This year’s Outfest Los Angeles features entertaining documentaries, a lush gay romance, and a French sports comedy set at the Gay Games
This year’s Outfest Los Angeles hosts a bevy of fantastic queer cinema, including a daughter uncovering a mom-and-pop gay porn shop, a lush gay romance reminiscent of “Weekend,” and the story of “A Nightmare on Elm Street II” star Mark Patton.
“End of the Century”
Lucio Castro’s feature filmmaking debut is the Argentinian answer to “Weekend.” Two men meet-cute from a balcony after chatting on Grindr, but they soon discover they have a mysterious familiarity. Time is fluid in this swooning romance, and Castro’s film luxuriates in the luscious bonds of new connection — one so deep it may as well be centuries old. As leading man Ocho, dreamy Juan Barberini is sure to launch a new phase of his career once enough people see the film.
“Circus of Books”
After premiering at the Tribeca Film Festival to rapturous reviews, Ryan Murphy shrewdly snapped up this delightful documentary as part of his massive overall deal at Netflix. Part family history, part gay sex romp, filmmaker Rachel Mason renders the story of her family’s gay porn shop in humorous and absorbing detail. As owners of a famous gay porn shop in Los Angeles for over thirty years, Karen and Barry Mason hid the true nature of their business from their children and friends at their conservative synagogue. Mason probes her mother’s contradictions with tender and inquisitive care, keeping the tone funny and entertaining the whole way through.
“Josè”
In explaining its motivation for awarding Li Cheng’s “Josè” the 2018 Queer Lion, the Venice Film festival’s LGBTQ film award, the committee wrote: “Sensitively written and beautifully performed, this passionate portrait of a young man’s journey in search of emotional fulfillment, shows the complexity of a same-sex relationship against the background of the harsh life in contemporary Guatemala.”
The film beat out both “Suspiria” and “The Favourite,” so that should give some indication of its considerable merits.
“Scream, Queen! My Nightmare on Elm Street”
“A Nightmare On Elm Street 2: Freddy’s Revenge” is one of the most famously queer-coded films of the last thirty years, and smack dab at the center of the controversial film was closeted lead actor Mark Patton. For the first time, Patton is taking control of his narrative. Cast and crew from the infamous sequel will reevaluate its legacy and its queer aesthetic, and confront the Hollywood homophobia that derailed a career.
“Queer Japan”
The co-founder (with Anne Ishii) of cult queer Manga publishing house and clothing line Massive, Graham Kolbeins has been working on his feature debut, “Queer Japan” for the last five years. The film explores the lives of the quiet radicals from Japan’s contemporary LGBTQ culture, which overflows with multi-faceted and colorful artists at the cutting edge, with uncompromised practices rarely seen in the Western world. The film will introduce Western audiences to legendary erotic manga artist Gengoroh Tagame, underground hentai parties, and phantasmagoric drag shows.
“Mother’s Little Helpers”
Premiering at SXSW and featuring a robust cast, “Mother’s Little Helpers” follows the estranged children of a dying mother as they try to do the right thing by a parent who always did them wrong. Dysfunction runs rampant as the comedic family drama unravels while the siblings say goodbye to their mom, who was never that much of a parent to begin with. The film stars Melanie Hutsell (“Saturday Night Live”), Sam Littlefield (“The Leftovers”), Breeda Wool (“UnReal”), Milana Vayntrub (“Silicon Valley”), and director Kestrin Pantera.
“The Shiny Shrimps”
A colorful sports comedy about a homophobic swim champion forced to train a gay waterpolo team on their way to the Gay Games, “The Shiny Shrimps” had a sucessful theatrical release in France and will now be available for American audiences to soak up. The movie is said to be a flamboyant and boisterous comedy with an eccentric cast of characters and echoes of “The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert.”
“Straight Up”
Set among a young and witty Los Angeles crowd, James Sweeney’s feature debut promises razor-sharp one-liners and refreshingly frank discussions about 21st century sex and dating rituals. The film stars the filmmaker as an obsessive compulsive gay man, and “The Killing” star Katie Findlay as an aspiring actress he tries to date. Billed as a “comedic tour-de-force,” the movie features guest appearances from Randall Park (“Fresh Off the Boat”), Betsy Brandt (“Breaking Bad”), and Tracie Thoms (“Rent”).
“Holy Trinity”
A queer femme dominatrix huffs a magic aerosol can and develops the ability to speak to the dead in this experimental coming-of-age comedy. Boasting Joe Swanberg as an executive producer, Molly Hewitt makes their feature debut with the rollicking ride set in Chicago. Said to bear John Waters influences, the film celebrates alternative and kinky queer sexualities with eye-popping style and verve.
“Seahorse”
Prolific British documentarian Jeanie Finlay explores the story of transgender man Freddy McCall, otherwise known as the man who gave birth. A sensitive and finely-tuned portrayal that challenges traditional notions of fatherhood and masculinity, “Seahorse” shows McCall navigating clinical microaggressions and tensions through his interior journey. The movie received rave reviews out of its Tribeca Film Festival premiere, and is currently seeking distribution.
“Pier Kids: The Life”
With “Pose” raking in Emmy nominations across the board, an explosion of new films about New York City’s ballroom scene — made by people of experience — seems only natural. A former Marine who spent a decade homeless on the Christopher Street pier, filmmaker Elegance Bratton turned his camera on his community to make his debut feature documentary, “Pier Kids: The Life.” Shot over the course of five years, the film follows the lives of three gay and transgender young people who frequent the Hudson River piers.
“Changing the Game”
“Changing the Game” follows three transgender high school athletes who find themselves caught in the center of a national debate on trans civil rights. Emmy-winning documentarian Michael Barnett (“Superheroes”) follows these brave teens as they triumphantly overcome hurdle after hurdle in their individual journey to live as their true selves.
IndieWire by Jude Dry
