Tag: queer cinema

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Review: MOFFIE Scores Amid Testosterone, Tension & Toxic Masculinity

Kai Luke Brummer in 'Moffie'
Kai Luke Brummer in 'Moffie'
Kai Luke Brummer in ‘Moffie’ (images via official website)

Set in South Africa in the early 1980s, Moffie follows Nicholas (Kai Luke Brummer), who dutifully leaves home to serve a mandatory stretch of military service as required of all white men over 16-year-old at the time.

The title of the film comes from the Afrikaans derogatory term for gay men.

Nicholas is shipped off to boot camp where life is brutal, bleak, and harsh. As he and his fellow grunts prepare to defend the Apartheid regime from a conflict at the Angolian border, Nicholas contends with survival in an environment that reeks of toxic racism, homophobia and machismo.

All while quietly coming to terms with his burgeoning homosexuality.

Kai Luke Brummer in 'Moffie'
Kai Luke Brummer in ‘Moffie’

As we’ve seen in previous military movies, the new recruits’ basic training is humiliating and violent on both physical and psychological levels.

Drill Sergeant Brand (Hilton Pelser) takes the hyper-masculine environment to levels reminiscent of R. Lee Ermey in Full Metal Jacket.

The direction by Oliver Hermanus is taut and sensitive as he artfully plays elements of the film against each other.

During a barracks game of ‘spin the bottle’ where those chosen by fate must fight for the entertainment of the other soldiers, Hermanus offers a classical fugue as sonic soundscape in contrast with the bare-knuckle brawling.

A scene from 'Moffie'
A scene from ‘Moffie’

Throughout the film, Hermanus deftly balances scenes of war and brutal machismo with momentary touches of intimacy and humanity. The screenplay (by Hermanus and Jack Sidey) displays an economy of dialogue allowing the actors to express achingly tender moments of sensitivity.

In one episode where the soldiers are forced to dig (and then sleep) in trenches during a nighttime downpour, Nicholas’s fellow grunt Dylan Stassen (Ryan de Villiers) convinces him to huddle together under a blanket to keep warm. While the moment leads to a mere brush of Stassen’s hand on Nicholas’s face, the sexual tension is palpable.

Brummer is especially impressive in his first major screen role offering a compelling and continually nuanced performance.

Matthew Vey and Kai Luke Brummer in ‘Moffie’

Additionally, the riveting score by Braam du Toit and gorgeous cinematography by Jamie Ramsay become almost full-fledged characters in the film’s storytelling.

I’ll warn readers that the beginning of the film can be difficult to watch as Hermanus sets the tone and emotional scale of harsh journey ahead. Ultimately, the film – built on testosterone, tension, and trauma – resolves with a surprisingly delicate touch.

The BAFTA nominated film premiered at the Venice Film Festival in 2019 and was released in South Africa two weeks before the COVID-19 pandemic closed cinemas there.

Moffie is available in select theaters and digital streaming sites in the U.S. today.

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Out Movies: Friendship Turns To Romance In Gay Prison Drama ‘Luz’

Screen capture from LUZ

Screen capture from LUZ
Ruben-Ernesto Reyes in LUZ (promo photo)
What began as a friendship turns into a fierce romance in this heart-wrenching drama. LUZ is a story of survival, not only for the lives of both men, but for their relationship as it transitions to the world outside their cell.

Synopsis:

Ruben Gonzales (Ernesto Reyes) is a young latino man who’s fallen into the world of the mafiosos. When an accident leads him into incarceration, his relationship with the cartel and with his family is strained.

While in prison, he falls in the complex hierarchical system until his cellmate and eventual lover Carlos (Jesse Tayeh), comes to his side and helps him find emotional and financial stability.

When the two men are released from prison 2 years apart, they again meet on the outside and while dealing with the circumstances that had them incarcerated in the first place, they ponder whether what they once had was real or just two people hoping to seek light in a dark place.

The film is available now for streaming/digital download on iTunes, Vudu, FandangoNow, and GooglePlay.

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Short Film: A Street Vendor & An American Tourist Meet In ‘TABOO’

A scene from TABOO

A scene from TABOO
Henry Jimenez and Kasey Kerbox in ‘TABOO’
The short film Taboo, starring real-life couple Henry Jimenez and Kasey Kerbox, landed on YouTube last August and has since gone viral garnering over 1.8 million views. Now, the film’s director, Guillermo Nuñez, is hoping to take that momentum and expand the love story into a full-length film. From my Instinct Magazine colleague David Lopez:

TABOO’s story focuses on a Mexican street vendor, Enrique, who meets an American tourist, Kasey, and their relationship quickly flourishes into love and passion.

The story delves into the harsh realness that class, language, and culture separates us too often, but proves that these are not enough to impede the heart’s desires.

A scene from TABOO

The story captures the ways this generation is interacting in today’s world. Young relationships, in love, with free, open sexuality and more stripped of social stereotypes, inequalities and old customs that we inherit from a world that is less and less current.

While this is a story of two unlikely lovers, the third character is Mexican scenery that lends its picturesque backdrop of Tulum for the playground in which these two lovers find themselves.

I found the film short took me to an uncomplicated place where I remembered those moments of early love – hope, smiles, the tactile electricity of first touches. I look forward to seeing where the creative team takes the young love story. Click over to Kickstarter to see how the creators hope to continue the journey of their film short. You can watch the short film that started it all below.

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News Round-Up: March 18, 2021

Screen capture from the acclaimed film, Poppy Field

Screen capture from the acclaimed film, Poppy Field
(screen capture from the acclaimed film Poppy Field)
Some news items you might have missed: • The Advocate: South Carolina Democratic Rep. Cezar McKnight is facing ire from his fellow party members for introducing a new anti-trans bill that would make it a felony for doctors to prescribe life-saving hormone therapy for transgender youth. McKnight is joined in supporting the bill by 23 fellow lawmakers, all Republicans. • JoeMyGod: Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) says he “would talk ’til I fell over to make sure that the Equality Act doesn’t become law.” Methinks the lady doth protest too much. • Stonewall Gazette: The film Poppy Field (top image) follows the struggle of a young Romanian police officer, Cristi (Conrad Mericoffer), who tries to find balance between being a working man in a macho hierarchical environment and that of being a closeted gay person trying to keep his personal life a secret.

• NBC News: President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris will meet with Asian American community leaders during a scheduled visit to Georgia on Friday in the wake of the spa shootings in Atlanta that left eight people dead, six of whom were women of Asian descent. • KATC: A federal grand jury in Lafayette returned a six-count indictment charging Chance J. Seneca, 19, of Lafayette, with hate crime, kidnapping, firearm, and obstruction charges based on his attempted murder of a gay man and his overarching scheme to kidnap and murder gay men whom he met online. • CNN: Xavier Becerra was confirmed by the Senate as the first Latino Health and Human Services secretary on Thursday. The vote was 50 to 49. Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) was the only Republican to vote yes – Democrat Mazie Hirono was absent.

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News Round-Up: February 26, 2021

Dan Reynolds of Imagine Dragons

Dan Reynolds of Imagine Dragons
Dan Reynolds of Imagine Dragons (photo via Instagram)
Some news items you might have missed: • KTNV: Imagine Dragons frontman Dan Reynolds (above) is donating his childhood home in Las Vegas to help LGBTQ youth. Reynolds’ home will serve as Nevada’s first-ever Encircle Resource Center which helps more than 70,000 kids and their families each year. • Instinct Magazine: Benjamin Davis has been charged with capital murder in the death of a man Harris County deputies said he targeted for robbery. His tool? The gay dating app Grindr. • Kenneth-in-the-212: Check out the weekly round-up of the what’s what in LGBTQ publications like Wilson Lai (below) covering DNA Magazine.
Cover of DNA Magazine
(image via DNA Magazine)
• Reuters: The U.S. Justice Department has charged more than 300 people with taking part in the deadly storming of the Capitol by former President Donald Trump’s supporters, and at least 280 have been arrested. • The Advocate: A worker at KFC was fired for screaming ‘f*cking queers’ at a gay couple picking up food via the drive-through window. • Stonewall Gazette: The short film, The Dirt Between My Fingers, follows an unlikely friendship when two boys meet under strange circumstances. A coming (out) of age short film about first love.

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News Round-Up: February 12, 2021

Josh O'Connor & Alec Secareanu in God's Own Country

Josh O'Connor & Alec Secareanu in God's Own Country
Josh O’Connor & Alec Secareanu in God’s Own Country (promo photo)
Some news items you might have missed: • OMG Blog: Whether you’re alone or with company this Valentine’s Day, lockdown means that you might be looking for some queer cinema love stories. So the eye-candy site has rounded up a list of V-day-appropriate gay movies for your pleasure including one of my favorites, God’s Own Country (above). Warning – NSFW/nudity. • Kenneth-in-the-212: Check out Kenneth’s round-up of the what’s what in LGBTQ publications this week including QSaltLake’s cover story on the public shaming over maskless circuit parties. Qsaltlake Magazine cover • Stonewall Gazette: The veteran LGBTQ blog has returned to the interwebs! Make sure you click over to check out all the content over at Stonewall Gazette. • NBC News: The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame has announced 16 nominees for its 2021 class of inductees. The ultimate inductees for the 36th annual class will be announced in May, with honors set for the fall.
The 2021 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame nominees
The 2021 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame nominees
• Jerusalem Post: A UN report released this week on widespread human rights violations in Iran contains “reports that lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender children were subjected to electric shocks and the administration of hormones and strong psychoactive medications.” In other words, the dangerous practice of so-called ‘conversion therapy.’ • The Advocate: Friends Kristen Wiig and Annie Mumolo’s Barb & Star Go to Vista Del Mar is a silly, fun love story about friendship out this weekend.

• Instinct Magazine: Dolly Parton has announced she will (finally) guest-star on the upcoming season of Netflix’s Grace and Frankie with former 9 to 5 co-stars Lily Tomlin and Jane Fonda. • BosGuy: It’s Furry Friday over at the Boston-based LGBTQ blog and this week features the oh-so-woofy and talented Craig Ramsay. More at the link.

 

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LGBTQ Critics Announce Nominations For Best Films Of 2020

L-R Stanley Tucci, Colin Firth in Supernova (image via The Bureau)
While the Golden Globe and SAG Awards have served up their choices for ‘Best of 2020,’ what did queer entertainment writers think about the past year’s films?

GALECA: The Society of LGBTQ Entertainment Critics, comprised of 250+ active professional journalists covering film and television, has announced the nominations for its 2021 Dorian Film Awards.

Due to the pandemic’s affect on the industry, GALECA extended the consideration period for full-length theatrical releases and digital theatrical releases to January 1, 2020 through February 28, 2021.

The highly-acclaimed Minari leads the list of nominations with six nods including Best Film and Best Foreign-Language Film.

Nomadland scored five nominations including Best Film, Best Director and Best Screenplay (Chloé Zhao), Best Actress (Frances McDormand), and Most Visually Striking Film.

Rounding out the Best Film category are Promising Young Woman (4 nominations), First Cow (3 nominations),  and Sound of Metal (3 nominations).

Emerald Fennell, another double-nominee, garnered nods for both writing and directing Promising Young Woman.

In the Best LGBTQ Film category, the queer critics nominated the romantic period film Ammonite, Spanish-language love story I Carry You with Me, the intimate Stanley Tucci-Colin Firth helmed Supernova, writer-director Alan Ball’s comedy Uncle Frank, the all-star screen adaptation of The Boys in the Band, and the acclaimed bio-pic Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom.

A scene from Ammonite
A scene from Ammonite (courtesy of See Saw Films)

The folks at GALECA also like to have fun with their awards, so other featured categories include Campiest Flick and the “We’re Wilde About You!” Rising Star Award.

Additionally, the Wilde Artist Award honors “groundbreaking” artists in the world of entertainment. This year’s nominees include the late Chadwick Boseman, Chloé Zhao, Regina King, Elliot Page, and international superstar Dolly Parton.

Last September, queer streaming platform Revry presented the star-studded Dorians TV Toast of 2020 which featured appearances by Hollywood heavy-hitters including Hugh Jackman, Regina King, Janelle Monáe, Billy Porter, Dan Levy, Laverne Cox, Shangela, Thomas Roberts, Bruce Vilanch, Stephanie Miller, Dave Koz, Rafael Casal and more.

The winners will be announced on April 18 in a special event, the Dorians Film Toast 2021, set to air on queer streaming platform Revry.

Launched in 2009, the nonprofit GALECA celebrates both mainstream and LGBTQ-centered content.

View the complete list of nominations below. (Disclaimer: I am a voting member of GALECA: The Society of LGBTQ Entertainment Critics)

BEST FILM First Cow Minari Nomadland Promising Young Woman Sound of Metal

BEST LGBTQ FILM Ammonite The Boys in the Band I Carry You With Me Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom Supernova Uncle Frank

BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM Another Round Bacurau I Carry You With Me La Llorona Minari Two of Us

BEST DIRECTOR Chloé Zhao, Nomadland Emerald Fennell, Promising Young Woman Kelly Reichardt, First Cow Lee Isaac Chung, Minari Regina King, One Night in Miami

BEST SCREENPLAY (original or adapted) Chloé Zhao, Nomadland Eliza Hittman, Never Rarely Sometimes Always Emerald Fennell, Promising Young Woman Lee Isaac Chung, Minari Radha Blank, The Forty-Year Version

BEST UNSUNG FILM Driveways First Cow The Forty-Year-Old Version Miss Juneteenth Never Rarely Sometimes Always Shirley The Assistant

BEST DOCUMENTARY Collective Crip Camp Dick Johnson Is Dead Disclosure Time Welcome To Chechnya

BEST LGBTQ DOCUMENTARY A Secret Love Born To Be Disclosure: Trans Lives On Screen Mucho Mucho Amor: The Legend of Walter Mercado Welcome To Chechnya

BEST FILM PERFORMANCE — ACTRESS Carey Mulligan, Promising Young Woman Frances McDormand, Nomadland Nicole Beharie, Miss Juneteenth Sidney Flanigan, Never Rarely Sometimes Always Viola Davis, Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom

BEST FILM PERFORMANCE — ACTOR Anthony Hopkins, The Father Chadwick Boseman, Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom Delroy Lindo, Da 5 Bloods Riz Ahmed, Sound of Metal Steven Yeun, Minari

BEST FILM PERFORMANCE — SUPPORTING ACTRESS Amanda Seyfried, Mank Candice Bergen, Let Them All Talk Maria Bakalova, Borat Subsequent Movie Film Olivia Colman, The Father Yuh-Jung Youn, Minari

BEST FILM PERFORMANCE — SUPPORTING ACTOR Chadwick Boseman, Da 5 Bloods Daniel Kaluuya, Judas and the Black Messiah Leslie Odom Jr., One Night In Miami Paul Raci, Sound of Metal Sacha Baron Cohen, The Trial of the Chicago 7

MOST VISUALLY STRIKING FILM Birds of Prey: And the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn Mank Nomadland Soul Wolfwalkers

CAMPIEST FLICK Bad Hair Birds of Prey: And the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga The Prom Wonder Woman 1984

“We’re Wilde About You!” Rising Star Award Alan S. Kim Kingsley Ben-Adir Maria Bakalova Radha Blank Sidney Flanigan

Wilde Artist Award (to a truly groundbreaking force in entertainment) Chadwick Boseman Chloé Zhao Dolly Parton Elliot Page Regina King

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News Round-Up: January 22, 2021

Haaz Sleiman and Michael Cassidy in 'Breaking Fast'

Haaz Sleiman and Michael Cassidy in 'Breaking Fast'
Haaz Sleiman and Michael Cassidy in ‘Breaking Fast’
Some news items you might have missed: • Pink News: First lady Dr Jill Biden is visiting an LGBTQ health center and HIV/AIDS clinic on her third day in the White House “to highlight and promote support services for cancer patients and caregivers, and hear about the impact of COVID on access to health care, including cancer screenings and prevention efforts.” • Queer Cinema: The gay-themed romantic comedy Breaking Fast, starring Haaz Sleiman and Michael Cassidy (lead image), gets released today on VOD and digital outlets. The acclaimed film offers rare visibility for gay Muslims. Set against the twinkling lights of West Hollywood, Breaking Fast is a romantic comedy that follows Mo, a practicing Muslim still reeling from heartbreak. When an All­-American guy named Kal offers to join him in his nightly Iftars­­ –the traditional meal eaten by Muslims during Ramadan­­– meal after meal, the two start to discover they have more in common than meets the eye.

• Boston Herald: Mark Sahady, 46, of Malden, and Suzanne Ianni, 59, – organizer’s of Boston’s so-called ‘Straight Pride’ event – were arrested for taking part in the violent invasion of the U.S. Capitol building on January 6. Because of course. • Kenneth-in-the-212: Check out Kenneth’s weekly round-up of the what’s what in LGBTQ publications like Michigan’s BTL featuring Brian Michael Smith (below). Transman Brian Michael Smith covers Michigan's BTL • The Nation: Rep. Madison Cawthorn (R-NC) has misled the public about training for the Paralympics, just as he misrepresented his education and business history. After saying he “had an opportunity” for the Paralympics with hopes of breaking the 100-meter dash, journalists took a deep dive and couldn’t find any evidence he’d ever competed anywhere. • Instinct Magazine: YouTube star Jojo Siwa (Dance Moms, Nickelodeon) came out via a photo on Twitter.

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Student Filmmakers Go Indie After Losing School Resources

A team of LGBTQ student filmmakers at the University of Southern California’s prestigious School of Cinematic Arts (SCA) have decided to produce what might have been their senior film project independently in the aftermath of the school’s transition to online instruction and lack of access to school’s resources. Back in April, the team of filmmakers was chosen by faculty to create one of four senior thesis films this fall. Along with SCA’s professional-grade equipment, editing labs, and soundstages, the school also provides the team with $7,500 in funds to help complete the project. But now, without the school’s resources, the students have launched a crowdfunding campaign at Seed & Spark to raise the necessary funds to achieve their educational and creative goals. The students explain their project, titled Anti-Venom for a Snake, will explore “queer love and loss at the height of the AIDS epidemic, within the context of the COVID pandemic.” “The story follows Marcos, the voyeuristic drag artist by the name Evita Envy, as he copes with the loss of his soulmate and his own weakening body,” adds the creative team.

The budding filmmakers aim to use COVID-19 as “a time to pay tribute to the tragedies and experiences of the AIDS epidemic, to sympathize with characters once alienated as ‘sinful’ or ‘other,’ and to connect audiences to the power of queer love in the midst of a global pandemic.” The description for the project reads, “1993, New York. When an upcoming drag queen’s power is shut off, she is forced to deal with the unbearable silence of an empty apartment.” “With Anti-Venom for a Snake, I want to use my own experience with homophobia to connect audiences of all demographics with the power of gay love,” says the film’s director, Cameron Kostopoulos. “Most importantly, I hope to give voice to stories and characters that have long been ignored, in hopes of a more inclusive tomorrow.”

Film director Cameron Kostopoulos (screen capture)
It’s notable that the students, while not blaming SCA for the situation, are stuck in an unenviable position. Ranked as number one among the top American film schools, students attend SCA not only for the prestige of the institution’s pedigree but for the access to expensive production resources. According to The Hollywood Reporter, that includes 10 working soundstages, industry-standard postproduction editing lab, sound mixing stages, a color correction suite, as well as a small armada of cameras, lighting and sound equipment that is used to outfit each student production.” All of that allows the students – who pay undergraduate tuition of $59,260 per academic year – to enter the workforce with finished short films in hand to act as a calling card. Many of the senior films go on to screen at film festivals giving the students the chance to catch the eye of Hollywood players. “Part of the film school and the SCA experience is that you’re promised that when you enter the school you’re going to graduate with tangible films that you can send to potential employers,” Kostopoulos told THR. “Being in a school like SCA is, in a sense, an equalizer,” says Kostopoulos. “We all have the same resources and a support system, and when you lose that, you lose the whole reason you go to film school.”
USC’s School of Cinematic Arts (photo: Joe Mabel – CC license)
Faculty has reportedly suggested to students that don’t own professional-grade equipment to shoot projects using smartphone cameras. Also – even though most classes are now only available online, SCA has not scaled back the cost of tuition. Said one junior, “We are essentially being asked to pay full tuition to make a home movie.” Some students considered taking a leave of absence for the semester hoping to skip the challenges or disadvantages of not having a full ‘hands-on’ experience. But the school warned students that a leave of absence could mean they might not “be guaranteed placement in these courses in future semesters.” And, those courses are necessary in order to graduate from SCA. It’s a tough position for the students and the school, but you have to give it to Kostopoulos and his team who have decided to forge ahead on their own to create the queer love story they want to tell. Their project, which will explore grief and healing as well as serving as a tribute to the AIDS epidemic, has raised $10,195 of the $12,000 goal they’ve budgeted with just under a week to go in the crowdfunding campaign. For more info about Anti-Venom for a Snake – or to make a donation large or small – head over to Seed & Spark.