Movie Reviews -
Gay Themed

I am surprised that I had not heard of this mini series that came out back in 2020. Clearly the show did not get as popular as some of its counterparts, but I still think it deserves viewing. Pulse follows a group of seven friends in a sleepy, indeterminate suburb somewhere outside of Copenhagen, whose entangled lives unravel when secrets they carry unwantedly begin to emerge. The foal point of the story is about a gay relationship and to what extent some people go in the name of holophobia. Some of it may feel a little over the top in today's time but I would like to think that prejudice is still very much prevalent even in some parts of so called first world countries. The show was released in two seasons with 9 episodes each ranging from 12-15 minutes, so its a pretty easy and decent watch. Let's first understand all the major characters here. Samir and Bastian are best friends, and both are on the school basketball team, together with Bastian’s brother Adam and their classm...

For a short one-hour film, Yes, No, or Maybe tells a cute, compelling love story at a comfortable pace. This anime deals with the theme of duality, exploring the discrepancies between perception and behavior. I liked the fact that the story stays focused on what it wants to say and wraps up ion less than an hour, without over dramatizing stuff. Luckily, when you use anime as medium, you can play around with a lot of things, but thankfully the makers here stayed true to their vision and focus.  Kei is a TV presenter who maintains a poised persona in public, even though his real personality is petty and belligerent. He is very good at hiding his inner thoughts because he needs to keep s a certain celebrity persona always around him for the sake of his job. One day, Kei meets animation artist Tsuzuki Ushio for a work assignment. As expected he keeps a pleasant demeanor around Ushio, making a good impression on the artist with his friendliness towards his crew members. A few days after...

This was a simple film addressing the issues of homophobia that is still prevalent in many parts of the society but the film takes a very comical take on it. Some folks may find it demeaning or putting gay community down, but if we cannot take a joke on ourselves, then we have a problem as a society. So, I would say that to briefly enjoy this film, do not look for much logic, just sit back and relax and try and smile and laugh for few minutes. Carlão is a prejudiced man who works in a car dealership. Since he was a kid, he was engrained in his Brian by his father who being a 'fairy' is not what a man should be. So when he is with friends he is always making homophobia slurs and jokes around. In fact when the new manager at car dealership show up, they all do not take him seriously as well. He is also part of the football team and together they frequent a bar where a fem gay man work and they all make fun of him.  Carlão always boasts of being the greatest soccer and mechanics s...

"Herec," which means 'Actor' is a compelling portrayal of a young gay actor navigating the oppressive regime of early communist Czechoslovakia. It shows how he is used by various people for their benefits focusing on the realistic depiction of the political pressures faced by artists during that era, particularly the forced use of actors as spies for the state. The miniseries is a study of human character and acting in extreme situations where the question of the hero's morality and behaviour is far from clear. This three part series is a gripping thriller, where each episode is 70-90 minutes long. Now this may not be a gay story per say, but its quite relevant since the story os about a closet gay upcoming actor, who is used by communists to get intimately involved with some powerful men and what the repercussions are. Set in the 1950s during the communist regime,  Láník is introduced as a talented yet undera-ppreciated actor grappling with the challenges of the ...

As it happens most times, I am not too familiar with the "celebrities" of American pop/porn culture. This documentary is a love letter from cult filmmaker Toby Ross to male model and gay adult film superstar Bill Eld and  tells the story of one of the gay film industry's sexiest man (because he had one of the most beautiful cocks) and attracts the international sex symbol's meteoric rise and unfortunate decline into the abyss. For those like me, who do not know of him, it is an introduction to not only the man but to the culture in which he lived. Eld was an underground icon who became the most "beautiful male pinup in the world". For as much of a queer icon as Eld became, the life behind the man was a mystery. Virtually no biographical information about him was published during his lifetime, and he drifted around the country with such regularity that he hardly made any lasting connections. Ross- who knew Eld during two key periods in both mens’ lives- seeks...

Bare documents the creation of an all-male, all-naked modern dance piece by Belgian dancemaker Thierry Smits; from audition to opening night. Told with neither an erotic whisper nor a juvenile giggle, Bare celebrates the male body in all its complexity, might, and vulnerability. Anima Ardens features 11 male dances, all of whom appear completely nude for the duration of the performance. The furiously hypnotic energy of the performance invites audiences to explore the male body, which rarely receives the same level of aesthetic consideration in fine art as female nudes do. This doc films the 11-month preparation for Anima Ardens and offers a window into a unique artistic collaboration. The auditions introduce a unique dynamic that transforms as the film progresses. Smits asks his prospective dancers if they have read the performance description in full and understand that the piece is to be done in the nude. Several dancers are visibly surprised and uncomfortable as they begin crossing ...

An Apple TV original series inspired by the true stories, the show goes beyond the headlines to look at the funny, romantic, heartfelt, inspiring, surprising stories of immigrants in America, more relevant now than ever. I am here reviewing only episode 8 from the season 1, called "The Son", the story of a Syrian gay man's journey of seeking asylum weaves a brutal story of homophobia. In a small town in Syria, Rafiq is having dinner with his family when he gets a text from a male lover. The father suspects something and he finds his son and the other guy kissing after they hook up. The father burns his arm in the name of protectional Rafiq moves to Damascus, where he is now working in a restaurant. There he meets Zain, a local effeminate gay man, who tells him that he’s filled out his asylum papers and will be moving to America soon. Although afraid to be seen with him, Rafiq finally finds a friend who understands him for who he is. But all along Rafiq's brothe has be...

This goofy little 4 part Japanese shows quite fun to watch. As we have probably talked many times before, Japanese shows somehow have this knack of making these over exaggerated reactions funny and not eye-rolling. Having said that, not everyone can carry it off, which is evident in this show as well, when one of our nice teachers tries to give similar reactions an dit falls flat. Anyway, I must have missed this show when it came out. It's almost like a mini-series where Every episode is about 30 minutes. A new teacher Hikawa Toru joins a school to teach some troubled kids. Toru is sophisticated, young, smart, handsome and almost everyone gets distracted by his good looks. The same impact happens on this PE teacher Masumi. He finds himself looking at Toru but can't figure out why since he never thought of himself as gay.  As it turns out, something about the mischievous Masumi has attracted Toru too and he is very attracted to Masumi. In fact, he keeps very obviously flirting w...

I had not heard of this show and surprisingly it didn't show up in the forums which is usually where I get all my LGBTQ+ content from. So I am glad when xanders here recommended to watch this show and it was available on HBO Max and I am glad I did. VENENO is a Spanish 8 episode limited series about the life of 1990s transgender pop culture icon Cristina "La Veneno" Ortiz Rodriguez, based on the book written by Valeria Vegas titled "Not A Whore, Not A Saint", who met the icon at a stage when she herself was thinking of going through transition. What the young writer uncovers is a harrowing and uplifting life story about how Ortiz evolved from a bullied and rejected teenager in a homophobic Andalusian fishing town, to a high-priced sex worker. It has been a while since I completely binged watch 8 episodes lasting almost an hour each making the best use of my time on a Sunday. This is undoubtedly one of the best shows about trans people, their struggles and journe...

Yet another disastrous Filipino gay series. At least this one came out during Covid times, when people were trying to offer content keep everyone entertained at home, so the series gets that benefit, but still there is no excuse for a paper thin story and an extremely shoddy execution. With 9 episodes lasting 12 ish minutes each, this is literally just a one liner story that had no need to built into a so called series. In the first 4 episodes, we see that a young boy who has a girlfriend and is a painter dreams about a man, can't figure out who he is, draws his painting and eventually comes face to face with the guy named Noah. Turns out this was all a fictional story being created by an artist named Sean, whose best friend is Noah and Sean has a crush on Noah and truly loves him, but is scared of telling Noah the truth. Just the imaginary story, he does have a girlfriend and a gay best friend. His gay best friend writes a fictional story about Sean's love for Noah nd posts it...

China hasn't done many BL series. We can count them on our fingers easily, so naturally when I heard of this show, Iw as keen to see it. Although, timely sense prevailed and I kept my expectations extremely low, just in case. The show was clearly shot during covid days likely because you don't see any single person in big buildings and offices and homes besides the actors acting. The show has 10 episodes of about 16-18 minutes and is an easy watch. This drama tells the story of Ding Junjie, the deputy general manager of a cosmetics company, and Ying Jiaming, the son of the cynical chairman of the board. Ying is always sleeping and his boss Junjie is always at his case, without realizing who he is. Things turn when Ying becomes his boss but Ying continues his playfulness, almost annoying Junjie. One day, to get rid of her possessive ex-girlfriend Ying introduces junjie as his boyfriend and request him to play gay with him. Things take a turn from there. Clearly Ying is too much ...

I wouldn't call this film a gay film. It's in the 'bi' spectrum at best. The film actually uses its imperfect characters to address a few societal issues while also relating to some of its queer characters. The story is simple but it's the complexity of the characters that make it interesting and complicated. Two school friends Nacho and Denis meet after a gap of almost 15+ years. Nacho is now a successful lawyer, married but as a couple they are struggling to have kids. Denis works at a bar and all he really wants is topes a restaurant and cook. Denis is quite quick to ask Nacho for a loan. Turns out, Nacho’s willing to give Denis a loan, but there’s a catch. The two men have decided to ask Denis’ wife to act as a surrogate for Nacho and his wife Marta. While the quad navigate through this complexity after some drama, through flashback we are told that Denis and Nacho had a third friend Isaac who used to get bullied in school and it was Denis who would usually save...

This is an interesting and powerful documentary that presents the real, never-before-seen experience of being queer at Brigham Young University – often called The Lord’s University for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the state of Utah. In 2020, the university announced that the clause prohibiting “all forms of physical intimacy that give expression to homosexual feelings” would be removed from the school’s honor code.", giving students hope, but then just two weeks later, an official LDS church statement indicated, “Same-sex romantic behavior cannot lead to eternal marriage, and is therefore not compatible with the principles of the Honor Code.” This film follows a group of LGBTQ youth over an academic year at BYU, as they attempt to reconcile the conflicting messages they receive about faith, sexuality, gender, family, love, and acceptance. As the year progresses, the film follows each of the students as they live and grow at "the Lord's University....

Dog Valley is a feature-length documentary film about the 1988 kidnapping, torture, rape and murder of gay college student, Gordon Church. Set in a rural Mormon community in Southern Utah, Dog Valley examines one of the most brutal hate crimes in the United States. It explores the life of the victim and his legacy, and delves into the minds of the killers, Michael Archuleta and Lance Wood. It also shows the crimes' impact on the community and modern-day hate crimes legislation. Akin to the very famous Mathew Shepard story, I wasn't much aware of the gruesome hate murder of Gordon Church in Utah. A gay man, who was brutally murdered at the age of 28, this documentary tries to shed light on what really happened. The two main accused were Archuleta and Lance Wood. Interestingly when the body of Church was found, it was Lance, who went to cops and volunteered all the information to tell the cops on how Archuleta met Church, took him in car, armed him and eventually murdered him whi...

Bad and horrible aren't even the worst of words to describe how awful this series was. A sequel of a show (that wasn't great in the first place) that no one asked for. Its so bad. Its like someone in production made a list of things they should do in the show and then another list of things they shouldn't do and they accidentally used the shouldn't do list. What terrible waste of money, actors and most importantly viewers. The show has 9 episodes of 40 minutes each. Also I just realized while I was writing this is that this series is actually a sequel the movie of same name which had same actors and not to the series that I had seen. Honestly I don't even remember watching the film, but it turns out I did see it almost 8-9 years back. None of these factors, however, change the fact on how bad this show is. The show starts with us that when Bank and Golf's parents were against their relationship, somehow Golf faked his death and has been "dead" for 5 ye...

This 5 episode, 20ish minutes each mini series was unnecessarily stretched to almost 100 minutes. A simple, straight forward, to the point story could easily have been told in a short story of 15 minutes.  Despite the lead characters with their chemistry and charm, it's the annoying side characters of all three girls that annoyed me a lot. Actually if you just removed all those scenes, this may automatically become a short story. James, a university student lives by himself. One day, his mom calls and wants him to take care of Sky, her best friend's son. Sky is a university freshman and their respective moms just decided that it will be best of their sons shared a room together as roommates. Neither of them are enthusiastic to have to share a room together. However, the two roommates get used to each other's quirks and different personalities over time. Unbeknownst to James, Sky is gay. However, he doesn't tell his roommate about his sexual orientation. Sky is out to hi...

Even if no one told me, it's so obvious that this film is an adaptation from a play. The story, the way its direction, the direction and diction; everything has the words 'play' an d'theatre' written all over it. So, as you can imagine, the film is all about conversations and dialogues; which I feel I might have enjoyed in a theatre setting but as a film, it just tested my patience which its scenes that went on forever and ever and just not so funny dialogues (for a film that is supposed to be romance and comedy). Victor is an exceedingly prudish and narcissist young gay billionaire of Sri Lankan descent, who is an old school romantic at heart and probably asexual. His father had set conditions for any man who wanted to marry him - the suitor must turn $10,000 into $3 million in 6 months. His first spouse Alex - an amateur boxing champion - had passed the test, but their marriage has since collapsed, and Alex is already involved with another guy who calls himself ...

So, I did not know this until after watching the film. Apparently, before losing his battle with cancer, cultural icon Julian Lee left behind an autobiographical screenplay based on his experience of the disease. Director Kit Hung brings the script to life seven years after Lee’s tragic death. So, as much as it is a tribute to the writer's semi-autobiographical story, it is a story of loneliness and a toxic love story. Also, for information, "Stoma" is an artificial surgically created opening in the abdomen to replace the anus. Alex is a young gay photographer who lives in Hong Kong, When he is diagnosed with peritoneal cancer, he starts doing his due diligence on how and where to get best treated and he decides on Switzerland. Alex has also had an on again-off again Swiss banker, who conveniently comes in and out of Alex's life as he pleases. He does care for Alex but also wants to stay independent and sleep around. Alex comes to Switzerland stays with his brother wh...

This film has a very indie feeling and a story idea that had its heart at the right place but execution fails at multiple levels sadly. Also, of many non-Indians it will be hard to identify with the family dynamics and how and why every relative has a say in what goes and what doesn't. We have seen quite a few films about coming-out, but here the focus seems on father an family and the societal pressure rather than the actual dilemma of being gay/coming out and being with your loved one. Sidhu, a young introvert guy is about get married. Preparations are in full swing and it just a couple of days away , but something is bothering him and he doesn't say anything. His father is clearly boss of the house, very dominating and always worried about society and what people will say or think. The film goes on showing us wedding preparations and also the fact that something is bothering Sidhu. Eventually when his uncle comes, he tells him he doesn't want to get married, but never te...

This arthouse film felt too obscure for its good. Unfolding the story of loneliness of our lead character, the film just doesn't go anywhere. There were so many places that I felt that something substantial will happen now, but it just didn't move. I mean, a lot is happening, sure, but this sombre film should have. Emotive to go somewhere. And at over 2 hours of length its too much of a commitment for it to eventually not lead anywhere. Konno, is a single (gay) man in his early 30s, is quiet, introvert. He is content in his monotonous life and daily routine at his work. Things change when he meets his co worker Hiasa, a rebellious guy. A man shrouded in mystery who doesn’t seem to have much regard for societal conventions. The duo start to bond over drinks and fishing. You can tell that Konno desires Hiasa but you see no such thing form him. One day Konno is shocked to discover that Hiasa suddenly quit his job at the company one day. The two of them don't stay in touch afte...