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Showing posts from December, 2014

Children 404 (Russian) (Documentary)

For any documentary to be successful, it is very important for it to hold viewers attention. Tell a story that has something important to say, incorporate key characters and their interactions and present in a way that viewers wanna know whats going to happen next. Sadly, this documentary miserable fails in the latter. It does have an important story to tell. But it is so long and drawn and boring that within 30 minutes into it and you have already completely lost the interest. Based on the stories from the Children-404 social networking project, which offered Russian (and international) youth a channel to express themselves and seek or offer support, this documentary’s name wants to say that ‘visibility is vital’. In 2013, Russian President Vladimir Putin passed a bill forbidding the “promotion of nontraditional sexual relations to minors.” LGBT youth, now defenseless against insults and intimidation under this “gay propaganda” law, are considered sick, sinful and abnormal. The t

Phi Chai (Thai) [My Bromance]

Wow! Another Thai film that impressed me. Some people may find this controversial and even cheeky to an extent but I thought that the direction was done quite well and most of the stations were handled bravely and sensitively. Its not a typical gay teen coming-of-age film but its more than that. Its about whats right and what’s not in a relationship. Golf lives with his father and aunt. His father showers him with money but not love. When he remarries, in comes Bank, his step brother. Bank constantly keeps trying to reach Golf but is always met with hostility. Things change when their common friends make Golf realise on how bad he is treating his brother. The 2 guys start accepting each other as brothers. Bank gives Golf the love and warmth that he has always desired. The school’s pop start is interested in Bank who refuses his proposal because he likes someone else. The moment when the 2 boys confess their love for each other being a brotherly love is very emotional. The two star

Fucking Different (German)

The idea on paper sounds very interesting. Get gay short films made by lesbian filmmakers and lesbian short films made by gays. How does the sex of the others work, how to deal with stereotypes, prejudice, sexual fantasies and pornography; all these areas could be explored. So 15 queer crossovers filmmakers from Berlin were asked to make a short film about their idea of lesbian and gay love respectively.  All genres – animation, documentary, drama – were allowed. Filmmakers were also given a free hand in deciding which form their films would take – either experimental or conventional. The only parameters to which they were required to adhere were the length of each film – between three and seven minutes. It was interesting to see that even though we may think lesbians and gays co-exist, there is still a lot of cliches in the minds of many in the opposite group. Sometimes ridiculous and other times offensive. W are not just fucking differently, we are fucking different. And that’s

Last Summer

My faith in good gay cinema has once again been reinstated. But I guess I knew that very well that I will encounter some wort of worse movies and some really decent to some really good ones. This film needs patience but that and the simplicity of this film is what makes it special and you feel connected to it. A small town life has to be portrayed in a way that it exists. Not more not less. So yeah, some of you may get very impatient but trust me, give this film your attention and no expectations. You would be surprised ! Luke and Jonah have been inseparable ever since they were 4. Jonah is the smart one and an artist while Luke is just an average kid. It is their last summer together before Jonah leaves for college. Each one of them loves the other more than the other person thinks. It is killing both of them equally that Jonah is going to leave but is there anything that they can do except their time together? Faced with separation, they savour every remaining moment, hold it, c