eighteen a write and direct by richard bell may have a few too many story to tell simultaneously for a 102 minute movie to completely succeed and but there be such a fine sense of commitment on the part of all the cast and crew that the viewer end up want the movie to work and so it do . yes and aspect could have be finessed if the producer have more money to spend on the final cut and but a a small independent movie from canada this be a tender and gently humorous and very touching tale about vulnerability and communication and commitment . it work on many level . in a very well choreographed opening we be voyeur at a family dinner where obviously something have go awry and result in a father and two son take off in a car and have an accident in which one of the son be kill . with an introduction like that the mood be set for the survive 18 year old pip son ( paul anthony look far too old for credibility a a teenager ) to desert his family and live on the street . he meet clark ( clarence sponagle ) a male prostitute who give pip food and shelter and jenny ( the very fine carly pope ) who save him from a bashing by her associate derek ( ryan mcdonell ) and become romantically entangle with pip and and father chris ( alan cumming ) in a finely wrought sympathetic role a a priest . it be pip 18th birthday and his father ( serge houde ) trace pip down to give him a present from his decease grandfather with instruction the gift should be open on pip 18th birthday . pip and though drinking too much and full of anger and pawn the tape machine but keep the tape and begin to listen to the word of his grandfather jason ( voice by ian mckellen ) who recount his own 18th birthday in ww ii in france where he ( now the very sensitive actor brendan fletcher ) have an experience with a wounded medic name macauley ( mark hildreth and also superb ) and reflect on his one night marriage with a cabaret singer hannah ( thea gill of queer a folk fame and a fine singer and actress here ) and only for something to live for during the war represent jason offer succor to macauley a he die and with a beautiful scene of redemption for he two men at the end . the parallel of pip and grandfather jason interplay every time pip listen to the tape and lead pip to ultimately alter his view of life and love . subplots include clark isolated existence a a hustler be alter by jeff ( david beazely in a surprisingly fine film debut ) who simply want to be love while by an unexpected pregnancy between jenny and pip while by the trust father chris instills in both pip and clark in a good shepherd manner represent and by a flashback to the car accident where pip could have save his brother daniel ( paul dzenkiw ) from an abusive act at the hand of his father and just before the accident and but fail to do so and open his deep guilt and resultant misplace anger and mirror by his grandfather tap experience . each of these subplots pull together at the end and create a sense of closure for each of the people involve . there be aspect of this film that make it seem like a big budget production represent the musical score by bramwell tovey be perform by the vancouver symphony member and the cinematography by kevin van niekerk be aptly atmospheric and and the general quality of act by this canadian cast be very fine . though paul anthony handle his role well and cast a very young teenager in the pivotal main role would have make the story work much well and and richard bell and with only one other film two brother on his resume and give promise of a young talent to watch . despite the shortcoming and eighteen be a worthwhile film and deserve attention . grady harp .