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Mysterious Ways (New Zealand)

By Golu
Another queer film with religion as the backdrop. But here the conflict is different and relatively new. The gay couple here needs to confront themselves and each other on their beliefs on what they want before they start to deal with problems that the society throws their way. During an era where legislators and religious organizations are weighing in on queer rights all around the globe, this film provides a considered perspective on the juxtaposing relationship one can have with organized religion, God, and queerness as a whole. 

Peter is an English Vicar now serving in New Zealand. He was happily married, and he currently has an adult-aged daughter as well. After his wife died, in his moments of grief, he met Jason, who happened to be in prison at the time. Before this occurred, his queerness wasn’t something Peter ever really thought about. But then Jason fell into his life and the two fell in love an make for a beautiful couple and everyone knows about them. Jason runs a youth center helping teenagers make sense of their life. Now Peter and Jason want to get married in front of God and all the people he loves officiated in a church and this is where all problems begin. When Peter proposes this to the church, they vehemently reject his idea. This soon becomes media news and suddenly, Jason and Peter are at the center of a very tense public frenzy. Peter wants to use his position and this newfound attention to advocate for change within the church regarding the queer community. But Jason doesnt feel this way. Around this time, Jason’s nephew arrives from Australia, like the guardian angel that they is, and does what they can to mend the rift that exists between the two men. Billy adds a cultural layer in the form of Fa’afafine (a non-binary equivalent). Billy functions as gender fluid, but within the Samoan culture, it’s more sacred than that. Fa’afafine are not assigned a gender role at birth and are not raised as boys, nor girls. The couple goes through a lot of issues including a brief breakup, and its during this that Billy plays an important role in mending the hurt between Peter and Jason. They work out their differences and Billy leaves again now that their work is done.

In the beginning you feel like this is likley going to be another film that delves into the church politics around gay marriage, but the film keeps it local and brief. So, instead of big fights with church heads, we witness instead the bit-by-bit erosion of Peter and Jason's relationship coming from both the inside insecurity homophobic attacks out of nowhere, funds suddenly being 'unavailable', media frenzy and so on. The subplot of Billy is what changes things and it's not until the end I truly understood why that character was added and in fact the title of the film itself. The actor has charm and with thier queer naughtiness and magic, elevate the film away from any expected LGBTIQ+ homonormativity. This is a candid film on reconciliation, compromise, religion and LGBTIQ+ faith; but somehow some scenes happen too fast to make true sense. Jason wanting to break up, or Peter deciding to leave church after all energy he put in or in fact the reconciliation as well. Having said that, the film does give a convincing view of uneasy compromises over sexuality within the church and what and how community does in such situation. The film has some great actors and Peter and Jason make for an extremely handsome and good looking, well put together couple. A decent poignant drama talking about love, faith, religion and social scrutiny with mystery of angels thrown in. (6/10)
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