Movie Reviews -
Gay Themed

A wannabe journey of self discovery of a man questioning his sexuality, this film is a mix of poor and odd screenplay and some genuinely bad acting. It's like an amateur film maker tried to take real events and create a movie but butchered it in execution. The film is known by two titles for some reason. Lawyer Issac lives with his sister Emily in a house given to them by their adoptive parents. Both these individuals have some kind of childhood trauma which we don't get into details till later. Issac has a girlfriend but he always looks for excuses to not get intimate. His friends have always suspected he is gay, but he refuses it. Enter Mark, the new gorgeous roommate and before you know Issac and Mark are now a couple. Just when Issac thinks he has found happiness, two secrets come for fore. Emily and Issac find out that their adoptive father was the one abusing them as kids after their biological mother couldn't pay his fees after her run from her abusive husband. Secon...

This film seemed like a made for web or TV film, which is very much on the same lines as the many BL series we have come to see from LINE TV so far. A very simple, basic, flimsy thin  and cliched plotline, it is just a simple stress free watch; which I would have enjoyed 5 years ago but somehow not today. Earth in a 12th grade student, who wants to be a musician but his father continuously pushes him to study. A young charming and cute boy Sun soon moves in as his neighbour and an unlikely friendship starts developing between the two where clearly Sun likes Earth. Eventually Earth reciprocates his feelings. In enter Log, Earth's best friend who finds Sun very cute and starts pursuing him. Because of a misunderstanding, Earth thinks that both Sun and Mog like each other so he takes a step back. But eventually truth and true love prevails and Sun tells Mog that its only Earth whom he likes. This is a story of how the two boys get closer and help each other grow, showing that the soft...

When I started watching this film, it kept reminding me of the UK mini series that I had seen sometime back called Des, which I had reviewed here . The similarities were quite striking but since the names of characters name was different, I couldn't be sure. And No wi read that indeed this film also was a fictional account of the same serial killer Denis Nielsen (here named Jordan March), who disposed of at least 13 young loners and losers. February, 1983. Detectives are called to a residential address in the London suburbs following reports that the drains have been clogged by human remains. One of the property’s residents, Jordan March is called in for questioning. Slowly he accounts for how he lured young gay man, mostly homeless and jobless, got them into his apartment and eventually kill them. He would bury them under his floorboards and take them out and sometimes sleep with them or just sit with them till the bodies get too smelly. The film is shot in a very documentary like...

This documentary was filmed after an elaborate almost 1 year following after its 4 main protagonists, four artists and transgender activists from the city’s underground scene. Their words, fears and hopes take the audience from an outsider’s point of view to being emotionally invested in their destiny. Four transgender artists from the city’s underground scene –Amanda Lepore, Chloe Dzubilo, Sophia Lamar and T De Long– go beyond honesty, passion and tears, to reveal how their fight for freedom built a bridge between transgender activism and Manhattan’s alternative nightlife scene. Through intertwined narratives, fragments of their past are gradually unveiled, inviting audiences to reflect on the complexity of fate, hope and survival, and their unique struggle against adversity. In the process, we become not only passive spectators of their fight, but also confidantes of their extraordinary stories and lives. I am sorry to say but this documentary failed to connect with me at any level. ...

The HIStory series continues to impress with its meaningful storylines, crisp and mature direction and stories that one can relate too, without the unnecessary addition of fluff. This story is with 8 episodes of about 20 minutes each. One thing that really stands out after this series is that the boys chosen for these roles are really tall. I know.. random information.. but this is something I couldn't help but notice. Qiu Zi Xuan was an excellent volleyball player in the past, but he had to give up on on his dreams due to his injuries. He now manages and coaches the school team, his only way to stay connected to his dream. One day he meets one year junior boy, Xia Yu Hao, a guy with a really bad temper who gets easily infuriated with people that make him angry. Xia Yu Hao had to transfer from another school due to his anger issues. Zi Xuan sees potential in Yo Hao and decides to recruit him for the volleyball team. After seeing how passionate Zi Xuan is, Yo Hao starts to like the ...

Yet another addition to the growing list of films that focus on AIDS related issues. Although, this film came way back in 1994, not every film is capable of managing viewers attention. This film is too theatrical with only three people in the film enacting their interactions withgloom, doom and dark (as the subject demands). Choreographer Chris is suffering from AIDS and is waiting on his death bed. Chris has decided to end his life via a doctor-assisted suicide, and film covers his last moments with his lover, Val. They eat a final meal together and reminisce about happier times. He surrounds himself in his last hours with everything that made his life special and creates his ultimate work of art by choreographing his own death. What's shocking for me to hear is that the lead actor who plays Chris died from AIDS-related causes four days after shooting wrapped on this film. I guess this was supposed to be his swan song and a tribute of sorts. To be honest, I would have been a bit h...

I can't believe what I just saw. I mean that in a good way. This film has got to be one of the most unique erotic, sexual, sensual while being romantic at the same time. The queer male gaze, as demonstrated here, is a startling and fascinating and something I didn't think I would enjoy so much. I am not sure how most people will react to this film, but I was very impressed (barring its almost 2 hours runtime) 40-ish Sandro works in a fertilizer factory and has a very monotonous life. The setting is Catalan in Brazil’s state of Goiás which is dry, very dry. Soon, we realize that he has a sort of affair going on with his co-worker, handsome Ricardo, meeting up after their shift in the nearby forest for regular trysts, getting down and dirty in the literal dirt. Sex is always on his mind which is reflected in the various fantasies and dreams that he continues to have. When a new guy Maicon joins the factory, he gets Sandro's immediate attention. The motorcycle-riding, leathe...

BOYS ON FILM 21 takes you on a voyage of self-discovery, where same-sex attraction is celebrated, first loves are tenderly formulated, and beautiful secrets burn and bloom. The collection comprises of nine-films, a 143-minute journey with characters who risk safety, security, or liberty by living their queerness with complete honesty. The queer men and boys here stand up to cruelty, oppression, homophobia, peer pressure, their parents, and even the Nazis. An eye-opening, thought-provoking, titillating or simply sheer entertaining take on the gay experience. Memoirs Of a Geeza (UK) A short film presenting us with a hard street-wise boy who becomes a hard Queer man, trying out his sexuality and finding, to his surprise, that his family is ‘like a wall of arms protecting me". We Are Dancers (UK) In post-Weimar Germany, the newfound freedoms and liberations of the era are gradually creeping to an end. Frau Hansi and his troupe of cabaret performers are fighting a battle to promote the...

Set in 1985, a Russian Neo gothic and surreal cinema, this is a "story of sex and love, rejection and acceptance, passion and depravity," emotions that the producers say are indistinguishable "for anyone pushed to the fringes of society." Described here as 'Outlaws'. Outlaw is bold, ambitious but very confusing and naïve at the same time, to make any sense out of it. A gay teen boy is struggling with being bullied and his homosexual desires for the bad-boy classmate. A rebellious young girl is vying for the same boy's attention. Their history teacher Nina, has secrets of his own past that continue to haunt him. He advices the gay boy to try and mix with students so as to not stand out. And in parallel, the film keeps switching to the 80's showing is the love affair of this teacher with an army general. I was quite surprised to see a gay storyline from Russia. The film’s LGBT subject matter is set to attract controversy there, so I am not sure how the...

A campy, revenge drama with a lot of comic elements and gags filled by transsexuals and with a title like this, you expect a lot of fun to unfold, which happens to a small extent, but not completely. To be honest, I am not sure of this movie is supposed to be a spoof on the gore-murder-revenge genre or is truly a reflection of hate crimes that happen with trans people. Bubbles, along with her 4 her trans friends work at a drag club where their queen mother takes care of them. One night, three of them are invites for a night rendezvous by three guys, which soon turns ugly because one of them was not too happy about hooking up with Bubbles to find out she is trans. In an ugly spat, two of them end up dead, while Bubbles goes into coma. With the help of her friend Rachel, fellow drag queen, and the drag queen mother, the three of them decide to take revenge. The three of them manage to capture all three men finally. Making them unconscious, the three women place switchblade knives in the ...

Don't be fooled by the poster or the amazingly gorgeous lead actor featured in the film, who has a smile to die for. This film is quite bland in every way possible. Experimental cinema would be the best way to describe it. Teenage Ernesto wanders the streets of Rome, searching for his true identity as he comes to grips with friendships, relationships and the meaning of life. Along the way, shown in multiple chapters, he meets various people who sometimes become his sexual partners, male or female, he never thinks or stops himself from experimenting. Ernesto’s experiences help him to grow and understand that life is full of ups and downs and through his sexual relationships. Yes, the story is that basic. More than a film, it feels like you are watching a teenager go through his life. Almost 50% of the film has absolutely no dialogues and you are left to interpret what's going on in the film. The only reason I am reviewing the film here is because Ernesto is free and open to any ...

What an absolutely weird film of another level. This film was an absolute mess. The synopsis of the film sounded interesting and I was looking forward to watching something different, but I can't believe it. It was just a director's self-indulgence of another level and nothing else.  Imagine 2-3 different visuals superimposed on one another and watching this now for 90-ish minutes. You have absolutely no idea what to focus on and what not. Film starts with a gay couple lying on the beach and a film maker asking them that since in the next scene they are supposed to commit double suicide, do they have anything to say to one another. It's a scene that's part real, part film within a film or something else, I am not very sure. At three or four different times focus shifts back to the couple with them continuing to talk about love between them and nothing else.  Effected by superimpositions - 3 at a time throughout - of other images, and interstitial talk to and from behind...

This film seems to be an independent film made on a very low budget with minimal production quality. I had not even heard of the film till very recently. My expectations were extremely low for the film, which turned out to be a good thing. At least I would call the film average now, instead of saying it poor. Harish and Latif are lovers in the town of Chennai. Latif is out to his family and apparently they even accept his relationship with Harish, but things are different for Harish. He is getting pressured to get married and he has no courage to tell them the truth. Latif decides that telling parish's parents the truth about their relationship is the only way out. They dup go home and Latif tells Harish's father about them, which, as expected outrages his father. Through a couple of encounters Latif tries to explain Harish's father how they truly love each other and this is not about sex, but the father is too worried about society and what they will say. He even takes Har...

The synopsis of the film made it sound quite interesting, but the average direction and screenplay made it eventually a tedious affair to watch. Set around the year before Taiwan legalized gay marriages, the film tries to show the hardships a gay man faces in the community. But somehow, I feel the makers tried to take up too many challenges and portrayed that every possible problem is only happening with our lead protagonist. Kevin is a young high school teacher who occasionally participates in rallies advocating for same sex marriages. He lives with his mother, who although accepts her son's sexuality, but is very uncomfortable with the idea of him having a boyfriend or gay marriage. Kevin is occasionally mocked by students and is asked by school head to keep his presence in such rallies to a minimum. Kevin happens to meet an older guy Gao. We find out that he was married but his ex-wife is still very much in the picture. Love blossoms and the two move in together. It's only t...

I have to start with first apologizing to some of my friends here. I know this show has a lot of fans and lovers, but this season leaves a lot to be desired. The makers went so wrong in this sequel in so many ways and it ended up being a major disappointment for me. After a decent first season, I was actually looking forward to this sequel, but little did I know that I was going to be tricked. The leads of the show this time are Tin and Can, whose story we saw to a large extent in season 1, but it was eft open ended. Tin is the rich guy, never known to be nice to anyone. Suspicious of anyone who ever tried to get close, Tin had closed his heart off to the world, until the day he met Can. Can is childlike, naive and innocent in many ways. Started with fights, the two boys start feeling more attracted and attached towards each other. And soon they are in a relationship. Even though Can maybe innocent, but he doesn't shy away form telling everyone know that Tin is his boyfriend and th...