Movie Reviews -
Gay Themed

I really can't believe that this Italian film came out back in 1979. Uncommon to those times, this film treats homosexuality with a poetic and respectful point of view. At some point you feel there is. Not much going on in the film, but at the same time it also shows us the journey of about to turn 18 Ernesto and how he is dealing with growing up, not just in his home but how the outside world treats him too. I am not sure of what period it is set in, but from the novel it seems like its early 1911. Ernesto is about 17 and works as an administrator for a construction firm, and thinks the world of himself. When a rugged factory worker makes sexual advances and gradually becomes totally smitten with the boy, Ernesto, he starts to play with his feelings. They have sex a few times but Ernesto son realizes that he has some hold over the man. When he overhears about his relationship between two men can be punishable, he breaks the guys heart in most sad way. But Ernesto still dreams big ...

OMG! This was such an unexpectedly beautiful and emotional film. It tells the story of a man who adopts a baby with Down's syndrome and navigates the challenges of parenthood while surrounded by the people he loves. And in the end when we see photographs of the real man and his daughter, it is bound to bring a smile on your face and leave you with wet eyes. Based on the true story of Luca, who was the first case in Italy of a single, gay person succeeding in adopting a daughter. By refusing to give up, he has helped to smooth the way for other single and LGBTQ parents. The film begins with a woman giving birth to a child and leaves her when she hears the baby has Down's syndrome. A kind nurse gives her the name Alba. When Luca, founder of a home for children and adults with developmental disabilities, finds out about Alba in 2017, he applies to serve as her foster parent, a two-year commitment. A former seminary student, he has the requisite experience, but the rules favor coup...

Set in a rural village in the South of Italy, this post world war 2 film is about two main characters: a single mother Martha attempting to cast off the burden of shame that surrounds her unmarried status and finding out what it means to be an independent woman, and Lorenzo, the village’s openly gay “wedding planner", who helps Martha find her voice and courage. Even though this is not a gay film, Lorenzo is absolutely critical for the journey that Martha goes through. In the first year of women’s suffrage in Italy, Marta navigates her evolving role as a woman, breaking barriers and finding her place in a changing world. This is story about Martha, a young woman who was impregnated the day before her betrothed goes off to war, she finds herself alone with a small child on her hands, as her fiancé never returns from the front. She now lives with her parents, her 3 year old son and a younger sister and the parents do not leave any opportunity to remind her, what disgrace she brought...

I wont call this film as a gay film at all but it does fall somewhere in the queer spectrum showcasing the aftermath of bullying young teenager, which could equally be true for any kid, gay or straight. This is based on a true story when in 2012, Andrea Spezzacatene took his own life immediately after his 15th birthday, following a succession of profoundly dehumanising homophobic attacks bot in school and online. The film has no surprises since it starts with Andrea himself revealing in the very first scene that his life ended prematurely. The film focuses on Andrea's life. Known to be a very happy kid always, bespectacled teen is a skilled singer and the best student in his class. HIs parents are going through a separation but he is still ok in the otherwise loving household with his younger brother. Enter the manipulative Christian, a guy in the same class, extremely good looking and for some reason Andrea wants to be friends with him. Christian makes him friend to get help with ...

This slow film sensitively examines a gay couple at a crossroads, while exploring the topic of HIV that is as important today as it was a few years ago. Sadly, even though the intent was right, the makers did not have enough story material to play with leading to a lot of quiet shots and not much happening otherwise. The film is visually beautifully shot, but how I wish there was some more substance to it. Matteo and Riccardo are a couple and they are about to celebrate their sixth month of relationship. As they go on a hike, Matteo has an episode where he feels unwell. It is soon revealed that Matteo is HIV-positive. Surprisingly Riccardo doesn't leave and says he will support Matteo. But despite Matteo asking him also to get tested, he doesn't because he is likely afraid to get to know his own status. Matteo, meanwhile, in unsure about what treatment to take. When Matteo suddenly heads off to visit Enzo, Riccardo is initially suspicious, but he soon learns Enzo is Matteo’s un...

This film is the sequel to 2021’s film Mascarpone, which I remember liking very much. So naturally, my expectations were quite high from the sequel.  As a reminder, in the original film, Antonio splits up with his husband and moves in with a sex worker, Denis. Denis fixes him up with a job as an apprentice baker with Luca, whom he also starts dating, including having threesomes with Denis till Denis untimely death. The film sort of takes forward from the original story but three years later. Three years have now passed and Antonio is now a successful celebrity pastry chef/food influencer with a hundred thousand followers on Instagram. He hasn't seen Luca since Denis' death. His dating record since then has been patchy as all his energy has gone into developing his career. One day, Luca comes into his café and the two men reconnect. Luca has had a tough time in the past three years and lost his bakery business. He is now, however, a successful youth worker working in a LGBTQ hom...

Though not explicit and in your face like most gay films, this is a queer coming-of-age drama focusing on the intense, manipulative, and toxic relationship between 20-year-old Yuri and the older, charismatic entertainer Agostino. The film explores themes of sexuality, freedom, and power dynamics within their nomadic journey through southern Italy. The narrative focuses on Yuri's transformation from a nervous and confused young man into someone who gradually asserts himself within the tumultuous relationship. 20-year old Yuri has been living in the protective village environment raised by his aunts. He is quiet and shy, with the social skills of a toddler and some visible learning difficulties. Yuri becomes fascinated by the cocky Agostino, around 10 years his senior, with formidable piercing eyes, flame-red dyed hair and the perfectly chiseled face. He lives in a camper van and barely scrapes a living by conducting children’s birthday parties. The highly seductive and manipulative ...

Told in a very theatrical mixed with cinematic style, this is an ode to star crossed lovers who are probably not destined to meet. It's a story of two men from two different backgrounds, who meet, fall in love, out of love and move on. There is a lot of abstract scenes in the film and the theatrical like approach may not be for everyone's liking.  Theater actor, director, and coach Giorgio runs an acting class. His father is from a very wealthy family an the is very close to his mother and sister. The mother is going through some cancer or stuff like that. It seems like last time he went to Rome for mother's checkup , he met a nice guy Lucas and they both kept in touch. One day  a guy named Marco come to his class having been invited by his girlfriend Anna. The two men feel some connection and soon Giorgio starts giving him private classes and the two start to hang out. One night, Marco kisses Giorgio, who thinks Marco is likely curious. But Marco makes it clear, that he is...

This was such a bad film. The version I saw had bad subtitles, but I bet you that even if they were good, my views on this film would not have changed. This is a prime example of the makers trying to make a very niche indie gay film, but it is so pertain plot, so full of over the top drama, bad acting and bad direction and just all around a bad bad feeling. Francesco is a 4o year old man who lives with his sister after their parent's death. During covid he finds out that his company has closed so he now needs to find a new job. After getting many multiple rejections because of his age (bizarre!), one of his friend gives him an idea to become a male prostitute. Horrified by the idea, he eventually gives in when he needs money. He tells his sister and neighbours lie that he has gotten work in a hotel. One day one of the clients kisses him on lips and that changes Francesco. He suddenly feels a sense of love. Next thing you know this client is taking out Francesco for dates and they a...

A journalist goes undercover to investigate a serial killer case in the gay scene. Soon he finds himself in CRUISING territory. Sounds familiar? Of course, the1980 Al Pacino film dealt with this subject. I am not privy if this film was a remake or something but this Italian film which came out in 1993, is just about a decent watch. Even if we forget the production quality, the movie just doesn't offer enough thrills or tense moments that would have made this film an exciting watch. Gay men are being murdered ruthlessly and investigative journalist is trying to figure out the case. He has a beautiful wife who is an air hostess and his best friend is a magistrate who keeps asking him to help police with investigation rather than working on his own. He starts cursing in search of serial killer with his camera woman trying to get footage, but murders keep happening and somehow Marco is always near or have met the men who keep getting killed. One day he meets an enigmatic male hustler A...

Look, I will always be slightly partial to Ferzan Ozpetek's films. He is probably the only gay film director who I know by name, have loved almost all of his films and am always looking forward to what he would be coming up next. This film is no different. Released recently exclusively on Netflix, this is a beautiful story of unrequited love. A love which was never meant to be together but still so complete just knowing that you loved and you were loved with so much intensity and passion and just pure form of love. Once again, the director surprises me with small little things in the film like his previous works focussing on relationships and love and friendship. The story is simple, yet complicated. Two young men, a film student Enea and a medical student Pietro meet in 1978 in a movie theatre. The theatre is also occasionally used as a cursing spot for men. Enea wants to get it on but Pietro wants his first time to be special and so Enea finds a place for their rendezvous. They c...

This was such a wholesome film to watch. I enjoyed every single minute of this beautiful shot, exquisite, loving film with a ghastly air of menace throughout and a devastating conclusion. After seeing the film, when I started reading about it, this is when I realized that the film is  inspired by true events, the murder of two young boys in a Sicilian small town in the ’80s. This was a crime that changed forever the perception of homosexuality in Italy. Its emotional impact on public opinion was so deep and vast that it opened the way to the creation of the first association aimed at safeguarding homosexuals’ rights. Reading these statements suddenly made the impact of the already beautiful film even more. I couldn't believe what I was reading. So, now with even more vigor, I highly highly recommend and urge people to watch this beautiful love story of two teenagers. Set in early 80s in Sicily, we are slowly introduced to the two young boys. Gianni is bullied by the locals of his s...

A promising premise that disappointedly doesn’t live up to its expectations. After the first 20 minutes where I was hoping that something interesting would happen, the film eventually ended up being a very bland and an unerotic experience. We are introduced to the two protagonists wearing masks that take their time to remove, meanwhile they explore different versions of themselves, sometimes with unpredicted or annoying visitors.  Two strangers meet in an apartment for a sex date, but a special feeling immediately arises between them. Too afraid to follow their hearts, Marcello and Herman decide to play a game, using an ancient dice made of stone. They establish six actions to perform, one for each side: telling an uncomfortable truth, doing something the other likes, inviting a third person, doing something blindfolded, leaving the apartment, having sex. And thus the game begins. When the first time the dice rolls leading to one of them leaving the apartment, they decide that one ...

Even though the summary of the film may say so, I am not sure if I would really call this film as a piece of queer cinema. On one hand, the film is a complex and layered exploration of evolving friendships and how easily they can become romantic under heightened circumstances. And on the other, it also shows us complex relationships within a family and what happens when a little girl suddenly becomes a miracle child. Lino, a delivery boy and Mario, a motorcycle mechanic ar the closest of friends. They are both young, handsome, play soccer, and are looking for new experiences to escape the monotony of their daily lives. Lino lives with his depressed mother and his radiant younger sister Annaluce and has difficulties paying the rent. In the first scene, we see that a dove crashes with a statue of Mother Mary and falls down. Annaluce takes the bird in her hands and it flies again, a sign of the gift of life and suddenly she becomes the patron saint of the district. This creates a weird di...

This film is based on Italy’s late 60's true events, Italian poet, playwright and artist Aldo Braibanti’s controversial imprisonment for homosexuality in 1968 after a four-year trial a quietly stirring portrait of institutional intolerance. What's interesting is the fact that homosexuality wasn’t strictly illegal then. That means Braibanti was tried on the antiquated charge of plagio — not the literal translation “plagiarism” but in the legal sense of psychological duress, effectively with brainwashing his partner in a consensual relationship between adults. I surprisingly found myself quite liking the film for the dignity and poise thatchy have made it. The film starts with an older Aldo with his young lover Ettore being found together in bed and Ettore being hauled away by his mother and brother and shipped off to a mental hospital for barbaric electroshock treatment. The film jumps 6-7 years back where we meet Aldo, artist, a teacher and a poet who also conducts studies in m...

This is a feel good road movie about two mismatched Roman teenagers spending a summer in US. To be honest , from a story perspective there really isn't much that's happening here. The film is about friendship, coming of age of two teenagers who end up spending their summer with a gay couple and unexpected friendships develop. Marco is about to graduate school when he gets 3000 Euros for accident compensation. At his friend's suggestion, he decides to take off to California to stay with someone whom his friend recommended. To his horror, his friend also made the same promise promise to Maria, a good girl from school, whom he can't stand. Marco and Maria are to stay with the gay couple Matt and Paul in San Francisco for a couple of days till they make their next move. Maria makes her displeasure about them being gay, but the couple takes it ok. Over the period of time, we hear the story of how Paul and Matt got together and how Matt was bisexual. Also Paul is unhappy in h...

Few years back, there was a time when I used to watch a lot of gay themed Italian films. I feel they have found a way to mix comedy and drama and to send a message. Surely, these movies cannot be taken too seriously, but from an entertainment perspective, they provide a good fun viewing where you can forget your stress for a short while. From a politically correctness point of view, many people may take issues with this film, but I was just happy laughing hard at quote a few places. Serene Bruno, a woman in 30s has an extremely successful career as an architect in London, but one night when she terribly misses home, she takes the big decision to move back home. The situation at home is not very promising, and Serena must adapt to designing funeral mausoleums for rich imbeciles and working as a waitress in a Rome restaurant managed by the handsome Francesco (who is gay but not out at work). One day she comes across a contest to big for renovation of a old building. She realizes that bei...

I have loved Ferzan Ozpetek's every work that I have seen. The way he brings people, emotions, friend sand relationships all together is just magical, realistic and something that everyone finds a way to relate to. So naturally when I saw that one of my favorite films from over 20 years ago, I now being presented as a 8 part show, I was extremely excited. I couldn't wait to see the new version where hopefully things would be lot more detailed and nuanced. The story is exactly same as the series. Massimo is married to Antonia for over 15 years, But a chance meeting with young and vivacious gay painter Michele changes his life. He gets into affair with him and eventually falling in love. But the day he decides to tell the truth to his wife, he gets killed in a car accident. Through a painting in his office, his wife Antonia finds out that he was having an affair. When she meets Michele, she is shocked to see that Michele is a man. After initial awkwardness, Antonia is welcomes to...

Italian films (in the queer space) have these knack of mixing comedy, family while tackling with sensitive subjects, in this case homosexuality. I have seen a few films in the past where the message and subject is addressed and talked about but in a light hearted comic way, where it connects well with audience and it doesn't get heavy at all. This film is definitely one such film. Brothers Francesco and Nicola haven't seen each other for 40 years, ever since Francesco came out gay by declaring it in the school. Since he was a teacher at the time, he decided to spare his family the disgrace he had caused by declaring publicly his sexual orientation. When their mother dies, Francesco visits her but at the burials notary appears with the mother's last wish: to be buried next to her husband in her hometown by both her sons. After some bickering, the duo agree on the road trip where they will need to work on their issues. During this journey, Nicola finally gets to hear what was...

This was an extremely odd film to be honest. But given that it was released in 70s, I can't imagine what sort of confinements were the makers working with. Even though the male lead is supposedly gay, there are no scenes to prove otherwise. Elli and Marco are an unquestionably unusual wedded couple. Due to a damage as a kid, Marco harbors homosexual drives that he represses inside his married life and Elli is a barely suppressed nymphomaniac. The marriage is useful for both of them as it allows them to blend in within the confines of their regular social life in a sanctimonious provincial town. Their marriage, however, does not solve their problems, nor are things made any easier by the unexpected return of George, the English antiquarian "friend" of Marco, who now tries to seduce Marco. Marco kills the girl who loves him, whom he has rejected, and then throws himself from a tower, under the eyes of Elli and George. The plot is interesting and there could have been so muc...