Category: LGBTQ+ Movie Reviews

Posted on

Parallel Sons (1995)

2022 Entry #022 02-01-22 “Parallel Sons” is an award winning 1995 gay-themed drama film, written and directed by John G. Young (“The Reception”, “Rivers Wash Over Me”, “bwoy”) whose work often deals with the intersections of race and sexuality. Starring Gabriel Mann (“Stonewall”, “I Shot Andy Warhol”, “High Art”, “Revenge”) and Laurence Mason. The film premiered at the 1995 Sundance Film Festival.

This film had been out for at least 10 years by the time I stumbled across it. I purchased it, watched it once and added it to my collection. I remembered enjoying it (though I got some of the details wrong) and I think I actually enjoyed it even more the second time around.

The film centers on Mann’s white small town character, a young man with artistic talent and a fascination with Black pop culture named Seth. Seth eventually crosses paths with a young Black man during a would-be robbery gone wrong due to the other man’s injuries, who Seth chooses to help, rather than turn in. An interesting friendship is formed between Seth and the man whose name is later revealed to be Knowledge and the film continues to unfold from there.

SPOILERS FOLLOW:

Seth tells the story of a child who went missing when Seth was younger and how everyone searched for the child but never found him and how this event revealed that a seemingly innocent, idyllic & beautiful setting was actually something far more sinister that could actually devour you. After Seth’s father caught him having sex with his school friends Marty & Kyle, his father told him that this was bad and if he ever did this again he would end up like the boy who disappeared. On screen he dies in the mountains just minutes after he becomes lovers with Knowledge.

If I gave any deeper thought to the film before, I have no memory of it, but examining it now there seem to be several parallel sons referenced by the title. The first being Knowledge and Seth, who both understand what it is to be looked down on for being gay. There’s also Seth and Malik (Johnathan Charles) who are both Knowledge’s boys (Seth is his lover and Malik is his son); both die by gun violence in which Knowledge is not the shooter. There’s also Seth and Marty & the unseen Kyle. Kyle is implied to have been the most openly gay of the three and we learn that he hung himself with his Superman bedsheets. Marty has gone on to be a racist asshole who seeks a career in law enforcement. While Seth has become a celibate young man obsessed with Black culture. It makes me wonder if Kyle was Black? Or maybe, Seth and Marty just chose to be opposites of one another to distance themselves? Or Marty, who seems the more closeted of the two, has just embraced small mindedness while Seth, whose homosexuality seems closer to the surface, and whose artistic nature have allowed him to be more openminded? I don’t know. But I enjoy the film.

Posted on

The Abominable Crime (2013)

2022 Entry #021 02-01-22 “The Abominable Crime” is a 2013 documentary which was directed by award winning producer Micah Fink. The film explores the impacts of homophobia through the eyes of two Jamaicans who are forced to choose between their homeland and their lives. Simone, a young lesbian mother, survives being shot outside of her home by anti-gay gunmen; her gay brother escaped. She must choose between living in hiding with her daughter in Jamaica or traveling alone to seek safety and asylum abroad. Maurice, Jamaica’s leading gay-rights activist, is outed shortly after filing a lawsuit to overturn Jamaica’s anti-sodomy law.

This was really well done; very impressive work. The film covers several years in the lives of these brave souls who not only make incredibly powerful and brave choices in their lives but also have the courage to allow their story to be told. The piece opens with a stylized prologue telling of the shooting that haunts Simone and drives her to action. We see her and her young daughter Khalya. We meet her brother Albert “Carl” Edwards and hear how their stories interconnect. And it’s all so heartbreaking and eventually inspiring. It wasn’t always easy to watch – I was very concerned about what would happen – and in the end I was happy to have watched this.

Maurice’s story is just another piece of this broken story. Having been outed after fighting for LGBT equality in Jamaica, Maruice and his husband are forced to flee to Canada. And yet Maurice continues to fight for his country and those he left behind by returning and seeking change.

I really liked this and I recommend watching it.

Posted on

Walk For Me (2016)

2022 Entry #020 02-01-22 “Walk For Me” is a 12 minute 2016 short film which was written and directed by Elegance Bratton (“Pier Kids”, “Buck”). The film is a contemporary coming out story about a trans girl named Hassan (Aaliyah King) who explores her identity voguing under the name Hanna and must make some difficult but intuitive decisions about how she will allow herself to be seen and how she will allow herself to be addressed.

Another great short! This was such a nice surprise. And I would welcome a feature length version.

Posted on

Pariah (2011)

2022 Entry #019 02-01-22 “Pariah” is a 2011 American drama film written and directed by Dee Rees (“Empire”, “When We Rise”). It tells the story of Alike (Adepero Oduye), a 17-year-old Black teenager embracing her identity as a lesbian. The film is a feature-length expansion of writer/director Dee Rees’ award-winning 2007 short film of the same name, which unfortunately I don’t have (yet). Spike Lee was one of the executive producers & filming took place in and around New York City, predominantly in the Fort Greene neighborhood in Brooklyn. The movie premiered at the 2011 Sundance Film Festival and was awarded the Excellence in Cinematography Award.

This film hit me so hard! This is the power of cinema and empathy. The brutality in being denied by those closest to you – even lovers who can’t face who they are – is a universal story that I’m sure resonates with many people. I know it did for me. I wept during this film. I have no complaints about this film. Highly recommended!

On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 95% based on 114 reviews, with an average rating of 7.87/10. The website’s critics consensus reads: “Pulsing with authenticity and led by a stirring lead performance from Adepero Oduye, Pariah is a powerful coming out/coming-of-age film that signals the arrival of a fresh new talent in writer/director Dee Rees.”

Incidentally, the first thing that I saw Adepero Oduye in was the Marvel Disney+ series “The Falcon and the Winter Soldier” in which she played Sarah Wilson, Sam / The Falcon’s sister, and I loved her in that also.

Posted on

Blue is the Warmest Color (2013)

2022 Entry #018 01-31-22 “Blue is the Warmest Color” is a an award winning 2013 romantic French drama film co-written, co-produced, and directed by Abdellatif Kechiche starring Léa Seydoux (“Spectre”, “No Time to Die”) and Adèle Exarchopoulos. The film follows Adèle (Exarchopoulos), a French teenager who discovers desire and freedom when an aspiring painter named Emma (Seydoux) enters her life. It charts their relationship from Adèle’s high school years to her early adult life and career as a school teacher. The premise of the film is based on the 2010 graphic novel of the same name by Jul Maroh.

I’ve been meaning to see this film for years. And though I considered skipping it today due to it’s nearly three hour run time, I accidentally started it and found that I couldn’t bring myself to stop. The film is very good, yet isn’t without some serious problems. The performances are all wonderful and the filmmaking is top notch but the movie features graphic, extensive sex scenes which are often, unfortunately, hard to take seriously. The graphic nature isn’t necessarily the problem, and that sex is featured in a film about sexual awaking and exploration of sexual identity is hardly surprising, yet the nature of the sexual acts, how they are viewed and explored is almost comical at times and uncomfortable at others. At first I thought this might only be my response to the piece but just skimming reactions online revealed that reams of clinical analysis featured much of the same feedback. Tellingly, Jul Maroh, the author of the graphic novel upon which the film was based, said, “It appears to me this was what was missing on the set: lesbians.” It is unfortunate that such a central part of the story is flawed, yet I think it is undeniably a film worth seeing and one that is also worthy of praise.

Posted on

In Beating Cells (2017)

2022 Entry #017 01-31-22 “In Beating Cells” is a 25 minute 2017 short German film which was directed by Richard Kranzin. The plot follows 4 friends as they take a trip to the country. The friends are Rico (Philipp Kronenberg), Julia (Linn Reusse), Friedrich (Lukas Sperber) & Eva (Zarina Zöller). Rico & Eva feel free in the country, Julia is cool with it but is looking forward to returning to the city and Friedrich is conflicted between his attraction to Rico (which is reciprocated without judgment by the others) and his girlfriend back home.

“We all get lost…with beating hearts…in beating cells. This small world, this pulsating membrane. Even in one leaf there are thousands. I want to feel it…before we forget it.”

I liked this one a lot. Sometimes shorts feel like fragments of something better…or like a rough draft that need not be developed to fruition, but given the poetry that flows through this piece, I felt it was perfect as is. That’s not to say that I wouldn’t welcome a feature length version, but it’s one of those shorts that accomplishes a lot in a very short amount of time.

Posted on

Boys Don’t Cry (1999)

2022 Entry #016 01-30-22 “Boys Don’t Cry” is a devastating 1999 American biographical film directed by Kimberly Peirce, and co-written by Peirce and Andy Bienen. The film is a dramatization of the real-life story of Brandon Teena, an American trans man who attempts to find himself and love in Nebraska but falls victim to a brutal hate crime perpetrated by John Lotter & Marvin “Tom” Nissen, two male acquaintances.

The film stars Hilary Swank (“Quiet Days in Hollywood”, “The Black Dahlia”) as Brandon; she won an Oscar for her performance. Chloë Sevigny (“If These Walls Could Talk 2”, “American Psycho”, “Party Monster”, “3 Needles”, “Will & Grace”, “We Are Who We Are”) plays Lana Tisdel, the young woman that Brandon fell in love with. Peter Sarsgaard (“Kinsey”, “The Dying Gaul”) plays John Lotter & Brendan Sexton III (“Welcome to the Dollhouse”) plays Nissen.

I read about the murder of Brandon Teena in the newspaper. I was out to my grandmother at the time and I read the story to her in tears. When I heard that there would be a film version, part of me was happy that others would learn of his story, part of me was concerned the film wouldn’t do him justice…and the rest of me just dreaded having to relive the emotions of my original reaction. I saw the film once when it was new and I’m pretty sure I fast-forwarded several bits because I just couldn’t handle it.

This time there was no fast-forwarding and while I was able to enjoy much of the film, there were more tears, but a lot of respect for those telling this story. It’s a well made film, which frustratingly struggled with the ratings board, not because of the violence against Brandon, but because of its perceived lesbianism – a story which is explored in the excellent documentary “This Film is Not Yet Rated” – which I highly recommend viewing.

So, why have I re-watched it? Since March of 2020 I’ve been making an effort to see more LGBTQ+ movies while revisiting ones that I’d already seen. It’s become something I really enjoy and something very healing. But I recently noticed that in the last 2 years, out of the 603 movies I watched in that period of time, only a small fracture were lesbian or trans inclusive titles and I’ve decided to correct that if I can in 2022. Part of the reason I was hesitant to view trans inclusive titles is that even well told stories controversially rely on cis gender actors and I didn’t want to be attacked for supporting such films. And frankly, a big chunk of trans stories involve their deaths. I find that quite emotional, but violence against trans women, and especially trans women of color, is a sad fact of life…which film can telegraph to the public – just as long as these are not the only stories that are told. I mean, I remember when for years most gay themed stories were about us dying of AIDS or hate crimes and while those aspects of our subculture are valid, when that’s all that anybody sees it sends all kinds of messages to people, like why are we only allowed to be in film if we’re victims? That kind of a thing. Thankfully gay representation has really flourished in the last 20 years and now those old images of us seem less offensive now because they are balanced. I’m hoping to find some balance for trans stories as well.

Posted on

Gay Sex in the 70s (2005)

2022 Entry #015 01-30-22 “Gay Sex in the 70s” is a 2005 American documentary film about gay sexual culture in New York City in the 1970s; which specifically focuses on the years between Stonewall and AIDS (roughly 1969 – 1981). The film was directed by Joseph Lovett, who produced the documentaries “In a New Light: A Call to Action in the War Against AIDS” & “Rock Bottom: Gay Men & Meth”. The film uses archival footage and interviews to illuminate the world of gay anonymous and casual sex in various settings, such as dance clubs, bathhouses, bars, Fire Island, etc. Interviewees include Larry Kramer, Tom Bianchi, Barton Lidice Beneš, Rodger McFarlane, and many others.

I purchased this when it was a new DVD release and though I only watched it once back then, I remembered that I enjoyed it. I specifically remembered that the documentary did a good job with framing this time of sexual liberation and explaining why such personal freedom was revelatory and only made sense. Watching it again now, like other films in this project, I have a greater insight into much of the New York setting. I’ve lived in New York for almost 10 years. I’ve been to Fire Island multiple times. I’ve seen what’s left of the piers depicted in the film and I’ve marched in the Pride Parade 4 times.

This is a very good documentary.

Posted on

The Badge (2002)

2022 Entry #014 01-30-22 “The Badge” is a 2002 mystery-thriller film which was written and directed by Robby Henson. The film stars Billy Bob Thornton (“Tombstone”, “Sling Blade”, & Ellen’s historic “The Puppy Episode”) & Patricia Arquette, with Jenna Malone (“Life as a House”, “American Girl”, “Saved!”) & Thomas Haden Church (“Easy A”).

The story follows Thornton’s homophobic Louisiana sheriff Darl Hardwick, as he hesitantly investigates the murder of a pre-op trans woman named Mona, at the behest of the victim’s wife Scarlett (Arquette). As Hardwick struggles to find justice for Mona, he is forced to face much of his own prejudice and make amends with his gay brother David (Church).

I bought this movie when it was relatively new, but I put off watching it. I knew that the film dealt with the death of a trans woman, and while I’ve always been interested in seeing LGBTQ lives depicted, I wasn’t sure this would be worth it. This changed over the years as Alexis Arquette, Patricia’s sister, came out as a trans woman, and I figured she wouldn’t appear in anything that would be too offensive. And while there were times that I strongly disliked the characters in the film and I can’t say that it’s a great movie, it wasn’t the horrible nightmare of transphobic bullshit that I had originally feared. I can’t give it a solid recommendation, but I also don’t regret watching it.

Posted on

Wild Things (1998)

2022 Entry #013 01-30-22 “Wild Things” is a delightfully trashy 1998 American neo-noir erotic crime thriller film directed by John McNaughton and starring Matt Dillon (“In & Out”), Neve Campbell (“54”, “Three to Tango”, “Intimate Affairs”), Kevin Bacon (“Queens Logic”, “Beauty Shop”), Denise Richards (“Nowhere”), Bill Murray (“Tootsie”, “Groundhog Day”), Theresa Russell (“Black Widow”) & Daphne Rubin-Vega (“Flawless”, “Sex and the City”, “Smash”, “Rent: Live”, “Tales of the City” “tick, tick…BOOM!”). The story is set in south Florida, where a high school counselor (Dillion) is accused of rape by two female students (Campbell & Richards), but the police officers investigating (Bacon & Rubin-Vega) suspect something more is going on.

I’m sure this movie makes a lot of people’s guilty pleasure lists. Most of the characters (like “Basic Instinct”) are horrible people, but they’re so much fun! But why is the movie on this list? Spoilers follow, which frankly, are more fun to discover on your own if you’ve not seen it. But if you don’t care, then feel free to continue.

The film reveals (or at least implies) that Neve Campbell’s character, Suzie Toller, was lovers with Denice Richards’s character, Kelly Van Ryan, before the start of the film…and that she is also (secretly) Kelly’s aunt. The question of if that backstory is true or not is because this a twisty puzzle of a movie and it’s possible that some of that backstory is forged…and yet even if it’s all a lie…there’s more. During the film, Suzie and Kelly have sex, both with Dillon’s Sam Lombardo along as an instigator, and on their own. In addition to that, there’s a subtle homoeroticism between Lombardo and Kevin Bacon’s Sergeant Ray Duquette. In the film, Lombardo calls Duquette a cocksucker and the reaction from the Sergeant is priceless; and maybe it’s just me, but it left me feeling like Duquette has sucked off Lombardo at some point. If that seems too tenuous, there’s a famous scene later in the film where Lombardo returns to his cabin to find Duquette in his shower, with Kevin Bacon going fully frontal, and the two seem totally comfortable with this scenario. Mix this with Bill Murray’s sleazy lawyer character questioning if the student accusing Lombardo is male or female, Lombardo’s deck hands and him later putting Duquette in that role and there’s a lot of suggestion going on.

I read somewhere years ago that the creative team had toyed with making the men lovers but that they felt like that might cross a line, and as much as I would have loved to see it, they were probably right. The LGBTQ audience had started boycotting films that portrayed all the queer characters in movies as murderous, duplicitous monsters…and they may well have skipped this movie if that were the case here. And straight male audiences, tend to not go for gay male movie storylines; the inclusion and upset over minor gay characters in recent animated and comic book based films is unfortunately testament to that. And of course straight men and women generally find bi or lesbian women either titillating or completely non-threatening. Still, this movie felt like something a bit more than the usual girl on girl tease.

Oh. And stick around through the end credits.

error: Content is protected !!