9 LGBTQ films screening at festivals this fall
The Fall film festival circuit will screen many of this year’s highly anticipated new films by gay directors, including Andrew Haigh’s “A Long Winter,” Pedro Almódovar’s “Bitter Christmas,” Jordan Firstman’s “Club Kid,” Lukas Dhont’s “Coward,” Javier Ambrossi and Javier Calvo’s “La Bola Negra,” and Ira Sachs’ “The Man I Love,” among others. But there are … Read More
Mark
0
1
The Fall film festival circuit will screen many of this year’s highly anticipated new films by gay directors, including Andrew Haigh’s “A Long Winter,” Pedro Almódovar’s “Bitter Christmas,” Jordan Firstman’s “Club Kid,” Lukas Dhont’s “Coward,” Javier Ambrossi and Javier Calvo’s “La Bola Negra,” and Ira Sachs’ “The Man I Love,” among others. But there are several other LGBTQ films screening at fests that will hopefully make their way to U.S. theaters in the next year. Here are a handful of titles playing at various fall film festivals to look out for in the future.
The Venice Film Festival hosted the world premiere of “Salon de Belleza,” an artsy, intriguing drama about the title establishment that was once dedicated to beauty but is now dedicated to death. An unnamed gay hairdresser (Sam Louwyck) cares for the dying in his salon, which has been turned into a moridero (a kind of hospice). Through periodic voiceovers — the film has few words — he reflects on his life, with flashbacks recounting livelier times at the salon or a nightclub. Some episodes may be pure imagination, such as a scene of him naked with another man on a bed in a room. He also ventures into a bathhouse, and cares for Juan (Erwan Kepoa Falé), a wounded man who arrives at his salon one day. “Salon de Belleza” is a hypnotic experience with scenes of the protagonist carefully tending to his fish tanks or a leaking ceiling to more poetic moments like a zoom through a hole in the wall that reveal an ocean, or a kid setting off a firecracker in the street, that spark connections of memory and longing. This is a film for viewers to soak in its atmosphere.
Another film that had its world premiere at Venice is “Lovers in the Blue Night,” by writer/director Anuparna Roy (“Songs of Forgotten Trees”). This aching, slow-burn romantic drama tells two parallel stories. Karim (Pritam Pilania) is a gay man eking out life in Mumbai with his wife (of convenience), Ameena (Neelima Sharma). When Karim helps Sukka (Bhushan Shimpi), a thief, the two men share a cigarette that eventually leads to a kiss and greater intimacy. Meanwhile, Ameena pursues Omran (Jatin Sarin), a colleague at the bar she manages, because she believes he is writing her secret letters. The first half of this absorbing film focuses on the quotidian worlds of the characters, and Roy’s delicate approach allows viewers to know and care for these lost souls. After the characters start to couple up and express their desires, revelations come to light that may impact each relationship. As the characters seek to cure their loneliness and sometimes suffer rejection, “Lovers in the Blue Night” builds to a poignant and affecting conclusion.
[caption id="attachment_64982" align="aligncenter" width="700"]
"Lovers in the Blue Night," by writer/director Anuparna Roy, had its world premiere at Venice.The PR Factory[/caption]
Having its world premiere at this year’s Toronto International Film Festival is “Seventeen,” named for the number of hours the film’s three queer Indigenous protagonists have to resolve their problems. In writer/director Justin Ducharme’s promising feature debut, Aidan (Taio Gélinas) performs sex work to raise the money he needs to move into an apartment. However, he experiences a setback when he loses his wallet. December (Aalayna), who finds Aiden’s wallet, has just lost her father, with whom she had a complicated relationship. As she debates about returning home, December helps Tamara (Nizhonniya Austin), who has lost her passport and needs it to return to the States and avoid deportation because her visa expires at midnight. “Seventeen” is, obviously, about various iterations of home, but this engaging film is also about 2 Spirit Supremacy — Aidan tags that phrase on a wall — and chosen family. These queer characters rely on their networks of supportive friends and relatives to achieve their goals. The low-key vibe includes some terrific moments, from Aidan offering some advice to his client, John (Jaren Moore) to Tamara getting some perspective from a stranger she meets at a karaoke bar. Ducharme’s film may have some contrived moments, but it is appealing, nonetheless.
Also having its world premiere at Toronto is “Ancestors,” writer/director David Turpin’s auspicious debut, a moody drama set in 1988 England. Beau (Éanna Hardwicke) works in a café owned by Maurice (Rupert Everett). When Beau meets Tiny (Jack Wolfe), who needs a job and a home, he reluctantly takes him in. “Ancestors” artfully toggles back and forth in time between the past, when Beau took care of Tiny who is HIV+, and present-day scenes of Beau searching for Tiny, who has gone missing. Turpin thoughtfully considers issues of life, death, and grief, as well as guilt and shame, as the characters all “need something to keep them here in this world.” Beautifully made — the lighting is exquisite, especially in a scene where Beau and Tiny share a bed, or during episodes featuring an actress (Christina Hendricks) that Maurice worships. This is an emotional film, and Hardwicke, who has a magnetic screen presence, delivers a superb portrait of a gay man coping with loss and seeking healing.
Also playing at Toronto is director Louise Bagnall’s enchanting queer 2-D animated feature, “Julián,” which is based on the book “Julián is a Mermaid,” by Jessica Love. Co-written by queer storyteller juliany taveras, this film depicts the eventful summer that the young Julián (voiced by Knyght Darius Jack) spends with his Dominican grandmother/abuela, Carmela (Micania Diaz-Rojas), in Brooklyn. He and his abuela have trouble connecting initially, and Julián finds comfort in a sprite named Luna that only he can see. As Julián struggles to fit in in this new environment, he looks forward to the Mermaid Parade. Carmela helps him design a costume, but when Julián wears it at the local pool, he encounters some bullying from other boys. He soon finding inner strength and support from Yemayá (Lisa-Kaindé Diaz and Naomi Diaz), an Ocean goddess. “Julián” is a vibrant story about self-worth that is as delightful as it is empowering.
[caption id="attachment_64983" align="aligncenter" width="700"]
“Julián" is based on the book “Julián is a Mermaid."The PR Factory[/caption]
Two queer Canadian shorts have their world premieres at Toronto. “Buddies” is a sensitive short about two teens, Aiden (Mercer Goddard) and Lucas (Freddie Markelov), who ski, play video games, wrestle, and vape during a sleepover weekend. When one boy realizes he has more affection for his buddy, he grapples uncomfortably with his emotions. Director Fraser Wolfe captures the teen’s inchoate feelings well in this haunting film.
The short, “Driftwood,” stars writer/director A.C. Birch as Tyler, a trans man who loses his packer during an awful sexual encounter. The next day, he and his bestie, CJ (Breton Lalama) head to Toronto Island and find some driftwood that provides a temporary but necessary substitute. “Driftwood” is a poignant short about self-empowerment buoyed by the easygoing rapport between the two friends.
Two films from Latin America featuring trans protagonists will be screening at the AFI Latin American Film Festival in Silver Spring, MD in the coming weeks.
“Nosotros,” the stunning debut by writer/director Joaquín Ruano, just had its world premiere at Toronto, and will play AFI on Sept. 27 and 30. Romero (Jozef Coxaj) is a young Indigenous man in rural Guatemala who wants to work in the city to pay off a debt. Getting a job as a security guard in a mall, he meets Nubia (Lola Vásquez), a trans woman who owns one of the stores. The lonely and horny Romero slowly befriends Nubia, who takes him out for a meal and gets to know him. They soon begin a passionate affair that unfolds mostly in secret meetings. Ruano films “Nosotros” in artfully composed fixed frames — the camera only occasionally moves — but the scenes reveal much about the characters. A wordless shot of the lovers lying naked in bed together is as powerful as an argument they have in a mall bathroom. But Romero is frequently teased by his homophobic and transphobic colleagues. A compelling drama about masculinity and identity, “Nosotros” packs an emotional wallop and the two leads give fantastic, lived-in performances.
“Eva,” screening at AFI on Oct. 2 and 4, is a melancholic melodrama about the trans title character (Endry Cardeño) who lives with her son, Gustavo (Jancel Aguilar), and his pregnant girlfriend, Elsa (Eyli Salgado). Eva is romantically involved with Antonio (Denis Mencia), but he is reluctant to meet her family, which upsets her. When Elsa dies during childbirth, Eva takes on the responsibility of caring for Gustavo’s baby; her son is too overcome with grief to handle fatherhood. “Eva” soon becomes a touching story of reconstituted family as its characters grapple with loss and resentments, but also open themselves up to new possibilities. Cardeño gives an impassioned performance as Eva, a mother who knows best. She exhibits tough love when she tries to guide Gustavo, and corrects a hospital worker who misgenders her, but the film’s best moments have Eva telling Antonio about her father or joyfully dancing with an infectious sense of freedom and self-love.
"Lovers in the Blue Night," by writer/director Anuparna Roy, had its world premiere at Venice.The PR Factory[/caption]
Having its world premiere at this year’s Toronto International Film Festival is “Seventeen,” named for the number of hours the film’s three queer Indigenous protagonists have to resolve their problems. In writer/director Justin Ducharme’s promising feature debut, Aidan (Taio Gélinas) performs sex work to raise the money he needs to move into an apartment. However, he experiences a setback when he loses his wallet. December (Aalayna), who finds Aiden’s wallet, has just lost her father, with whom she had a complicated relationship. As she debates about returning home, December helps Tamara (Nizhonniya Austin), who has lost her passport and needs it to return to the States and avoid deportation because her visa expires at midnight. “Seventeen” is, obviously, about various iterations of home, but this engaging film is also about 2 Spirit Supremacy — Aidan tags that phrase on a wall — and chosen family. These queer characters rely on their networks of supportive friends and relatives to achieve their goals. The low-key vibe includes some terrific moments, from Aidan offering some advice to his client, John (Jaren Moore) to Tamara getting some perspective from a stranger she meets at a karaoke bar. Ducharme’s film may have some contrived moments, but it is appealing, nonetheless.
Also having its world premiere at Toronto is “Ancestors,” writer/director David Turpin’s auspicious debut, a moody drama set in 1988 England. Beau (Éanna Hardwicke) works in a café owned by Maurice (Rupert Everett). When Beau meets Tiny (Jack Wolfe), who needs a job and a home, he reluctantly takes him in. “Ancestors” artfully toggles back and forth in time between the past, when Beau took care of Tiny who is HIV+, and present-day scenes of Beau searching for Tiny, who has gone missing. Turpin thoughtfully considers issues of life, death, and grief, as well as guilt and shame, as the characters all “need something to keep them here in this world.” Beautifully made — the lighting is exquisite, especially in a scene where Beau and Tiny share a bed, or during episodes featuring an actress (Christina Hendricks) that Maurice worships. This is an emotional film, and Hardwicke, who has a magnetic screen presence, delivers a superb portrait of a gay man coping with loss and seeking healing.
Also playing at Toronto is director Louise Bagnall’s enchanting queer 2-D animated feature, “Julián,” which is based on the book “Julián is a Mermaid,” by Jessica Love. Co-written by queer storyteller juliany taveras, this film depicts the eventful summer that the young Julián (voiced by Knyght Darius Jack) spends with his Dominican grandmother/abuela, Carmela (Micania Diaz-Rojas), in Brooklyn. He and his abuela have trouble connecting initially, and Julián finds comfort in a sprite named Luna that only he can see. As Julián struggles to fit in in this new environment, he looks forward to the Mermaid Parade. Carmela helps him design a costume, but when Julián wears it at the local pool, he encounters some bullying from other boys. He soon finding inner strength and support from Yemayá (Lisa-Kaindé Diaz and Naomi Diaz), an Ocean goddess. “Julián” is a vibrant story about self-worth that is as delightful as it is empowering.
[caption id="attachment_64983" align="aligncenter" width="700"] “Julián" is based on the book “Julián is a Mermaid."The PR Factory[/caption]
Two queer Canadian shorts have their world premieres at Toronto. “Buddies” is a sensitive short about two teens, Aiden (Mercer Goddard) and Lucas (Freddie Markelov), who ski, play video games, wrestle, and vape during a sleepover weekend. When one boy realizes he has more affection for his buddy, he grapples uncomfortably with his emotions. Director Fraser Wolfe captures the teen’s inchoate feelings well in this haunting film.
The short, “Driftwood,” stars writer/director A.C. Birch as Tyler, a trans man who loses his packer during an awful sexual encounter. The next day, he and his bestie, CJ (Breton Lalama) head to Toronto Island and find some driftwood that provides a temporary but necessary substitute. “Driftwood” is a poignant short about self-empowerment buoyed by the easygoing rapport between the two friends.
Two films from Latin America featuring trans protagonists will be screening at the AFI Latin American Film Festival in Silver Spring, MD in the coming weeks.
“Nosotros,” the stunning debut by writer/director Joaquín Ruano, just had its world premiere at Toronto, and will play AFI on Sept. 27 and 30. Romero (Jozef Coxaj) is a young Indigenous man in rural Guatemala who wants to work in the city to pay off a debt. Getting a job as a security guard in a mall, he meets Nubia (Lola Vásquez), a trans woman who owns one of the stores. The lonely and horny Romero slowly befriends Nubia, who takes him out for a meal and gets to know him. They soon begin a passionate affair that unfolds mostly in secret meetings. Ruano films “Nosotros” in artfully composed fixed frames — the camera only occasionally moves — but the scenes reveal much about the characters. A wordless shot of the lovers lying naked in bed together is as powerful as an argument they have in a mall bathroom. But Romero is frequently teased by his homophobic and transphobic colleagues. A compelling drama about masculinity and identity, “Nosotros” packs an emotional wallop and the two leads give fantastic, lived-in performances.
“Eva,” screening at AFI on Oct. 2 and 4, is a melancholic melodrama about the trans title character (Endry Cardeño) who lives with her son, Gustavo (Jancel Aguilar), and his pregnant girlfriend, Elsa (Eyli Salgado). Eva is romantically involved with Antonio (Denis Mencia), but he is reluctant to meet her family, which upsets her. When Elsa dies during childbirth, Eva takes on the responsibility of caring for Gustavo’s baby; her son is too overcome with grief to handle fatherhood. “Eva” soon becomes a touching story of reconstituted family as its characters grapple with loss and resentments, but also open themselves up to new possibilities. Cardeño gives an impassioned performance as Eva, a mother who knows best. She exhibits tough love when she tries to guide Gustavo, and corrects a hospital worker who misgenders her, but the film’s best moments have Eva telling Antonio about her father or joyfully dancing with an infectious sense of freedom and self-love. 
