Tag: LGBT Movie Review
Read the latest LGBT+ film reviews from THEGAYUK.
-
FILM REVIEW | How To Have A Relationship
A series of film shorts exploring the complexities of relationships.
-
FILM REVIEW | Les Invisibles
★★★★★ | Les Invisibles
A refreshingly honest and prevailing documentary film following the lives of eleven elderly gay men and women, something which has had little representation in gay culture.
A superb collection of intimate autobiographical stories on what it was like growing up being gay and the pain of suppression. Somehow it seems more sincere coming from elderly people with incredibly fascinating memories to share. It was so easy to become affectionate towards these unashamed individuals and their lives.
The film uses a collection of personal photographs and home footage to reveal the memories. At intervals the exceptional cinematography oozed of beauty.
Although these individuals grew up in a different society as what we live in today, it is still touching to hear similar experiences of growing up being gay, and in particular, other peoples reactions to being gay. Some came from a time where it was scandalous to even claim to be proud of being gay.
This film really made me think. It reminded me of the importance of acceptance in others, and acceptance in oneself. It made me proud to be part of a community of shared experience. But most of all it made me proud that a film has been lovingly and unpretentiously made which is honest and real. The highlight of the film festival so far.
Outstanding
-
FILM REVIEW | Fragments
A series of spectacular experimental short films which explore memory and gay culture. Art lovers prepare to be amazed…
1. Kiss ★★★★
A superb silent composition consisting of a single couple in frame, kissing. The black and white film has an air of romanticism and sexual lust about it. Following on from this, the same clips are played, but this time in colour and with the sound of kissing. This was a less attractive portrayal. An excellent arrangement of film and artistic questioning.
2. Birthplace ★★★
A spoken memory about growing up in a strong family unit which radiated out into the village culture. This is juxtaposed with a grainy Super 8 film full of exaggerated hue. Nostalgic and heartfelt.
3. Things Art Different Now ★★★
A film with a kind of painterly image quality. Single face shots are placed into context through a memory of persecution and the painful sadness of friends dying. A ghostly reflection on the AIDs epidemic.
4. Happy ★★★★★
This short displays a lyrical based approach with strong conceptual integrity. There is a continual flux of beliefs and desires through this duality of religious speech versus popular culture icons, such as Judy Garland. Outstanding and poignant dichotomy. The one to watch!
5. Postface ★★★★
An exploration into the life of Montgomery Cliff, where an accident left him in pieces. The film work replicated this idea through a fragmented pausing and playing of film; a very experimental approach. It is suggestive of the consequences of his accident. Although this type of work probably will not be understood by the majority of people, it certainly comes highly commended for all the experimental art film lovers out there.
6. I’m Leaving on Wednesday ★★★
This looks at love and memory of this love though a footage style of filming. The passion when eyes lock together, the closeness, the feeling, the companionship. A gentle film.
7. Pop! ★★
This short film is like a collaged composition; a mash up between film, words, music and artistic overlay. Slightly confusing and ambiguous.
8. How To Talk To Kids ★
With a miminal music overlay, reminiscent of Sigur Ros, this film wasn’t as well executed as it could have been. Forgettable.
9. Like Rats Leaving A Sinking Ship ★
Poetic in expression, but incoherent in storyline. However, this incoherence perhaps adds to its beauty.
-
FILM REVIEW | Intersexion
★★★★★ Intersexiom | A gripping documentary investigating intersex individuals. A staggering 1 in 2000 are born with genitalia which is so ambiguous – it cannot be determined male or female.
-
FILM REVIEW | Keep The Lights On
★★★★ | Keep The Lights On
Keep the Lights On is a powerfully charged plot following two men from New York City, Erik (Thure Lindhardt) and Paul (Zachary Booth), through an emotional wave of events.
Their initial casual sex encounter forms a beautiful relationship which is explosive, climatic and heart-warming, creating a dichotomy of emotive highs and agonising lows. These fundamental parallels are significant, questioning how one can think they know someone, but at the same time know so little about their drive and purpose. But what are the implications of having casual sex with a stranger?
The movie is set across a period of time, as the storyline gradually increases in momentum. The main couple are easy to relate to, joyfully expressing those heart warming feelings of being in the early stages of a relationship – the closeness, the ecstasy, the contentment. But along with the greatness of any relationship comes the sadness. The film explores the difficulties and strains of alcohol and drug abuse, but how much can a partner support and guide before they can take no more?
The film work is a mature and honest investigation into a couples intimate bond. It doesn’t try to make a point of this being a gay relationship, which is usually my biggest criticism. It is simply a love story full of anguish and confusion like any other. With poignant shots throughout the movie and set to a stunning soundtrack, it has to be placed right at the top of the must see movie category.
-
FILM REVIEW | R/Evolve
★★ | R/Evolve
Lucas and Lincoln tackle the pains and joys of proposed marriage, of which gay marriage is the defining cultural indifference of the age.
-
FILM REVIEW | Gayby
★★★★ | Gayby
I had some reservations about Gayby. A lot of these ‘gay films’ are usually clichéd drivel, almost always, an unlikely relationship sparks and then it’s just an hour of plot-holes and bad acting.
Jenn, a yoga instructor, and Matt, a comic book store worker, are best friends from college who are now single and in their 30’s. In agreement with a pact they made in their youth, the two decide to have a baby (“Gayby”) together, even though Jenn is straight and Matt is gay. Jenn’s grandmother set her up with a trust fund for if she ever had a child, so Jenn is confident that she and Matt will have the finances to have one. However, Jenn states that she wants to have a baby through natural conception, so the two begin awkwardly having sex.
Gayby was something very different indeed. I found it to be relentlessly charming in every way, with just the perfect amount of drama peppered in. Superbly written and directed by relative newcomer Jonathon Lisecki, It had something that all these other films are missing… A great script.
The awkwardness of the “Attempted Conception” scenes was genius, with just the perfect combination of one liners, curious glances and the various montages of penetration were just divinely cringe worthy.Possibly the stand out performance of the film is that of Jenn Harris. Harris plays the quintessential fag hag (Jen) to the devastatingly handsome Matthew Wilkas (Matt). Harris brings a depressive vibe into a relatively overused character, which is surprisingly, a breath of fresh air.Although it’s the supporting characters that steal the show, both fag and hag have terrifically bitchy henchmen as it were, the ‘femme-bear’ “Nelson” and the incredibly bitchy “Jamie” (Jack Ferver)
By far the highlight of the film is the fabulous wannabe bear, Nelson, played brilliantly by writer and director Lisecki. The character of Nelson wasn’t particularly appealing to me at the beginning, then suddenly; the character soon manifests as the star of the show. Clearly Lisecki gave himself some of the best lines, yet you don’t really mind, seeing as he pulls them off in the most gorgeously sarcastic manner.
Gayby’s plot isn’t really anything special; it is essentially a romantic comedy in disguise.
It’s the characters that make the film stand out. They are multidimensional and most importantly they’re ‘real’.
Uncompromisingly jovial, I would certainly recommend Gayby to anyone; it has buckets of charm, something that I find to be a rarity in gay cinema.
BUY IT NOW FROM AMAZON | BUY IT ON iTunes -
FILM REVIEW | Transylvania
★★★★★ Transylvania
What do you do when the person you want so badly doesn’t want you, even when you’re pregnant and have travelled across Europe to find him? That’s the basic premise of this film – what happens afterwards…
-
FILM REVIEW | Sexual Tension: Volatile
TLA issue a DVD containing six short films about men who do not always get what they want, SEXUAL TENSION: VOLATILE brings together two award-winning filmmakers (Marco Berger and Marcelo Mónaco) for the first volume in a series of erotic short films.
-
FILM REVIEW | Keep The Lights On
★★★★★ | Keep The Lights On
This award winning and Sundance Festival selected film is an intricate look at the lives of two men who enter into a relationship in 90s New York. Directed by Ira Sachs.
Erik is a Danish documentary film maker who meets Paul via a telephone-sex chat-line. Erik is anxious about commitment and lawyer Paul has a steady girlfriend. What starts off as a casual sexual relationship develops into something more meaningful and romantic. The film charts the two lovers over the course of their turbulent ten year relationship.
The two main characters lives take on unexpected turns and as Erik becomes more responsible and committed, Paul’s more orderly life spirals out of control as his recreational drug abuse becomes a destructive habit. The relationship enters a series of cycles of damage and renewal as the film charts their lives.
The film is beautiful to watch but also painful viewing in places, but ultimately provides a meaningful glimpse into the areas of both lightness and shade which relationships can pass through. The balance of the film is such that the story never felt too bleak but is balanced with erotic tension, a compelling storyline and occasional bursts of humour. Strong performances from the cast add to the emotional intensity of the film.
Highly recommended for a moving and fascinating insight into the life cycle of a relationship.
Released on DVD and Blu-ray in the U.K. on 28/01/13 available from Amazon