Movie Reviews -
Gay Themed

If you are gay, the chances of you not heard of or know of 'Tom of Finland' is very unlikely. But you may not know of the man behind those drawings. Touko Laaksonen was the Finnish advertising designer who, under the name Tom of Finland, published drawings of hyper-muscular, well-endowed men and became famous for expanding perceptions on the portrayal of gay life in art. This film is his biopic and let me just say it, why an absolute pleasure it was to watch this film! Such highs and lows and everything in between. I am surprised how did I miss this film and it took me this long to catch up on this one. Touko returns home after the war as a Lieutenant in the Finnish Army traumatized. He is gay and made some friends in war, but now he is back to a society where not only being gay was illegal but so was the creation of his now iconic works of art. He has been inclined towards piano and creating art. He lives with his sister, who suspects of him being gay but never encourages it. ...

​​ American Vagabond is a documentary film about runaway queer youth living in the shadows of the promised city. As interesting as the topic sounds, let me assure you that it is very heartbreaking to watch. Its not the visuals that you see but the story in the background told to us by the protagonist about his journey anyhow he became to be homeless and what happens thereafter is what breaks your heart. James, barely 18 leaves his hometown forever with his boyfriend Tyler who is a year older to him. His father's constant threat to put Tyler in jail because he had sex with James when he was under 18 is the last straw that prompts him to take this step. With opes in their eyes, the two boys move to San Francisco. But it's no mecca for them. It's expensive and jobs are scarce. The gay men in the Castro look down on the scruffy, penniless, hungry boys. They mostly sleep in Golden Gate Park where they hide from the police with other gay vagabonds. Sometimes they are so hungry th...

After 2 back to back just average films which seemed to have big potential failed to impress me, 2019 had not started on a very good note for me. I am glad I saw this film then. The film seems very authentic, seductive and romantic and something that as an audience you can connect with given the political climate around the world. Although t he film reminded me a lot of one of my fav films "God's Own Country" but this film itself has enough merit to stand on its own. The story is pretty simple. Leevi, a handosme young Finnish guy has been living and studying in Paris and has just returned home to Finland for the summer to help his father renovate their old lake house. Leevi’s relationship with his father, is strained since he is an old-fashioned man. I believe he knows of Leevi's sexuality and doesn't approve of it. The father hires a young man, Tareq, through an agency who can help renovate the house . When Tareq arrives, he doesn't speak any Finnish and...

A first gay themed film from Finland. No wonder I was wondering throughout the film, why this accent doesn’t sound familiar at all. In the growing trend of coming out gay films, this film is another one of those movies in which being queer is only one of the adolescent issues, rather than the defining characteristic. It is refreshing to have sexuality be only one aspect of the story. Miku is 17 year old and just figuring and venturing out into sex and sexuality. His older brother Sebu talks him into throwing a party for his friends and also invite the girl whom Miku is very interested in. The house gets completely smashed and the parents come back angry and as a result Miku now has to spend the summer with them at their summer cottage in the country. Miku meets Elias, the boy next door, another 17 year old gay boy very comfortable in his sexuality. The two of them form an unlikely friendship and hang out with each other all the time. The friendship ultimately leads to physical sex...