Movie Reviews -
Gay Themed

A lot of gay themed films have touched upon the topic of  drugs and chemicals in the community. This film takes it to the next level and tries to give an insight in to the club, party, drugs and sex aspects of the gay community. Apparently it is inspired from a true life incident that happened to one of the director's friend. Maxime and Kevin are a couple enjoying time in a hotel room indulging in sex and drugs, mostly G. Because of an overdose Kevin dies and seven minutes later Maxime also dies (probably suicide). Maxime's father Jean is a policeman, who wants to find out what happened in the night and why was there a gap of 7 minutes between the two deaths. In an event organized by Maxime's friends, he finds out about this gay club BISOU where Maxime used to go. The DJ of the club, a young man Fabien takes a liking for the father not knowing who exactly he is. Jean slowly discovers how the drugs and sex free flow in that environment and how even though most people we...

This is a 2 part Chinese mini series that spans over a period of 10 years. It primarily focuses on different aspects of love; pure love, obsession, heart break and even rape (odd.. right?). Story wise, this is an interesting subject but I feel somewhere the execution left a little more to be desired. Lu Feng and Xiao Chen are dormmates in college. The year is 2005 and we see that Lu Feng really likes the dorky twink Xiao Chen and eventually succeeds in wooing him and soon they fall in love with each other. But as expected, when the families find out, they dont react very well to this. Lu Feng's father ships him off to Hong Kong while Xiao Chen's mother makes him promise her that he will never see him again. Lu Feng never stops writing letters to Xiao Chen but never gets a response. Five years pass, the year is 2010 and Lu Feng comes back to China as CEO of the company where Xiao Chen works. The two men reconnect again and this time fall in love even more since they have to...

I am surprised that this didn't hit me until I was midway into this show about the BL dramas that I have been seeing of late. Most BL dramas really focus mostly on love. It's not about sex or physical compatibility or what others would say. I noticed in some of the other shows also that quite a few characters don't want to label themselves as straight or gay. For most, its about the person that they fall for and love. Many times it happens to be of the same gender as they identify themselves with. Sure love soon follows and that is what these dramas focus on. No one wants to talk about what will happen when physical intimacy starts? Where will things end? We know bad sex can make or break even the most loving couple. I am not complaining. Its just an observation or something that stuck me while watching this show. 15 episodes of about 40 minutes average duration, you can imagine that I spent almost 10 hours in total on this. Story wise SOTUS is pretty straight forward....

Retablo is a tridimensional portrait made of meticulously sculpted potato-dough figurines encased in a vibrantly painted wooden altar with double doors to conceal its contents. I am not sure if its fair to label this film as a queer drama. It is more of a coming-of-age film especially in the patriarchal mountainside villages of Peru and the inherent silent homophobia that exists within the society. Noe is a true folk artisan and is very popular and respected for his retablos. He is knows as Maestro for his skills but he doesn't lead an easy life. He sells his art in various cities and villages all over the region and traveling isin't easy since he lives in a mountainous region. His son Segundo is completely in awe of his father and wants to learn his skills and be like him. Noe is his idol. But on a trip to deliver a large piece of work, Segundo catches a glimpse of Noe in a sex act with a man. Shame hits him and suddenly he starts to distance himself from his parents leav...

O Porteiro do Dia (Brazil) [The Daytime Doorman] Marcelo soon realizes it's time to try to go further with Márcio, the doorman in his building. He not only manages to have sex but also makes him to bottom. Two worlds will collide through these men's bodies. Cruising (Germany) Stani meets the same guy most nights at a cruising spot. Eventually they decide to maybe take it to the next level in a proper setting. Loris sta Bene (Italy) [Loris Is Fine] 20 years old Loris is naive and in need for affection. A HIV-positive man he met online is willing to transmit his disease to him. The virus becomes a powerful ally for Loris to gain a much desired symbiosis in his relationship with his HIV+ boyfriend. Frank (Germany) 20-somethings Frank and Dominik are in a relationship. But Dominik has to go to prison somewhere in the province. This puts their love to a test. El tigre y la flor (Mexico) [The Tiger's Fight] Nicolas and Pablo, prepare for “The Tigers’ Fight”, a...

Aleksandr's Price is an exploration to American youth in New York City and the excessive use of alcohol and other drugs in the gay community. I am not very sure on why did the makers have to show the character's background to be Russian because honestly, after a while, the fake made-up accent was starting to get on my nerves. The film starts with Aleksandr doing his sessions with his therapist and we keep going into flashbacks. He had moved to NY with his mother and sister in search of their father. His father had long abandoned them for his boyfriend. But after his mother's suicide, he manages to find a job as a "dancer". he meets a wealthy man Keith and goes with him to his hotel because he is longing for company and love but is shocked when Keith offers him money for sex. when the scenario is repeated a couple of times, he takes up being prostitute to make money but also searching for friendship and love. Aleksandr eventually meets a much older man Tom who...

This Emmy Winning Amazon web series can be best described as the story of love, loss, friendship and healing. Gay men in their 50's is not something that many films or shows have explored. So in that sense, this series does come as a breath of fresh air. With 16 episodes of about 11-12 minutes each between 2 seasons, it is an easy watch. Human loss redefines equation of love between people who are left behind and this show shows us how love makes a lasting impression on all of us. Brian and Jason have been now together for more than 15 years. They have a very close knit circle of friends with whom they hang out with. These include the gay couple with a 9 year old son, who looks forward to his weekend cycling trips with Brian and Jason. We also have a gay couple, both named Paul, who own a restaurant. And then we have a straight couple where the girl has been best friends with Jason since they were young. Jason has now being diagnosed with stage 4 cancer and he refuses to under...

And the 20th volume in the series is out there. Every volume has a theme and most short films follow that strictly but to be honest, I am not really sure what "Heaven Can Wait" means. I didn't find a pattern, but then who cares. It was quite a decent collection after all. Chromophobia (Tunisia) A beautiful animation charting the life of a gay man in Tunisia; his childhood, his self-discovery, his first love and the consequences when this is uncovered within his conservative community. Sleepover (Sweden) When Emil stays over in his friend Adam’s bed after a night at the cinema, there’s a tension in the air, and unspoken feelings are on the tip of his tongue. A film about friendship and the longing for something more. Cute but unsatisfying. Just Me (UK) Scott is preparing for his future with his wife-to-be, but when policeman Connor arrives on his doorstep this reignites feelings Scott had tried to bury. Consumed by the idea of what could have been, Scott finds ...

A brainy screwball comedy film would the best way to describe this film. The dialogues in this are spoken so soft that its really easy to lose track of what exactly is being discussed here. Stories like these are a new brand of cinema, which may not be everyone's cup of tea. It all depends on how well the treatment of the film. Interestingly, the director of the film is also the lead actor, which, I only realized after I finished watching the film. The story is about Todd, a good looking Asian American software, with buttoned up shirts. He is gay, his friends know that and even his therapist knows that but for some odd reason Todd doesn't want to be gay. He has OCD and any kind of any bodily fluids disgust him to the core. He’s lonely and longs for a partner, but he can’t begin to deal with sex. It’s just…too messy. A chance meeting with Rory, a struggling actress changes everything. She is also a brainiac and witty girl. they form the kind of communion where you could sa...

Its fun to watch a sequel of a film immediately after you have seen the first one and not having to wait for a few years. Present Still perfect is a beautiful sequel to its predecessor, and a worthy film. Interetsingly, its one of the few sequels that in my opinion are much better than the original. Be it acting, direction, the natural beautiful landscape and overall presentation. The two major themes, according to me that are handled in this film are that Love hurts and also that Love is about forgiving. Not sure if the makers had that in their mind, but at least that's my take away. The film pretty much is set right after Toey and Oat's chance meeting at airport and them connecting through facebook. Oat has sent a few messages to Toey but still heart broken, he is ignoring those messages. He has just arrived in a beautiful resort for a holiday which is owned and managed by Jen. A Japanese tourist Kenta also arrives at the same time in the resort. He eyes Toey with a cert...

After a few non-stop Thai series, it's time to catch up on some films and that too a Thai film set in Japan. It's interesting to see the vast difference in stories, presentation, direction , acting and everything else in both those mediums. I guess most LGBTQ Thai series that I have seen so far are all focussed on young adults and hence the stark difference between the two. The story of this film is actually pretty simple. The main focus in on Toey, a young Thai boy, who has just come to Japan for a solo holiday after a bad breakup with his girlfriend of 5 years. His Japanese friend Yumi helps him with his lodging and is there for him when needed. Toey meets Oat, who is living in the cottage next door, who also happens to be Thai, and is on his finale bachelor trip before he gets married in a few months. The two men start hanging out together and via conversations it comes out that Oat is gay. One thing leads to another and after a drunken shameful night, which Toey regret...

I don't think I have seen any films where central characters are Anishinaabe, a group of culturally related indigenous peoples resident in Canada. To that sense, this film definitely gave me something to read about later and also an interesting perspective because certain stories are more relevant to certain cultures and not others. Focused on an individual, his community and his coming out forms the basic crux of the story. Shane has just graduated from high school and is looking forward to college in Toronto. BUt his plans go for a toss when his sister commits suicide. The mother almost takes to bed in grief, loses her job and the entire family is falling apart. Its fully onto Shane to support them both and find money for repairs. Not only there are lack of financial opportunities but it turns out that he is gay and there is no way that his traditional community will understand and accept it. David, his boyfriend, is also in closet and is unsure about leaving the town to ...

Released in 1973, this film can best be described as a staged documentary (neither fully feature film nor a full on documentary) that focuses on several years in the life of the British painter David Hockney. I am not an art connoisseur, so I have never heard of this artist and was looking forward to this. The name apparently is taken from one of the more famous paintings from the artist. Hockney's lover was Peter, also the muse for most of his paintings. As described by many friends, Peter was gorgeous, almost like a Greek-God; so no wonder Hockney had such a liking for him. The film focuses more on the. breakup time between the two guys. The breakup has left David a wreck and he imagines scenes with Peter making love to another man. One day, he is hit by inspiration. Two images, one of a semi-nude male figure seemingly at the bottom of a pool, the other of a fully dressed man at pool’s edge, peering down. The resultant painting, “Portrait of an Artist (Pool with Two Figures)...

While this isn’t your usual romantic queer offering, 15 Years does an impressive job of showing what long-running relationships go through when there’s talk about wanting to change things up. The change could be anything from opening up the relationship, to bringing in a third to even starting a family. It also shows an aspect of mid life crisis that our lead goes through. Our primary character is Yoav, a 40 something architect. He has been with his lover Dan for 15 years who is a lawyer completely in love with Yoav. Alma is a mixed race Israeli who has been friends with Yoav since she was 13. At an art opening Alma announces that she is pregnant. For some reason Yoav is completely against the idea of kids, but Alma's announcement ignites Dan's desire for fatherhood. Yoav is so dead against the idea that he even lashes out at his friends and Alma on their 15th anniversary celebrations. It seems Yoav has some really bad childhood memories from his father who is dying. We ne...

This light hearted fun filled film can easily be termed as a silly gay comedy. A movie about underdogs is something that we all love. Add to it some "fabulousness" and the time just goes by real quick, when both the actors and the audience are just having some fun. Yes, it is full of crude cliches and stereotypes but aren't we all used to it by now, especially if its comedy genre. Matthias is an olympic swimmer almost at the end of career, so when a TV commentator pushes him, he blurts our a gay slur. Realizing his mistake he goes back to governing bodies so that he can get one last chance at swimming. His punishment is decided by making him coach of a gay water polo team called the  Shiny Shrimps, touted as “the worst gay sports team”. As you would expect, the team is a bunch of misfits thrown in together who are there just for a good time and lot of sex They are not interested in winning. Restaurant owner and chef Jean created this team and trained but has some sic...