Sunflower Hour
This brilliant mockumentary puts overlooked children’s entertainers in a whole new light. I wish this was a TV series so I could continue to watch these characters on a weekly basis: it’s that funny.
Aaron Houston wrote and directed this comedy, starring four unlikely puppeteers who audition for the children’s show Sunflower Hour, which just happens to be run by porn moguls.
Leslie (Patrick Gilmore) is a closeted, clueless Christian whose evangelist puppet preaches against homosexuality; Shamus (Ben Cotton), the stereotyped Irishman with an overly social leprechaun puppet. Spawn of Satan (Kacey Rohl) is the outcast teenage goth who wants to prove a point; David (Amitai Marmorstein), a bullied optimist who knows all the songs to Sunflower Hour.
The puppet Bootsy was inspired by Elmo; the rest of the puppets are extensions of the characters, which leads to hilarious and awkward situations.
Houston’s inspiration came for this project while watching a children’s show with his daughter. The concept of ego came to mind when the puppeteer’s names in the credits were bigger than any other names. That’s how Sunflower Hour was born.
Then, the whole film was shot in Vancouver on a $29,000 budget. Not bad for such a great movie.