Fat Girls…the Unspoken Club (not to be confused with Mo'Nique's current Phat Girlz) is the delightful “high school comedy” film by budding writer/director/actor Ash Christian.

As the young director/star states in the film's opening voiceover, "I've always felt like this little fat girl stuck in this stupid body of mine. You don't have to be fat to be a fat girl. You don't even have to be a girl. It's a state of mind. And whenever you're in a fellow fat girl's presence you know it right away. It's almost like an unspoken club no one really talks about."

Fat Girls is a coming-of-age tale of several odd yet endearing gay and straight Texas teenage students who, each for different reasons, are condemned as “outcasts” by their small-town Texas peers.

The movie contains at least three perfectly cast lead roles in the characters of high school senior and theater-lover Rodney (played by writer-director Ash Christian); his best friend Sabrina (played by newcomer Ashley Fink) and Sabrina's boyfriend Rudy (played by Robin de Jesus of the recent indie hit film Camp).

Rodney is the gay son of fundamentalist Christians, Sabrina is the overweight daughter of two lesbian moms, and Rudy is a Cuban refugee adopted by black parents. The three ban together to survive, and ultimately triumph over, the mistreatment showered on them by intolerant fellow schoolmates and townspeople.

In the course of the film, the somewhat dumpy and nerdy Rodney learns to accept the “fat girl” within, to discover and revel in his own true inner beauty. It is an analogy to his finding and accepting his own homosexuality.

Rodney also develops a relationship with the most handsome student in school (who happens to be gay and who even goes to the school prom with Rodney). It is the drama surrounding Rodney's asking and taking his dream date to the prom that makes up most of Fat Girls story which culminates in a classic, ultimate “high school prom” scene (think Grease--only geeky and gay).

In a subplot, Rodney's dreams and gay self-realizations are encouraged with the help of his theater teacher, Mr. Cox (played by Jonathan Caouette of the award-winning documentary Tarnation).

Mr. Cox is that wondrous type of gay iconic figure, the platonic, supportive gay high school teacher. From the sidelines at first, Cox offers guidance and wisdom to Rodney as the teen goes through the coming-out process. Certain unexpected events in Fat Girls bring the student and teacher closer together as the plot progresses.

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