Movie Reviews -
Gay Themed

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...

I was quite excited when I found out about this 5 part mini-series lasting a total of 5 hours. Spy/thriller/mystery is my favourite genre and of course, by my blog you can of your tell that I do watch a lot of gay films; so this series definitely brought with it a lot of anticipation and expectation at the same time. BBC is known to come up with series and drama like no one before. Will it be the same this time or will high expectations kill the fun. I am going to try and analyse in this review here. Based on the foundation of love story, we meet Danny and Alex. Danny is carefree, occasional drug user, party-goer young man. A chance encounter with Alex changes something in him. Is it the beauty or his simplicity. he would never know. He takes chances, makes a move to Alex and his love is reciprocated. They are 2 very different people but somehow complement each other. Their love grows and Danny finally introduces Alex to his best friend, mentor and guide Scotty who has been with h...

Apparently this film is based on a short story by the same name that was quite popular in Japan. I haven’t read the book but my vies on the film are very average, for various reasons. We will discuss that further. Shia is a young shy man. Having quit his last job, on his first day at his new job, he meets Togawa in the elevator who is brash and extremely hungover. Only later he finds out that Togawa is his boss. For whatever reasons, at least not clear to me, Togawa takes a liking for Shima and before you know an affair starts between them. Shima is still the shy one while Togawa constantly pursues him. Shia also makes a god friend with another guy in the office who is also close friends with Togawa. Shia has a history with his ex-boyfriend because of whom he had to leave his old job. So as much as he appreciates and likes and wants to reciprocate Togawa’s love, he is scared that this is just a phase for Togawa and pretty soon he will get bored and he will leave him. His worst fea...

What a surprise! I kept dilly-dallying to watch this movie but finally I gave in and what a wonderful surprise this film was. A quirky, wildly entertaining film about a day in the life of two transgendered prostitutes in LA on Christmas eve and the non-stop drama that goes on during the entire course of the day. Some people can also term it as a screwball, odd, buddy-comedy between the two prostitutes which has been told with a very daring quality. Sin-Dee has just gotten out of jail after 6 weeks. She learns from her best friend and fellow transgendered  Alexandra that her pimp, Chester, whom she loves has been cheating on her while she was in prison with a white girl. All she tells is that the girls name probably starts with a ‘D’. Sin-Dee is mad and goes out on a quest to track down both Chester and this other woman, while Alexandra following her. They separate their paths at various junctures only to meet again. When Alexandra feels that there is going to be drama, she dec...

Ever wondered what is life really like for LGBT people in prison? Reading the title you would think that this is a generic documentary but to my disappointment, this documentary primarily focusses on drag queen Latrice Royale, who became famous after featuring in Ru Paul’s drag race. We meet Latrice and go through her life on how she was molested as a child, beaten, why she ended up being in jail and what happened inside. We then also look at how, with support from her loved ones and friends, she was able to get back her life on track and is now one of the most successful drag queens. And then we meet some other 4-5 inmates who share their stories of living in prison as an LGBTQ member. They talk about forbidden love, finding love online, making pen pals, forced sex in prison, being raped by both guards and fellow prisoners, hiding their true identity. Some say it was sexual torture, for others it was a fabulous sexual experience. We also witness struggles on trans people. Interes...

Hopeful Romantic (USA) A musical film about one man's emotional journey through love, heartbreak, and healing. It's a universal story about loving, letting go, and holding onto faith that there's somebody for everybody. It is dialogue-free, completely musical. I wasn’t sure if I would like it but it wasn’t bad at all. (6/10) Gokugoku futsuuno! (Japan) [Quite Ordinary] When a student comes out to his teacher (who is himself gay), he internally wows to protect him and sees it as God’s plan for his love. Butte student loves another boy who rejects his love. A story with comic touch that shows some realities of how people react when you come out. (5/10) Brookton Hollow (USA) Story of true love. Kyle loves alone on a farm with his father. Their cow is his only best friend. The father gives Kyle a warning that with meat being low, cow would have to go and just then Kyle starts dreaming (or is it reality) that cow takes form of a young man to be with Kyle. To save the ...

Yes, the premise about a gay man finding himself pregnant was really interesting and it was an excellent opportunity to make it a good fun watch. Unfortunately, a real bad screenplay and an average direction just makes this film barely watchable. Also the film title really doesn’t justify the story. In the beginning we witness a debate about paternity vs maternity leave when a woman asks why men should get such long paternity leave when woman does all the work. And this issue is never discussed again. Greg and Ken are a couple and very happy with each other. On the night of their 4th anniversary, they have to cancel their plans and baby-sit Greg’s nephew. Greg is bit neurotic and always worries about his weight but doesn’t do anything about it. Ken, on the other hand is a normal-isn guy. who works as a lawyer. On their anniversary night, Ken feels he wants to top Greg and so he does but few weeks after that they realise Greg is showing signs of nausea and other symptoms. On doing ...

An interesting film that subconsciously debates love between two men; one a gay man for whom homosexuality is a black-or-white concept and the other who is not ready to choose a side because he needs to figure out the impact on not just him but people around him as well. I have been part of many conversations where gay men question the whole concept of ‘bisexuality and this film does a very interesting t make on the whole theme. Its a thoughtful, beautifully acted and nuanced film that makes you think. Bruno, architect by profession, has recently moved out of his home, leaving behind his wife and son. They are not separated. He just needs time alone to think and figure out what he wants to do with his life. He is hired by city commissioner to design a new monument in Santiago that would mean something to the city. The commissioner also introduces him to Fer, a free spirited tour guide who knows the city inside out so that Bruno can make a more informed decision. Fed is young, fun,...

It was disturbing to watch this film. Disturbing not in a bad way, but in a way that you feel like appreciating what you have in your life. There are worse places and countries to be out there being a gay man. Surely, we have seen films about homophobia and gay-violence; but this film IMO shakes you up from inside. It is so hauntingly real, that it is difficult to explain. Anton and Vlad are a very happy domesticated couple in Moscow. One evening, having taken a wrong turn in their car, they witness what they believe is a vicious gay bashing. Anton wants to help but Vlad pleads him to not do so of this own safety. They later hear about a young man being admitted in hospital with what is believed to be homophobic attack who later dies. Part of Anton feels responsible in some way and wants to investigate the story behind it. It’s dangerous territory but Anton is persistent, Vlad agrees to help. They make a plan and get help from the deceased’s siblings. Anton also gets help from Katya...

This documentary was telecast on UK’s Channel 4. Being gay has never been easy for anyone past or present included. When you are asian, it is a bit harder because of culture and if you are asian and Muslim, then the difficulty goes on more level up. This documentary very effectively follows life of gay asians, specifically Muslims and drag queens. Narrated by Sir Ian McKellan, the documentary’s focus is on young men who are unable to publicly reconcile their sexuality with their cultural identity and traditions. Asif, is a good looking young Muslim man who loves to dress up in drag and perform. The documentary starts with him showing us the death threat emails that he has received. He is popular and successful as his alter ego Asifa Lahore. But behind the expertly applied make-up, she is fighting a major battle on behalf of all those who don't dare to wear their sexuality so openly. Then we see Imran, whose alter ego is Zareena Khan and i looking of love everywhere. She gets l...

A good concept which could very easily be shown in a 20 minute short film and I can bet you that the impact that this short film would have had is much greater than the impact that this film will ever have. The title pretty much tells us what the film is going to be about but in the process it becomes tiring and lethargic and you start to wonder whether anything concrete will ever happen or not. Herman and Franco are an older gay couple who have been together for 8 years. They meet Fede, a very young man in his early twenties, online and have a few raunchy conversations about a threesome. Finally they invite Fede for dinner and more. A very nervous Fede arrives anther home and obvious discomfort is seen between the trio. Slowly as the three men eat, chat, and drink plenty of wine, they become more talkative and open. In due time, they are revealing intimate aspects of their lives and histories. Soon after dinner, the romantic encounter starts which ends up in a threesome (a really...

What was the point of this almost 2-hour long film? Really!! Surely, we do see a very unflinching account of the life of a drug addict but then thats all there is to it. Its like we are following a drug addict and seeing what he is doing on a daily basis between trying to find money for drugs (mostly be being a hustler), getting high and then finding a place to sleep. I personally couldn’t find any more logic or reasoning to the whole film besides what I just said. The film starts with a steamy and graphic sex and drug abuse scene between our protagonist Alex and Bruno. Exact nature of the relationship is not known until Bruno reappears towards the end of the film. After a couple of nights of intense drug use and sex, Bruno leaves and now Alex has to find to make money and get more drugs. He makes friends with his drug dealer and his girlfriend who use Alex’s car to distribute drugs to their customers. This goes on for about 30 minutes or so till they all get arrested. Alex gets r...

This film came out in 1999 and is a light hearted comedy. I can imagine that in that time it was probably a risqué subject, only because its the story of an traditional Indian family as a background. Ideally I wouldn’t have classified this as a film in LGBT realm because there is so much more to it, like family, responsibilities etc. but it is still definitely worth putting up on my blog. Reena, an Indian-American is a henna tattoo artist and lives with her lover Lisa. She and her sister Sarita were single handedly brought up by their mother. Like most Indian families, the mother and even Sarita are obsessed with babies. Few months into her marriage, Sarita finds out that she can’t get pregnant and about the same time Reena’s family make her feel that she is selfish and doesn’t do much for her family. Without discussing with Lisa, Reena offers to be the surrogate mother of the baby for her sister and her husband Mitch. Narita is not to keen on the idea but because Mitch seems real...

I was starting to wonder how come my recent stint of gay films have been quite decent and chances were quite high that I would son be watching a real crap movie soon, and behold here it is. This film is an attempt to mix vampire craze with tons of sex, wafer thin story line and expect to do wonders for everyone involved. James and Andy are a perfect couple, until Andy loses his job suddenly. In order to make their ends meet, James recommends they allow a lodger to stay with them. In comes Sebastian, a loner, good looking, tall, muscular but weird guy. Andy goes through all kinds of dreams every day and begins to wonder that Sebastian is hiding something and is very scared of him. He suspects that Sebastian could be the killer who has been stalking the streets of their neighbourhood and responsible for so many people seemingly disappearing into thin air. James on the other hand doesn’t notice anything. The film ends at a bizarre note something similar to how it started in the first...

A very interesting concept indeed. We all go through nostalgia. Watching certain scenes, places, listening to songs, reading old letters, reconnecting with friends etc brings back memories. But what if you didn’t have this luxury. Imagine having no cherished childhood memories to recall. The makers use this basic premise to come with an indie film, that touches the subject but slightly fails in passing on the actual message across. Evan is  young college going student, who spent his childhood and youth moving between an endless list of foster homes. He is in a stable relationship with his boyfriend Chris who loves and supports him but at the same time can be a bit controlling and trying to make Evan into something that he is not. One afternoon Evan finds an old 8mm film camera in a garage sale. The old owner asks him to return back in a week to collect the editing equipment. When he returns a week later, he finds that the old man passed away and now it is his son Peter who liv...

Foreign Relations (USA) Recently dumped Tom decides to take a group tour. He is randomly assigned a roommate for the duration of the trip whom he can’t figure out if his room mate is gay or not. There is lot of sexual tension in the 7 days but its only on the last day that the truth comes out. Well acted and decent directed. Fugaces (Spain) In the week of Pride, Madrid is full of new guys. And there is always one that stands out from the mass. Daddy's Big Girl (USA) Widowed & wealthy gay Cliff, has a strained relationship with his overweight adult daughter Millie. Millie feels judged as an overweight person, but does nothing to address the issue. She sees her father's life as a hedonistic one, everything is all surface and no depth. It isn't until Cliff tells Millie a story about his deceased wife that they come to a better understanding of each other. The Saint of Dry Creek (USA) Shown in animation, Patrick recounts how in 1950’s his father taught him th...

Oh no!! Why did they have to end the movie like this? I can’t watch another sad ending. According to the director, this is a film about love, or the lack of it and about the consequences of seeking out its substitutes. And as the film ended, I as a viewer was unsure of what the filmmaker intended to say with his story. Some of the characters get what they want, some of them don't, but none of them seem satisfied with the way things end up. What was the filmmaker's message? In his fifteenth year of training, aspiring champion swimmer Kuba lives a normal, uneventful life - at home with his mother and girlfriend Sylwia. He happily switches back and forth from good sex with Sylwia to the occasional back rub his mother craves. At a gallery opening one night, he is out of place and totally bored until he meets Michal. Sylwia picks up on his fascination, but Kuba has her heart. Attraction between two men is instant and Kuba starts looking for ways to hang out more and more with M...