Movie Reviews -
Gay Themed

I was really hoping that this film will be good. But as its title suggests, it was so vanilla and I wasn't sure what was it even trying to say. The synopsis says that it is a poignant exploration of gay relationships and infidelity between an interracial gay couple. To an extent yes it is, but the film never gos into the extent of details and everything is touched upon just superficially. I didn't connect with it at all. Bastien and Matt have ben together for a while, but they have hot a rough patch, since Bastien slept with a woman 8 months back. They are both now visiting Barcelona hoping to mend this rocky relationship. The communication between them seems strained. As Matt grapples with the lingering hurt and its impact on their intimacy, enter British guy Florent, who catches Bastien’s eye and offers top show them around the city. It is obvious that he finds Bastien extremely attractive and given his infidelity before, this just makes Matt more and more angrier. Of course ...

This film made no sense at all, and not because it is a musical. We will talk about that later but the script was so flimsy thin (if there was even a script). I watched and watched trying to make sense of what was going on but the characters kept coming in and out singing their heart out for what, I have no idea. If you do not believe me, read the synopsis summary below and let me know what you think. Peter, a freudian psychiatrist married to a Finnish actor, David, a young British gay living in Banyoles, addicted to Grinder, and Coco Lamour, a Parisian French actress. Peter is a friend of Maria, also a Freudian psychiatrist, and Betsy, David's mother, living in Cadaqués. Maria prepares a trip to spend some days with Betsy. David works at a computer company in Girona directed by a very talented young Indian, Usha. David has a great crisis with his partner, Daniel, a Mallorcan living in Barcelona. Albert is a famous British writer retired in Begur passing the mourning for the loss o...

I had hopes from this film having read the basic premise, but somehow it just did not work for me. It felt amateurish and at times I was wondering if the idea was to make a serious cinema or comedy? It just doesn't hot the right notes, either of love or betrayal to its two main protagonists, which would have been the key to it all. Movie starts with Natalie having discovered that her husband Ernesto is having an affair and invites the person to the house. She is shocked to see that the person is actually a young boy and that her husband was cheating on her with a man. Daniel is a part-time sex worker, and Ernesto paid for his company before love began to bloom between the two as time went on, a love that was conditional on Ernesto continuing with his marriage. Just as she plans to confront him, she gets the news that her husband had had a stroke and is in hospital, she rushes there. Daniel hears it and also goes. Over the course of next few days, these two people connect on the tra...

The second season of this show was pretty messy according to me. Numreous characters are introduced in every episode and after a while it is so hard to keep a track on who's who, what they are doing, what is their motivation etc etc. As it is the show wasn't great to begin with, but Iw as hoping that some of the stories that were left open in season 1 would be tackled and completed here, but I was disappointed. After a point I didn't even care and wanted to just know a little bit more about 3-4 characters who I had connected with in season 1 and see what happens. So in my very brief review here, thats all I will talk about. This season was 6 episodes of about 20-30 minutes. 18 year old virgin Marco finally gets lucky, when his straight friend agrees that he also likes Marco and is open to trying to do something. They both have their first sexual experience , which is both awkward, messy and clearly they were unprepared. Marco is still very much into open, but his experience...

This Spanish documentary series chronicles the violent death of Colombian surgeon Edwin Arrieta on a tranquil Thai island, at the hands of Daniel Sancho, a 29-year-old aspiring chef known for his YouTube videos. Going over 5 episodes each of about 40-50 minutes, which captures the brief backgrounds of these two individuals, how/when they met. How/when murder happened and the trial and the media circus that followed. Inspite of the trial being covered extensively by the world’s media, mystery still surrounds the case. The series explores the questions that remain about Edwin and Daniel's relationship and also the double life led by each man. We first meet Edwin, a Colombian guy who came from a very modest background and ended up becoming one of the most celebrated surgeons. With dreams and high hopes, he used to travel a lot and apparently met Daniel Sancho in Spain. Daniel is son of a very famous Spanish actor and wannabe chef. He came from a luxury background but also wanted to do...

What the hell did I just see? This one was so damn amateurish that a basic school play put together might be taken more seriously. Right from the script , to fillers, to acting , to direction; almost everything was horrible, except for the basic story idea. The makers had something good on their hands and could have made a poignant love story and show audiences a mirror towards how we perceive immigrants, but OMG! this was atrociously bad. Set in Barcelona, Toni, a trans woman, who works as a hair dresser is looking for love. One day she meets a Moroccan youth 20 year old, trying to hide from the police and she brings him home to help her. She slowly starts to fall in love despite the prying eyes of neighbors who are not very sure of what the arrangement is. Seeing a hot young man, many of her friends and other people at clubs try to hit on the guy but he has eyes for Toni and soon they fall in love. In the midst of this love affair, the days go by: looking for a job, paying the rent, ...

A gay serial killer and alien murder mystery would be one way to describe this Spanish-German co-production. I wouldn't call it a horror at all, because not even once I flinched or was scared. It was a bit silly at places but I wanted to check out to see if it made any sense. Luckily I kept my expectations extremely low. It also helped that the film was barely 50 minutes. Film starts with one man giving bj to another in a cruising park and a third man watching them. The next day a mutilated body of the person is found as if the entire body of the person was sucked out, leaving what could best be described as a puddle of goo. A similar death happens a few days later of another boy. Two lady detectives are assigned to the case and the note marks around the dick suggest that it feels like some sort of a spider or a giant tarantula, but the experts say that this is not possible given how far apart the bite marks are. The man who had witnessed the first murder helps detectives create a ...

Translated to English as "An Andalusian Bitch", this is a 7 part series each of about 25-30 minutes. Focusing on a lot of LGBTQ+ characters, this series focuses on certain individuals (some connected, some not). Like many kids their age, some of these Gen Z folks feel quite lost, and they try to find their way, a path greatly influenced by the relationship (repressed, released or overstimulated) they have with sex, and which can only be defined as "drama". They are racked by loneliness and desire in a society that intensifies their struggles.The show is supposed to be comedy as well, but we will leave our thoughts on that later. We meet an interesting mix of people including Sofía, Samu, Marcos, Tamara, Sylvia and Judit. Samuel or Samu is a young gay man, who enjoys hooking up a lot but is almost at a point where he wants something serious. He eventually meets Gabi, a boy with whom he starts as friends, take it slow and eventually as they start to get serious, somet...

This comedy/drama Spanish film is set in the 70s in Seville, when homosexuality was still a crime in Spain. This is the story of Reme, a traditional mother moved by the love of her son, an adolescent aspiring artist, and how she will become involved in the Andalusian LGTBI movement, paradoxically born in the bosom of the Church. We meet Reme anther son Miguel who are clearly very close. Miguel is just 17 and is preparing for entrance exams to go to university to become lawyer. His fatherhood committed suicide. Miguel likes to sing and dance but his mother's pressure to be a lawyer is his top priority. In parallel LGBTQ movements are going on and people trying to get governments attention. One day when Miguel sees a drag performer in a club, he gets very pumped up and is ready to realize that this is exactly what he wants to do and secretly starts hanging out with this group of people. When he flunks the entrance exam and his mother confronts him, they both have a huge fight where M...

Almost always, there is a reason that people in relationships split. Some try to get back together but very few are successful at that, but overnight, as humans, its hard to overcome the differences that must have led to the split in the fist. But maybe both parties don't feel the same and this is different. And this is what probably this film is trying to show. How to overcome your love and move on. Different people react to these situations differently, even though sadly the outcome is gonna be the same eventually. José and David used to be a couple but then split. 8 years after they first met, they decide to spend together in La Palma island where they met, to see if they can give their relationship another shot. Immediately falling into bed together, José and David naïvely believe that they can rekindle what they once had but a wild few days tests their relationship and stirs up past issues. They meet their lesbian couple friends and it's not too late that the cracks start ...

I had not heard of this show and surprisingly it didn't show up in the forums which is usually where I get all my LGBTQ+ content from. So I am glad when xanders here recommended to watch this show and it was available on HBO Max and I am glad I did. VENENO is a Spanish 8 episode limited series about the life of 1990s transgender pop culture icon Cristina "La Veneno" Ortiz Rodriguez, based on the book written by Valeria Vegas titled "Not A Whore, Not A Saint", who met the icon at a stage when she herself was thinking of going through transition. What the young writer uncovers is a harrowing and uplifting life story about how Ortiz evolved from a bullied and rejected teenager in a homophobic Andalusian fishing town, to a high-priced sex worker. It has been a while since I completely binged watch 8 episodes lasting almost an hour each making the best use of my time on a Sunday. This is undoubtedly one of the best shows about trans people, their struggles and journe...

When you have names like Pedro Almodovar, Pedro Pascal and Ethan Hawke associated with a project in the gay space, the expectations are naturally tremendous. I have to say, I was slightly disappointed that this was going to be just a 30 minute short film. I hoped for a full length feature film even without knowing absolutely nothing about wha the film is about. Nevertheless, I was still very much looking forward to this  romantic cowboy story which has more than what meets the eye. This film is not a story of two men who are struggling with their sexuality like some of these other stories. Instead it focuses more on the past as its subject — past romance, past promises, past regrets. Silva, a ranch owner crosses the desert to come meet Jake, the town sheriff. The two of them have an instant rapport meeting after almost 25 years. They spend the day and night together and we are told they were former lovers. But there is more to Silva's purpose of this visit. A murder in town has hap...

Maricón Perdido (Queer You Are) is an autobiographical comedy inspired by the life of Bob Pop (also known as Roberto Enríquez) a critic, writer and host recognized for his blog writing and appearances on late night TV in Spain. In all honesty, I have no idea who Bob Pop is or was before watching this show. But this show, told to us through there different timelines of Bob Pop's life shows us a coming of age story of a town boy in search of his own identity blending comedy and drama on his journey towards self-acceptance. The show is 6 episodes of 25-20 minutes each. We meet Roberto Enríquez, a teenage dreamer in a small town who suffers constant episodes of harassment and who deals with a family situation of incomprehension in which his only support is his grandfather. We follow his journey as a teenager in school, his bullying, to his first few sexual encounters including rape in a park. Told to us through a non-linear fashion, we see his journey to present days as a successful wr...

I wouldn't call this film a gay film. It's in the 'bi' spectrum at best. The film actually uses its imperfect characters to address a few societal issues while also relating to some of its queer characters. The story is simple but it's the complexity of the characters that make it interesting and complicated. Two school friends Nacho and Denis meet after a gap of almost 15+ years. Nacho is now a successful lawyer, married but as a couple they are struggling to have kids. Denis works at a bar and all he really wants is topes a restaurant and cook. Denis is quite quick to ask Nacho for a loan. Turns out, Nacho’s willing to give Denis a loan, but there’s a catch. The two men have decided to ask Denis’ wife to act as a surrogate for Nacho and his wife Marta. While the quad navigate through this complexity after some drama, through flashback we are told that Denis and Nacho had a third friend Isaac who used to get bullied in school and it was Denis who would usually save...

I believe that this was the first movie with a gay main character in Spain. Released back in 1977, I can't even imagine how it was received by the audience. Sure in today's time, one can question how a lot of things have been taken stereotypical of gay population, especially when it comes to lonely desperate, self-hating older gay men; but I saw this film with a historical perspective. Almost 45 years old, the tardiness of old films like this made it a decent pleasurable watch for me. Eduardo is a director of a big bank, 40 something, single, sophisticated gay men who uses his financial position to sleep with younger boys. HIs sexuality is known to his family but still very much a secret. Of late, Eduardo has been eyeing a young straight boy Miguel who is from a poor humble family and almost falls for him. He somehow manages to get him a job in his bank, so that he can be close to him while he figures him out. He soon finds out that he has a girlfriend and would not be interest...

I can't believe that this film back in 1978. A daring film by standards of the time, this film offers a portrait of Spanish society after the death of dictator Franco, during the transition to democracy, using the central theme of secret homosexual life of a prominent member of the Spanish communist party. And how this information makes him vulnerable to exploitation by the Fascist opposition. It's an interesting mixture of political themes and the outsider status of a gay man, who can only exist in a sordid underworld culture. The story is actually simple. Roberto is a prominent politician on rise. We are told that he knew he was gay since he was a teenager but when he was in military, he met his current wife Carmen and told himself that maybe he is bi and actually could be happy. Apparently Carmen knows about his past. Once when he was in prison, Roberto had met young rent boy Ned, and both of them continued their relationship. Somehow Fascist party finds about this and they ...

This is one of the most simple and boring documentaries Have seen in recent times. To be honest, it feels like someone's home video. Made by the daughter of the protagonist (at least thats what I presume), the subject is interesting but not that much. Gleaning her father’s photo archive and diaries, the director explores the failure of the traditional family project that her dad had contrived after serving in the military at the Spanish colony in Western Sahara. An intimate portrait of a man and his enchanting affection seeking journey during the 1980s and 90s in Morocco explored through the interstitial space between memory and landscape. We are told the story in three parts. First how our protagonist served doctor in military in Africa in Sahara region in his 20s in closed confines with the shot North African men. To my surprise, according to him, homosexuality and relationship with other younger men were very easy for him and common there. But at some point in life, he wanted to...

I have to start by saying that besides the rushed climax, I absolutely loved this Spanish Netflix show of 8 episodes. This funny, heartwarming and emotional romcom takes all the usual tropes you’d expect in an LGBTQ+ situation and is full of love, emotion, drama, comedy, romance and everything in between. The central couple is a gay couple (Are they a couple?), but essentially the story is equally about their friends in Barcelona, who navigate hesitations, hangups, and missed connections as they search for the true love they have been missing. The plot is simple yet complicated. Alex is a hot muscular and charming bartender, who wants to leave an angry voice mail to the strange the had a fling with for not calling him back, but that voice mail gets sent to a stranger Bruno, a nerdy architect, who is passionate for movies. Bruno calls him back after some hesitation to tell him that he got wrong number and the to start to relate another things and decide to meet blindly without knowing w...

This film set in 80s was actually made in 2018. In tone, it seems very theatrical, given that the entire 90-ish minute film happens in one tiny room apartment, with only just the two lead characters playing their part during the different stages of their almost a decade long relationship. Roberto and Miguel have been together for over 10 years. Over the course of 4 days in November, the talk and discuss and reminiscence the memories of all these years remembering some specific incidents. These include how they met and when, when they started living together, when Miguel was thrown out of home for coming out as gay, when they both struggled for their jobs and the political unrest around the Berlin Wall. A seemingly strong relationship will start to crumble with each new memory. The memories are not shown all at once and the film keeps moving back and forth in a very non-linear time format, peeling layers only one by one. We are also told, how they fight, bicker, talk about almost anythi...

I knew nothing about this film, so overall I was actually quite happy with the ultimate result. The film doesn't spoon feed you. The viewers have to deduct a lot of inferences and the brother-sister cat and mouse game keeps the proceedings interesting. Sure, towards last 30 minutes, it does get predictable and you know what's going to happen, but still the two very good looking men and a high production quality helps this film to rise above the average script that it does have. Alex and David are a happy gay couple, who have started talking about adopting a child. Alex works at a gym and David has some high profile corporate jobs n they are doing well for themselves. A mysterious figure Blanca soon starts following the couple and she strikes a friendship with Alex at gym, flirting with him. He brings her home for a drink but when David comes home, it turns out that she is David's estranged sister who has come out of jail having spent 8 years for buying down their parents ho...