Bex Taylor-Klaus, left, and filmmaker Adam Saunders star in Re-election
RICH LOPEZ | Staff Writer
Rich@DallasVoice.com
For many queer individuals of a certain age, high school was a challenging, uncomfortable or simply unenjoyable experience. Perhaps it was even filled with envy for crunchy perms and drill team routines — or is that just me?
While a return to high school might not appeal to everyone, filmmaker Adam Saunders (who is not queer) revisits his hometown of Richardson, in a sense, for his new film, Re-election.
The film centers on Jimmy (Saunders), who, due to missing credits, finds himself back in high school. His primary goal? To finally win the class presidency that eluded him during his initial high school years. He receives the help of Noa (Bex Taylor-Klaus), a student on the election committee, who takes on the task of bringing the pre-middle-aged protagonist up to speed on contemporary issues such as gender-neutral bathrooms, social media and, generally, how not to be a douche.
Ahead of the film, Saunders and Taylor-Klaus spoke about the film that takes place at Richardson High School and how Saunders created an inclusive and empathic film disguised as a smart and clever comedy.
Dallas Voice: First, did the film satisfy whatever itch you may have about going back to your high school? Adam Saunders: I just came from my 30th high school reunion in Dallas. We showed a preview of Re-election there and, actually, the current class president did a Q&A with me. It was great. Did it scratch my itch? I didn’t really have an interest in going back to RHS but yeah. It certainly scratched my itch to talk about empathy and all the things I want to talk about.
Adam, you wrote this very inclusively. What questions or conversations did you have while writing this? Saunders: At the time I was writing and producing a movie directed by a trans director, Silas Howard, and Tony (Danza) was in that movie. That’s how I met Tony (who stars in Re-election). I was already writing a movie about empathy and the point of public service being serving the public, but I hadn’t in that moment determined I’d have a NB (non-binary) character. But being around Silas for two years, it felt like that’s what this character should be. I wanted to represent marginalized communities.
Bex, what compelled you to take on this role? Bex Taylor-Klaus: I love good nonbinary representation where the story is not about coming out as nonbinary and the trials and tribulations of being nonbinary. This film is just this absolutely pos representation for this specific character, a nonbinary public servant in training. Someone with deep empathy, someone who deeply cares and sure they get picked on, but that’s high school. Instead, this character’s arc is learning to work with people, learning to interact with people and create friendship with people who may not have been first on the list to have in their life in any way shape or form. There are ways Jimmy and Noa don’t agree. The point is they work together and figure that out. They can find common ground.
Saunders: To piggyback on that, I think that’s the whole point. I think my feeling as a filmmaker and as a person is that so much of what is problematic in the world is because people have not spent time with other people. If you live in a community where everyone looks and acts like you and is the same, you’ll think others are bad, wrong, scary. The moment you spend time with “those people,” you realize they are just the same. For me, putting Noa front and center wasn’t so much to make it hear what they are going through.
I just did this screening in Texas, and someone in the crowd was wearing a confederate shirt. At the end, I said the point of this is that I wanted you and all of us to spend two hours with Noa. You come out of it feeling like they’re a good person but they don’t have to be. A lot of stuff can be solved by that.
Can you talk about navigating nostalgia and progress both with your school but then the issues of then to now for high school students? Saunders: Yeah, I mean, I think that’s the heart of it, right? Jimmy’s just focused on the past, on old grievances. What he learns is that the only escape out of that self-built prison is to focus on someone else. In this case that’s Noa. That’s his path out. Noa teaches him to care about others while Jimmy teaches Noa to fight for themselves.
Taylor-Klaus: They have that kind of “everything in moderation” outlook, but, in this case, Noa had too much in terms of standing up for themselves. And Jimmy had an overabundance of standing up for himself. And so this meeting in the middle, this beautiful ability to balance through community is really important to me.
How is it to see your film coming out at a time that’s so volatile politically where marginalized communities are targeted? Saunders: When I wrote it, I wanted it to come out in 2024, an election year. Now it’s coming out in 2025, and I actually think this has turned out to be the perfect time. We need it now way more than we needed a year ago. We need to remember that the other person is not the enemy, that everybody deserves a voice, that everybody should get to be themselves, and I’m actually really excited for it to come out right now.
Taylor-Klaus: I think it ended up being the perfect timing for it. Things are hard right now. Things are scary. Yeah, it’s a silly, goofy movie. It’s about a 40- year-old going to high school. But it also carries something so meaningful and important.
On a lighter note: What do you miss about high school? Taylor-Klaus: I miss the structure of it. I like something to follow that’s built for you. I think that’s the autism in me. I don’t miss the trial and error of figuring out who I am, and I don’t miss the volatile emotions. I went through second puberty, and it reminded me how much I didn’t miss first puberty.
Saunders: I just spent three days in a row with my high school class. There was something very peaceful about being with these people you used to spend all this time with when you didn’t have so much on your mind. I wouldn’t trade it. I wouldn’t go back, but I think the simplicity of it is something I am nostalgic about anyway.
Re-election opens in Dallas on Oct. 17 at the Angelika Film Center with special Q&A events on Oct 18 and 19. For showtimes, tickets and more information, visit ReelectionMovie.com