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Avsar (Hindi) [Opportunity]

By Golu
This Hindi movie is a pretty straightforward slice-of-life story that tries to give a modern look at what it's like to be a single, professional gay man. It dives into how he understands who he is, the chances he missed out on, and the personal choices he’s made along the way. The director used three parallel timelines to tell the story, which honestly didn't make much sense to me. While the core idea was actually pretty interesting, I really feel like this would have worked way better as a short film considering the point it was trying to make. Still, it wasn't a bad watch. The plot centers on Rachit, a city professional, and his friend Shikhar as they hang out for an evening. Rachit is a polished, urban guy, while Shikhar has more of a "small-town" rustic vibe, and you can really see the contrast between them when they talk. As the night goes on, Rachit starts thinking back to some old memories from a long time ago. He remembers being an intern after college in ...
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Woubi Cheri (French) (Documentary)

By Golu
I am actually quite surprised that this documentary came out way back in 1998. Described as the first film to give African homosexuals a chance to describe their world in their own words. Often funny, sometimes ribald, but always real, this documentary introduces us to gender pioneers demanding their right to construct a distinct African homosexuality.

The film starts with basic vocabulary lessons. The main characters explain for us that a 'woubi' is a male who chooses to play the role of "wife" in a relationship with another man. A 'yossi', is a bisexual man, perhaps married, who accepts the role of a woubi's husband. A 'toussou bakari' is a lesbian. Controus are homophobes who oppose the woubia lifestyle. The film then goes on to introduce us to various characters like an immigrant from Burkina Faso, two cross-dressing prostitutes, a mature transvestite. These people go on to enlighten us their everyday struggles and how they have to survive for basic living and not get harassed by local folks. This film by a heterosexual Guinean director is a liberal's cry of protest against a society which refuses to see, let alone accept, homosexual relationships. In the absence of a supportive gay community, its heroes had no choice but to disappear. Woubi Chéri is the story of those who for economic or political reasons will not disappear but are creating an undeniable gay presence in the Ivory Coast. This is not to say that all homosexuals in the Ivory Coast are as flamboyant or "out" as the woubis in this film; there are no doubt as many homosexualities emerging in Africa as anywhere else. Not the most entertaining, but certainly an eye opener, especially given it came almost 23-24 years back. (4/10)
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