. The juxtaposition of the song (the sad piano, the lyrics and the quieting of the singing) and these important cross-cutting scenes, strengthens the connection between George, the main character, and Toby. There’s empathy of the highest degree at play, and there’s more to Toby’s story. Touching indeed, but what is his connection with the singer? – the viewer might ask.

Character TobyActorLaurent Marion

In a surreal scene, as LGBT protesters spur their hatred in the background, Toby faces a man and a woman and asks them “Can I come back home?” We understand that these are his parents and that they kicked hi out because he’s gay. Will his parents’ hearts soften?

The father, Jon, looks at Marie for a response, almost with a begging look. She remains neutral and her response isn’t shown. Will he be accepted back home?

In a touching scene, perhaps reflecting a shower prayer fantasy, the family is gathered around a dinner table. As we dolly in, Jon lovingly replenishes Toby’s plate. Toby’s sister, a young woman with an LGBTQ flag pinned on her shirt, has seemingly played a big part in the opening of the minds of the parents.

Here, with Toby’s storyline, the director presents the happy ending some unfortunate adolescents have fantasized about but never enjoyed. If the music video opens the mind of one single parent who’s done that to their kid, or to a sibling who can help their fellow sibling in need of understanding, The Shower Song has indeed accomplished its mission.

P.S. The drawings are pre-production sketches that were based on the director’s vision and inspiration. In function, they were a guiding force that helped carve the filmed scenes’ composition. At times, you might notice discrepancies between the sketch and the actual scene, and this happens for various reasons: some things look better a certain way in practice, limited resources limit the possibilities or even, the director has honed the idea, or decided to change the meaning entirely. For most of The Shower Song though, the scenes have come out spot-on identical to the vision.