The 20 CENTIMETRES of the film's title refers to the length of flesh drag queen Marieta wants ridden off in order to live life as a true lady. But she has to somehow get the money for the operation. Her job as a cleaner and part-time prostitute does not earn her much. But director Salazar surrounds Marieta's life with dozens of colourful characters from her dwarf flat-mate who plays the cello like an extension of his instrument to the yelling neighbours. But the one that affects and enters Marieta's (sex) life most is hunky Raul, the fruit stocker with the perfect peach ass. 20 CENTIMETERS is the perfect closing night film for Inside out. With a theatre full of enthusiastic gays responding to the numerous lively Hollywood-style numbers and hilarious off-coloured humor (example: Go f*** yourself because no one else will!), this will make a perfect night out at the movies.
THE AGGRESSIVES refer to the group of young black (with one Asian but she has a Jamaican girlfriend as an exception) NYC lesbians. That is what they call themselves as they are always the ones in control. And they do know what else they want as well. Octavia, for example, knows she wants a medium sized girl. A skinny one won't keep her warm and a fat one has too much to go through before she can get at it. These are girls that want to be and dress as boys. A sort-of the opposite of drag queens. Director Daniel Peddle traces the lives of a group of AGGRESSIVES for a period of five years interviewing them on their views of life, identity and lifestyles. Their coming-out stories are as fresh as ever. Among the others are Tiffany, model Kisha, Marquise, RJ and Flo. Their zest and love for life, despite their lack of luxuries, comes across loud and clear and rubs across the screen in this entertaining documentary that offers an eye-opening glimpse of an alternative lifestyle. Peddle's film ends with her subjects 5 years after and where they are in life. Example, Kisha has acted in a Spike Lee while messenger-ring and modeling and Octavia and Flo have both got stable relationships with their girlfriend. The important point is that the audience can learn from these matured hard-hit human beings. A remarkable, sad and often moving film!
The screening of THE AGGRESSIVES will be followed by a panel discussion with Syrus Ware, Akhaji Zakiya, Nikko Blaxx and Rinaldo Walcott.
Brocka's BOY CULTURE, the opening film of the Inside Out Film Festival is an appropriate pick by the programmers. Basically an old fashioned love gay romance between a high class hustler, X (Derek Magyar) and his black roommate, Andrew (Darryl Stephens), BOY CULTURE also offers to answer prime questions of gay male culture such as why gay guys are always so full of themselves. So much so that they do not reveal their true feelings! The probable result is unrequited love that could end in a lost love and opportunity. Fortunately, X is counselled by his faithful client, Gregory (Patrick Bauchau) who shows him the ropes and sets things right. BOY CULTURE is aided by solid performances by a good-looking cast. The sets and props are appropriate - stylish, quirky and cheap, reflecting the nature and financial standing of the roommates. It is interesting to note that the culture expressed in the movie is very American and would hardly translate to general queer culture of other countries.
BROKEN SKY is director Julian Hernandez' second feature at Inside out after A THOUSAND CLOUDS OF PEACE in 2004. Like his first feature, BROKEN SKY is strong on images and sparse on dialogue. BROKEN SKY traces the sad love affair that begins as a first love infatuation between two college students Jonas (always wearing blue) and Gerardo (always wearing red). Blue gets tired of Red. Blue wants someone else and lusts over a new boy he met at a dance, so that he imagines him whenever having sex with Red. Distraught, Red has an affair with a mean looking guy who stalks the couple. Despite some stunning images and a story told with minimal dialogue, the 140 minute film is overlong and tedious. Part of the mystery is spoilt by the embarrassing songs - the lyrics of which reveal every state or situation of the couple. The sex scenes are erotic (the two boys are cute - so gay males cannot complain), but Red and Blue's constant moaning and grunting emphasizes the scene is an act the two actors have to go through. The use of body language is excellent but the same story could be told through 20 minutes of modern dance (probably with greater emotional impact)
CAMP OUT follows American mid-western teens as they attend the first camp for gay Christian youth. The ten include both males and females as they relate their stories of coming out and time of realization of their sexual orientation. Unfortunately, most of these tales are not eye-opening and nothing that most GLBT have not heard before - except for the fact that most of these youth have not experienced a gay sexual act, as prohibited by the Christian belief. Of course, unless they are not telling! The only uplifting sequence is the gay pastor relating his experience of being accepted (though not ordained) as a gay leader in his community. Grimaldi and Marcolina's film is well intentioned but the novelty of gay Christian youth in a camp wears off early into the video.
The lovers go into the woods to fight. They are tender and brutal. Their COMBAT is crosscut with their love making scenes. Of course, no one emerges victorious in the battle. With a voiceover, it is revealed that macho-sadism is an important element in the relationship of the two men - one young, clean-cut and the other, bearded and older. The latter wishes to be hit, and hit hard and then to reciprocate with a hundred times the effect. Filmed on video, most of the scenes were difficult to watch on the DVD screener. Hopefully the scenes in the woods, where most of the action takes place are captured clearly on the big screen. The waterfall sequence with the two nude men bathing in the dim sunlight is handsome shot. Oddly enough, the film comes across as poetic at times. COMBAT is appropriately screened together with the Italian 15-minute short WRESTLING MATCH.
After Bells' low budget debut of TWO BROTHERS, EIGHTEEN can be viewed as Bell's ambitious foray into commercial feature filmmaking. EIGHTEEN boasts two big name actors, Ian McKellen and Allan Cumming. The film tells the story of street kid, Pip (ironically referenced to the Charles Dickens' character of GREAT EXPECTATIONS). He (Paul Anthony) as abandoned his parents - reason revealed later in the film - and only comes to terms with himself and life after being given a cassette of his grandfather (voiced by McKellen) on his 18th birthday. Pip is straight. The gay characters in EIGHTEEN are his dead brother and hustler friend. Upcoming Canadian actor Brendan Fletcher has the role of the grandfather as the 18-year old soldier. EIGHTEEN is a well made effort despite a few bouts of over-acting by Anthony.
Three lives. All different but linked together by the topic of adoption. Coming to terms with past decisions, forgiveness and peace. LOGGERHEADS concerns penniless drifter Mark (Kip Pardue). Diagnosed with aids, he was abandoned by adoptive parents, a minister (Chris Sarandon) and wife (Tess Harper) who has not forgiven herself or husband for the act after the discovery that Mark is gay. Mark's real mother, Grace (Bonnie Hunt) is similarly traumatized for abandoning Mark for adoption. LOGGERHEADS is extremely slow in its execution. One scene has detective telephone Grace that she has found the adoptive parents. But she has to talk first to Grace's mother, who brings the phone to Grace in her bedroom before the news is revealed. It may be argued that the scene is necessary to have the mother be informed of the event, but still the entire film could be cut down a third of its length. Given time, most of the scenes in LOGGERHEADS, which has a purpose (though only one - the script is not layered with hidden agenda), can be read. But still the sloth's pacing of LOGGERHEADS requires extreme patience. The LOGGERHEADS of the film's title refer to the loggerhead sea turtles that Kip is intent of saving at the seaside town of Kure Beach.
METH begins with experiences shared by a range of male users praising the highlights of meth a.k.a. crystal, tina, candy or crystal methamphetamine, its full proper name. The users vary in age from a teen living off his mother to late middle-age, six-figure earners. Director Ahlberg allows the subjects to tell their stories uninterrupted. By nature of the material and by what most viewers have heard from the news or from friends, the film is intrinsically scary, mesmerizing and finally captivating. Ahlberg blends in scenes of the circuit parties complete with flashing lights, trance music and hard male bodies. This is the wicked world of the gay male. But two thirds through METH, Ahlberg quickly brings his film to a stop. That was life on crystal. Recovery is necessary. Once one survives crystal meth, then life is ok. The subjects then turn to tell their story of rehabilitation. METH is a well intentioned, well-balanced, informative documentary with enough horrific testimonies to scare any meth user to think over his life again. One cannot remove the memory of the scene of a mother telling the camera how her son has stopped using the drug while the son quietly, guiltily admits later that he cannot help but keep using his mother.
At one point in the film QUEENS, the character Reyes (Marisa Paredes) boasts that she has acted for Almodovar. The truth is that in real life, Marisa Paredes who portrays Reyes was in Pedro Almodovar's TALK TO HER and ALL ABOUT MY MOTHER. But that is not all. Spanish director Pereira's gay romp pays smart homage to Almodovar. Firstly, QUEENS is a story of 5 mothers, a favourite subject of Almodovar. At one point in the film, one mother screams that she hates high heels, which happens to be the title of one of his films. The QUEENS in Pereira's film are not male homosexuals but the mothers of the homosexuals. It all begins with the first gay wedding in Madrid - between the actress' son and a hunky gardener. The ceremony takes place in a hotel run by another mother of a gay man who just had his lover's mother flown in from Argentina. The fifth mother is the judge presiding over the ceremony who by coincidence, also happens to have a gay son. QUEENS plays like a bedroom farce with mothers and their gay sons replacing couples and their lovers. Queens has Carmen Saura, Veronica Forque and Paredes and other familiar Spanish faces. Throughout the film, the audience will have a gay old time rooting for their favourite drama queen.
I first saw WILD SIDE at the London Film Festival in November of 2004. Mr. Popular's club friend was an exhibiting distributor for WILD SIDE and he introduced me to both the film's director, Leftists (COME UNDONE) and 32-year old transsexual, Stephanie, whose life the film is based on. Stephanie is beautiful and quite, very much like WILD SIDE. Though slow moving and pensive in outlook, the film has a quite yet WILD SIDE. Stephanie has two lovers, A Russian illegal immigrant and a French Arab, and with her, are all dissatisfied with life in the city. The dissatisfaction is highlighted by the film's handsome cinematography of the local scenery. WILD SIDE is a deeply moving love story of sorts that require some work on the audience to appreciate.
- Gilbert Seah -