Movie Reviews -
Gay Themed

Underwater (UK)  Jonathan, is taken to an elite swimming academy deep in the English countryside by his soon to be step-mother, kept away from her upcoming wedding to his father. At the academy, Jonathan struggles to find his place among the group. He may be a top athlete in his field, but here, he is not suave enough to deal with sexcapades and chauvinism of people in the group. They act straight but don’t mind fooling around with each other. The chemistry is real, the penis shots are real & the drama is real; except I don’t really get the whole point of this short film. Just Ok. Todo El Sol Del Mundo (Spain) [All The Sun In The World] Pablo & Mauro meet each other while clubbing. They stare, they like each other, they leave together. For some reason, not very clear, they are not together any more (or was it really just a one night stand). The film is captured through a video that Mauro makes for Pablo since he promised to make a video for him in their one night s...

This film has a very independent, next-door neighbour types, slice of life film. Its hard to put a genre to this film since it could be a comedy or drama but what is important is that the issue and the subject has been handled very sensitively with realism. A film about motives, hopes and fears; a small problem lies with the fact that while the film was happily going in one direction, it suddenly takes a different turn and as a viewer left me completely baffled. Freddy and Mo are a happy gay couple living in a New York city apartment. Freddy, a budding artist working on a video piece featuring him like a baby, is trying to have a baby with is best friend Polly but it turns outfit Freddy has a low sperm count. Polly suggests asking Mo to be the sperm donor. Initially hesitant abut the whole thing, Mo finally gives in. Their neighbour homeless ‘Bishop’ has been making life of this gay couple a living hell by his antics. He doesn’t like gays and i a bit nuisance to everyone around. F...

If you are an avid gay movies/TV shows watcher; you definitely would have heard of HBO series ‘Looking’. This web series produced by ‘Funny Or Die’ is a hilarious spin-off of the original show and is about four gays not looking for anything but themselves. The girls ahem men are just living out the problems than any 20-something girl has while living in Los Angeles. I saw 2 seasons so far and as annoying the characters seem to be; they are really hilarious. The web series follows 4 friends. One is older bitchy queen, who things he is the best thing to have happened to gay world and overtime he talks about his age, it cracks me up. He is the best part of the show. Then there is the other guy who keeps crying over has old boyfriend who has now suddenly become an internet sensation because of his hair. The guy with great hair has a stalker who follows him anywhere and everywhere. And finally we have the yummy bear, who adds his own spice. He is supposed to have dated Lance Bass in th...

There are very few thrillers in the gay genre, at least among the ones that I have seen; so I was quite excited to see this film. Having read the brief synopsis, I hoped that the film would be good. This crime thriller comes with a twist because this one has a gay love story and a straight love story smashed together in a love triangle and thats what makes this film more interesting. The film starts with Pommie entering an old woman’s house trying to con her to give him her son Merv’s address. We don’t know what he does with her. Then we meet Merv, also known as Sparra, who is soon to get married to his sweetheart Paula. Together they live in a small town near Melbourne. Paula doesn’t know much about Merv’s past but since he is the most caring, gentle, sweet man; she doesn’t question much. A surprise visit by Pommie to Merv changes things. It turns outfit Pommie and Merv were cell mates in prison and in fact they were lovers too. Tommie is furious to see that Mrv has forgotten him...

I was so excited and happy to know that season 3 of this fantabulous show is gonna be telecast soon. I couldn’t wait to get my hands on it when it ended. Josh and Tom and Clair and everyone else was still so fresh in my memory. In fact me and a friend of mine who also loved this show, were both excited about this new season. And it definitely still lives unto the expectations. This season’s focus is a lot on Josh and Arnold. After going back and forth with their relationship, they finally have sex and try and be together. They make a lovely quirky couple. Arnold eventually even comes out to his parents, who are initially taken aback but come to terms with it. Josh’s best friend Tom meets Ella, a girl at a bar, who now becomes a permanent fixture in the life. The friends make fun of how Tom also picks the wrong girls but thy stick together. Claire is back this season after a few episodes and brings her own baggage including an unwanted pregnancy. We get t see what’s happening in Jo...

There haven’t been many Indian films that explore the queer theme in their cinema. Surprisingly the theme of lesbian is still far more acceptable than gay. But nonetheless, its every step that counts, and I hope that makers will take a leaf of lesson and would make more movies on similar themes. This film takes it one step further asking the question ”Do the disabled `also’ desire? Do they long for sexual exploration and intimacy?” Laila, suffering from cerebral palsy is a free spirited teenager, who is an aspiring song writer. Her heart longs for the lead singer of the college band but soon her heart is broken. Keeping the timing right, she is offered a scholarship for creative writing course in New York and she along with er mother leaves for the city. She wants to lead  normal life in the city like any other song person and after initial hesitation, the mother allows. Here also she has a crush on a young man Jared in her class. But its her meeting with Khanum, a fiery young...

Aban and Khorshid (USA) Inspired by true events, an intimate portrait of two lovers, glimpsing into the world in which they met, moments before their execution for being gay. So real, shocking, touching and so very sad ! Dinner with the Woodburns (USA) A son's revelation about being gay opens up a can of worms. What he thought was going to be a huge deal compares nothing to everything else that will be disclosed by the family members at the dinner table. Funny! L' Appuntamento (Italy) [The Appointment] Francesco, hurt by the discovery of his girlfriend's betrayal, is craving to meet his contender and makes an appointment with him only to be surprised himself. The film relates to the identical thought which two different people have in common from the heart and are destined to meet, beyond their genders and their sexual orientation. Green Line (Canada) In the Montreal metro, two young men exchange furtive glances. Yes, thats all that is to this film :) Brá...

This mini TV series features 12 episodes each of which is about 10-12 minutes long. The series focuses on a lot of characters based in Montreal, their life, their love, and how they deal with each other. In today’s day and age, managing and maintaining a relationship is not an easy thing and sometimes it can just be a mess. The characters in this series show us how they tackle love and friendship, in their own unique way and how much they're willing to risk in the pursuit of love and happiness. Our main focus is on Mat, a gay fashion photographer, who is going through a slutty phase post his break-up with his now ex boyfriend, Ian. He still is struggling to get over him, when he resurfaces after a homophobic attack. He can’t decide whether he wants Ian back in hi life or not. hey restart dating but when Ian realises that Mat cannot make up his mind, he leaves asking mat to take a decision. We also meet Hugo, is is having a secret affair with a cop named Olivier. And we find ou...

This film is pretty much a road movie in which american landscape plays a major role. Over the course of few days, two friends will try to rediscover themselves while we watch them clumsily fumble through their emotional confusions. Michael and Josh are college friends who lost touch when Michael took off to Japan without a word and Josh settled in Los Angeles. Michael is back in country for the college reunion and wants Josh to take a road trip from LA to Chicago. the 2 guys are very dissimilar. Michael is playful, peppy and a bit vague while Josh seems more settled, quite and lonely type. The exact terms of their past relationship are never fully divulged, it's clear from the sexual tension between them that a longstanding mutual intoxication still exists. They visit their college friend Lisa, who is now 6 months pregnant where Michale recounts the college time when they all had a threesome. Josh gets very mad at this, yet the journey continues. At one point they both give i...

I was a bit confused about the title of the film initially but it makes sense now. This film specifically is about a man wanting to win over the love and affection of his boyfriend’s father, who, although has come around accepting that his son is gay, is still very anti-gay and in his own words “gets sick to his stomach with the thought of 2 men together”. You can imagine that with a situation like this, things are ever gonna be easy. Coby and Rusty are a couple. Coby works as a chef and right next door to him Rusty works as a bartender. Coby wants his father to know Rusty and comes up with a game plan for this. Coby and his father go an an annual camping trip and this time along, Coby forcefully manages to get Rusty along, as the man with whom he wants to get into partnership for opening of a new restaurant. As planned, at the last minute Coby bows out leaving Rusty and his dad to spend some time alone. Colby’s sister and mother know all about this but his father is a touch man t...

Eventually after the film ended, I ended up liking this film more than how much I thought I would, while the film was going. Touted as a ‘post gay’ film (whatever that means), this film is slow paced but very watchable for the amazing chemistry by the two leads. There are no forced sexual scenes, nudity is natural, and no hostile environments. And thankfully the subject and film is not about being gay is be all end all. There is more to life and friends. Jonas picks up his best friend Philip from the airport and they both head for a road trip through the countryside of northeast Germany. We learn later that they met in London and also lived together in a flat for about a year in London. Jonas is a photographer and is looking at this trip to also come up with his next subject. The first half just focuses on this trip with them driving around, swimming naked; basically just pure natural friendly chemistry. They are both quite relaxed with each other and physically close (not sexuall...

Let’s Fall In Love (Italy) The story of two boys in love, who opt to show their affection for each other in public by the simple, loving act of holding hands, only for one thereafter to have second thoughts about such a display of love. April Fools (USA) When a terrible April Fools prank goes terribly wrong, terrible things happen. 1919 (Canada) The Winnipeg general strike as seen through the window of a bath house. J Pee - I’m Not Gay (USA) A comedic homo-bro rap song, in which J Pee (Jesse Pepe) performs all sorts of homoerotic actions as he claims he is NOT GAY-only to realize that ... he might just be lying to himself. Very funny ! Stand Up (Ireland) Support for innocent teenage love by standing up in sovereignty with your gay friends. Luigi and Vincenzo (Italy) Years of a love story in clandestine, for shame, fear, thinking they do not have rights, no marriage, no family, neither walking hand in hand. But today on gay pride day, something changes. Ha...

A classic example of how to live in continuos denial and self-appraisal; this film shows us that sometimes we can be our own worst enemies. Thankfully this film takes a dark-comedy route to tell this to us rather than being over dramatic. Also, it is worth pointing out that besides the lead character being closeted gay, there is nothing else gay themed about this film. We meet David, a former child star who obsessively watches reruns of his hit television-show. He is drunk and has alcohol problems and is also flamboyantly gay. Although he is in denial about all these things including the fact he is gay, which no single person around him believes. When he is diagnosed with skin cancer, he is in denial of that as well. When he is on the verge of getting evicted from his apartment, he decides he wants to “help teenagers”, and studies for a high-school guidance counselor position as he would for a role.As luck would have it, he gets the job on temporary basis. Surprisingly, he becomes...

This film can easily be termed as gritty, shocking, very real and sexy at the same time. Set in Cuba, I am not sure how real is really is to the actual life but it the acting and story and content felt quite real. Its a shame that the things people have to resort to just to make ends met and enjoy simple pleasures of life. Life is hard, very hard and its even harder when you have to balance your duties with something that you heart years for. Yosvani and Reinier are two young men who play in an amateur slum soccer team. Yosvani lives with his elder girlfriend Gema and his black-marketeer father. Reid lives with his wife, a small baby and her mother who is always looking for money and support from Rei, since he is the only male earning member of the family. She openly encourages him to be a gay prostitute since that will at least get them money. Reid meets a handsome man Juan visiting from Spain and hooks up with him occasionally. He makes him feel good and also awakens a curiosi...

This short film was about 40 minutes long and therefore deserves its own review. This is a film that can be classified into gay drama, crime and poverty , depicts in a very short span of time about some of the life’s stigmas and a guys story of rediscovering himself. It shows how society expects us to behave and belong and how some people are forced to live in a constant state of low self-esteem and self-rejection. A gang of 4 thugs are eve-teasing a girl. When she doesn’t react, this makes one of the guys Mobutu very angry. They beat up her boyfriend and Mobutu flirts with the girl. Sofiane is the only guy in the gang who tries to keep things under control. He comes back home to his mother and sister studying. When alone, he logs in to a gay website to meet guy. He decides to meet a young man for the night when he agrees to pay him money. Meanwhile his girlfriend Julie is trying to get in touch with him. We later find out that she knows what he does for work (gay for pay) and is...