Inside Out 2013: Reviews #3

Reviews of screenings from the Inside Out LGBT Film Festival, Toronto, Canada.

C.O.G. (Dir: Kyle Patrick Alvarez, 88 minutes, USA)

When handed a religious tract reading "Are you a C.O.G.?", David laughs it off and makes a joke, and yet it somehow resonates with him, and he keeps it like a talisman. This would figure into his subsequent deeper encounter with faith ("Are you a Child of God?" is what it's asking), but it's quite evident that David is also worried about becoming merely a cog in society's machine.

That would be one reason why that after finishing his M.A. at Yale he's hopped on a bus and headed west to Oregon to join in with the apple harvest. (There's shades here of know-it-all Leland Stamper making a similar trip west in Sometimes a Great Notion, not in the least in a pre-credit sequence detailing the waking nightmare of a cross-country Greyhound trip.) Sure, originally there was a romantic plan, hatched up by his girlfriend, to slum it with the proles — but once she stops by only long enough to introduce her new boyfriend and ride off into the sunset, David seems even more determined to stick it out. It becomes clear pretty quickly that he's not just out for an adventure — he's running away from himself.

Of course, there are parts of you that are going to be there if you want them or not. You can find a new town, a new life, and new ways to tamp your desires down but they're just not going anywhere. As we follow David's episodic adventures (from the apple grove to the packing plant to an artist's workshop) we see this struggle play out. Along the way, his vulnerabilities leave some chips in his smug and superior veneer.

Jonathan Groff does good work here in the lead role, never going too "big", and thus letting each small payoff register. The supporting actors — and this is largely a film of and about men — evoke some solid characterizations as well, from Dean Stockwell's taciturn farmer to Corey Stoll's rambunctious co-worker to Denis O'Hare's evangelical artist. Director Alvarez maintains a solid balance here as well, keeping the story moving along without things ever feeling rushed. Some of his counter-intuitive choices, such as a score filled with a lot of Steve Reich music, also work out rather nicely.

Adapted from a David Sedaris essay, this film shines as a quote-unquote modest story about the slow accretion of experiences that can sometimes lead to growing up. It's silly and affecting just like lives lived tend to be, and the biggest changes are internal — represented by seeing David's eyes looking on the world in a slightly different way. That welcome modesty can be a hard sell in the marketplace, but this film certainly deserves to find an audience.

Continental (Dir: Malcom Ingram, 96 minutes, UK)

Everybody knows that Bette Midler got her start in the gay bathhouses of New York City. That tidbit might be the hook for this story about The Continental Baths, where that breakthrough happened, but this film's ambitions keep it interested in something more than salacious nostalgia. Indeed, amongst a panoply of celebrities such as Frankie Knuckles, Holly Woodlawn and Labelle's Sarah Dash, Midler is one of the few who doesn't show up to offer a remembrance. But given the various strands contained in this film, her presence is hardly missed.

Tracking a "high point of hedonism" in that moment of sexual freedom between the discovery of The Pill and the advent of AIDS, The Continental was both a product of a period of increasing liberality ("the 60's") as well as a force to push the gay liberation agenda even further. By serving as a hub for community organizing, it managed to transform the context (beholden to the mob and dependent on graft to be left alone by the police) that bathhouses operated in.

All of which also makes this the story of Steve Ostrow, The Continental's owner, whose commitment extended well past dollars and cents and into the realm of social transformation. Copious interviews with him flesh out both his life story and the saga of The Continental (as well as plenty of outlandish-but-true tales along the way), and that gives this documentary its heart and soul. By the end, you'll feel honoured to have made his acquaintance.

And along the way, there's also a chance to re-live the joyful excess and opulence of The Continental. Located in the gorgeous Ansonia Hotel on the Upper West Side, the baths operated 24/7, with both the disco floor out front and the private rooms in the back serving thousands of patrons daily. Over time, growing bolder and more ambitious, it became a chic nightspot, a place-to-be-seen where straight couples on a night out would mingle with the towel-clad clientele to see the biggest cabaret stars of the day. In a monumental coup for the opera-loving Ostrow, Eleanor Steber, diva of The Met, would record a live album there during a "black towel" event. Over time, the baths would serve as a precursor to disco-era hotspots such as Studio 54.

The film gives us plenty of colourful stories to bring the Continental's heyday to life — and it doesn't stint on reminding us that this was a sexually-charged space for men to fuck (a point that Michael Musto gets across with great relish.) And yet, it's the attachment to the broader social context — and the people who made it possible — that make this memorable. (The screening was also elevated by a lively Q&A with gregariously argumentative director Ingram, who came across as the sort of person you'd want to hang out and have a beer with.)

The film screened with the short Death of a Bathhouse (Dir: Rolyn Chambers, 11 minutes, Canada), which put a local spin on some of the same issues. Tracking the last days of the St. Marc's Spa, the film includes some musings on the changes in bathhouse culture, as well as a look at the commitment to art (with "curated" rooms similar to those at the Gladstone) that made this spot unique. Slightly shaky source images ("I'd been up for about thirty hours straight at the time," Chambers commented of the Spa's hectic last weekend, when he'd shot the footage) is fleshed out with interviews from a who's-who of local queer artists, including Sky Gilbert, Keith Cole (interviewed in his bubble bath!), Drasko Bogdanovic and Shane MacKinnon. A nice remembrance of some local history.

Inside Out 2013: Reviews #2

Reviews of screenings from the Inside Out LGBT Film Festival, Toronto, Canada.

Mixed Shorts: Local Heroes [shorts programme]

Genre, mood, and orientation are all rubbing elbows together in this program that is unified by its local content. There's also a mix of fully-realized ideas, quick hits, and pieces that we might optimistically say show promise. But it's always rewarding to see familiar sights and sounds up on the big screen. In roughly descending order, here's how the programme shook out for me.

The gem of the bunch is definitely For Dorian (Dir: Rodrigo Barriuso, 16 minutes, Australia/Canada), the story of a bourgeois father who has good reason to be protective of his son Dorian. But as he's growing older and learning to conceal things, there are a few signs — a new "friend", a possibly non-meteorological interest in the TV weatherman — that Dorian needs space and independence. Sweet in tone and nicely-observed, Dylan Harman gives a nice turn in the title role with a shy smile and a glint in his eye.

Also quite excellent is Dependent (Dir: Stephanie Markowitz, 4 minutes, Canada), a new music video from Reg Vermue's Light Fires project. (Attendees will also have been grooving to some Light Fires in the festival's trailer.) I've heard this number in live performance for a little while now, but the studio version — performed as a duet with Owen Pallett — ups the ante considerably. Markowitz matches that with a stylish concept that puts us in the middle of the first-we-break-up/then-we-make-up-dynamic. After its première at Inside Out, expect to catch this on a small screen near you.

How would you fare if you had to look in a camera and give an honest account of your choices? I'm Yours (Dir: Chase Joynt, 5 minutes, Canada) puts us face-to-face with two individuals who have both experienced a transition, albeit in opposite directions. Shot against identical white backgrounds, the film cuts between multimedia artist Nina Arsenault and her unnamed counterpart as they have an open conversation about their identities and their changes. Their responses humanize them while giving us a hint of the variety within the trans experience. Brave, forthright, and admirably concise.

Also admirably concise is Shawn (Dir: Mark Zanin, 4 minutes, Canada), where a pair of guests at a funeral each make some surprising discoveries about their dead lover. This gets its laughs from its premise and ducks out without lingering too long.

Knowing how far to stretch out a concept is a bit of a problem for a couple films here. Happy 16th Birthday Kevin (Dir: Jen Markowitz, 11 minutes, Canada) dives head-first into the dark, dark world of its tormented goth protagonist with over-the-top glee, but the deadpan tone is hard to sustain without drying into dust. Still, while hanging out at a particularly awkward birthday celebration, it gives a nice portrait of loving/oblivious parents and the circles of social exclusion — and the chance that there might be someone out there to take us away from all of this.

Stormcloud (Dir: Kate Johnston, 14 minutes, Canada) feels a bit too much like two films jammed together. Its comedic centrepiece, with Vi, a heartbroken artist, inviting a pair of door-to-door bible-thumpers to come in off the porch and say their piece gets some laughs, especially from Mandy May Cheetham whose barely-repressed desires make it unclear who's going to convert whom. But the dramatic wraparound structure doesn't work as well and its metaphors of storm clouds and silver linings are rather too obvious.

It might be my general lack of interest in celebrity culture that kept me from feeling too engaged by Her With Me (Dir: Alyssa Pankiw, 13 minutes, Canada), where a local-girl-made good takes up with a townie while trying to conceal the nature of her tryst from the paparazzi. We have paparazzi in Toronto? Best element here is some well-deployed Army Girls tunes in the soundtrack.

Breaking and Entering (Dir: Andrew Hull, 6 minutes, Canada) feels more like an extended trailer for an impressionistic arthouse feature than a compelling story on its own merit, but might engage those satisfied with a more symbolic cinematic style.

Jason's Dad (Dir: Matthew Campea, 13 minutes, Canada) has died with a secret in this short that could be subtitled "Every Melodramatic Canadian Film Ever". The grim, repressed melancholy is so thick here that the film verges on self-parody, while the plot turns on a smartphone without a password and monumental surprise at someone having a queer bit on the side, both of which seem a little implausible in 2013. Meanwhile, bask in the muted, muddy palette and simmering, brooding expressions.

Screens: Thursday, May 30, 7:00 p.m. @ TIFF Lightbox 1

Hot Guys With Guns (Dir: Doug Spearman, 110 minutes, UK)

Pitching itself as "Boystown meets Chinatown", one might have guessed that this film would be some campy fun in the vein of Lethal Weapon-esque 80's action flicks. But don't expect a parody. The film takes itself much more seriously, and has ambitions of being a bona fide comedy-thriller. Sadly, however, it just doesn't pull it off.

Someone is on a crime spree, knocking out and robbing the participants at Hollywood's upscale gay sex parties. The discreet nature of these events is enough to keep anyone from calling the police, and it's not until rich, unlikable Pip (Brian McArdle) loses the watch he inherited from his father that anyone seems inclined to investigate. His former flame Danny Lohman (Marc Anthony Samuel) is taking a PI course to prepare for an acting role, and despite himself he gets pulled in to untangle the caper. Along the way, there's a romance angle as we find that the pair still-kinda-maybe have feelings for each other.

The plot elements hold together, but at nearly two hours things feel generally bloated, especially with all the hammy acting along the way. Samuel brings an easy, natural affability to Danny, but the rest of the cast generally bogs things down. That makes it hard to care too much as things unwind. The secondary characters generally fail to engage, except for Pip's shrill, presumably-meant-for-comic-relief lush of a mother who leaves a negative, we-couldn't-afford-Jessica-Walter impression.

Most of the other elements are unsatisfying as well. In the style of PG-13 action movies, don't expect any nudity besides a few bums and don't be surprised at the rather chaste bondage party. There are some undertones of racism and class conflict in the dynamic between Pip and Danny, but they don't really go anywhere interesting. In the end, this is neither good enough to be good nor bad enough to be entertaining, and the film's made-for-cable aesthetic will ultimately see it consigned to the status of bland product, gay twist or no. Not recommended.

Screens: Friday, May 31, 7:30 p.m. @ TIFF Lightbox 1

Inside Out 2013: Reviews #1

Reviews of screenings from the Inside Out LGBT Film Festival, Toronto, Canada.

I Am Divine (Dir: Jeffery Schwarz, 86 minutes, USA)

Harris "Glenn" Milstead — better known under the name of his drag persona Divine — receives a feature-length biographical treatment. A product (narrowly) of the weird cultural ferment in Baltimore that produced John Waters as well as (more widely) the pre-AIDS gay-lib awakening, this touches on a wide number of themes, including the entertainment industry and the "underground", queers as outsiders, drag, and body image. But at its heart, it's a rags-to-riches style celebration of an artist following their own vision. With lots of archival footage and access to the story's key players, this is likely the definitive version of Divine's story.

John Waters is on hand (and as charming as ever), commenting on the intersection of Bergman and LSD that led to his film career, and the creation of his Dreamlanders, where David Lochary helped to craft Divine's look into a "walking work of art" that quickly led to him becoming the lead in such films as Pink Flamingos, Female Trouble, and Polyester — performances that still crackle with delightfully trashy intensity today.

This doc is also a reminder that there was far more to Divine's career than those films. Divine was, in fact, a bona fide underground superstar, moving to San Fransisco to join drag troupe The Cockettes (and appearing as the star in a number of revues) and performing off-Broadway (in Women Behind Bars and more). And, of course, there was also Divine's successful musical career, appearing not only as one of the largest draws in the the still-underground disco scene, but even crossing over to some mainstream success (including an appearance on Top of the Pops in the UK). This is still fab music, by the way, electro before there was such a thing, and definitely with a raw, punk edge.

Beyond that, we get a sense of the person behind the persona, although they certainly blurred into each other. Divine was a perpetual outsider, not only to the straight life, but even within the drag scene, pushing the boundaries of the acceptable with his hyper-exaggerated get-up. Struggling with obesity throughout his life, Milstead was vulnerable and sensitive about his appearance (though he learn that he never lacked for lovers and admirers throughout his life), as well as a generous spendthrift, lavishing gifts upon friends without worrying about whether they were affordable.

We also learn of Milstead's winding relationship with his family through insightful interviews with his mother Frances Milstead. Rejected by his family for his lifestyle, their later reconciliation was one factor leading to Milstead's late-life happiness. In the wake of Hairspray's success, it looked like a mainstream breakthrough was imminent, with Milstead winning a recurring role on sitcom Married... with Children. How that might have unfolded will never be known in the aftermath of his death on the eve of joining the cast.

There's also a lot of intriguing cultural history and food for thought, especially around the idea of gender (as expressed through drag) as a construct — the female attributes for which he was famous were considered as Milstead's "work clothes" that came off at the end of the day. That led to a very specific typecasting as Milstead struggled to gain acceptance as a character actor out of drag. But those larger questions, as well as the sadness at all the what-might-have-beens, can't keep this from being a joyful ride through a "filthy" outsider's ascent, and the film manages to pass Divine's manic energy along.

Screens: Saturday, June 1, 7:15 p.m. at TIFF Lightbox 1

Gay Shorts: Teenage Dream [shorts programme]

A strong selections of shorts here, this one is recommended — who can't relate to the memories of those awkward years?

Best of the bunch is the short documentary Straight With You (Niet Op Meisjes) (Dir: Daan Bol, 19 minutes, The Netherlands) which introduces us to Dutch eleven-year-old Melvin. He knows what he is, but is still keeping it secret from most of his friends. When a classmate asks to be his girlfriend, he struggles to find a way to tell her why he can't be. Afraid of bullying — and of just being "different" — this is a fascinating reminder of how quickly kids pick up what is supposed to be "normal" behaviour, and how hard it is to step outside those constraints. Even in an accepting family and social environment, coming out is still a struggle — but we get the idea that this articulate young charmer will do okay. Hopeful and empathetic, this film deserves a prize.

Fans of the Hidden Cameras will want to keep an eye out for Gay Goth Scene (Dir: Kai Stäenicke, 5 minutes, Germany) which sets this new tune from Joel Gibb to striking and moody images, in a brief tale of of high-school peer pressure and bullying as well as its aftermath.

Mapping those who really "get" the rather likeable Jackpot (Dir: Adam Baran, 10 minutes, USA) might point out that this tale appeals as much to a certain age bracket as to any specific orientation. This tale of a dumpster-hunt for porn mags will evoke a sympathetic response in many who grew up before the internet's ubiquity. But it's the fact that Jack is looking for pictures of men that gets him in hot water. Will his new fantasies give him the strength to step up and fight for himself?

There's a sense of verisimilitude in watching two sets of teens talk about the previous night's broadcast of Brokeback Mountain in It's Not a Cowboy Movie (Ce n'est pas un film de cow-boys) (Dir: Benjamin Parent, 12 minutes, France). Pushing back the mysteries of sex happens piecemeal in realtime excursions like these, as two boys skirt around the hidden desires the film explores. Meanwhile, the limits of tolerance slowly get nudged in the same way as one girl teases her friend about her gay father, only to feel a sting of regret.

Bright and comedic, Yeah Kowalski! (Dir: Evan Roberts, 10 minutes, USA) is noteworthy in how much it takes its hero's queerness as a matter of fact, just one more element in its joyfully colourful world. Not that life for Gabe is without problems: when everyone's bodies start changing around him, he's impatient to "catch up" and be able to subtly show off his own development to impress a crush. Trying to short-circuit the process leads to awkward results — and the amusing pain of recognition for the audience.

Rounding out the programme, Kiss Me Softly (Kus me zachtjes) (Dir: Anthony Schatteman, 16 minutes, Belgium) is a moody, pensive sort of character piece. Nicely shot, but a bit too static to really engage. Coming Out (Komma Ut) (Dir: Jerry Carlsson, 5 minutes, Sweden) focuses on those moments where the desire to just say it out loud are just so overpowering — but never quite as insistent as the fearful desire to stay silent. Even the quietest, most typical day before supper can feel like an internal battleground. And The First Time (Fšrsta gœngen) (Dir: Anders Hazelius, 9 minutes, Sweden) gives us a sympathetic beach encounter between a teenage girl and a boy who's not quite prepared to go through with an amorous encounter. It's apparently shot in murk-o-vision, presumably to replicate night-time fumblings as much as symbolize the characters' conceptual lack of clarity, but it also mars the enjoyment of the piece somewhat.

Screens: Tuesday, May 28, 5:30 p.m. # TIFF Lightbox 2.

Inside Out 2013: Preview

Inside Out Toronto LGBT Film Festival

May 23 – June 2, 2013

Now in its twenty-third year, Inside Out brings the entirety of the queer spectrum to the big screen — joy and sorrow, sex and love, youth and old age. Although over its lifetime our wider society has moved the experiences of lesbians and gays further from the isolated margins, stories by and for the community still need to be told.

Inside Out brings a very inclusive atmosphere, welcoming to all and worthy for anyone to attend. It's also one of the most fun festivals in town, and you're guaranteed to make new friends in line while waiting for screenings in the comfortable and classy TIFF Lightbox. I've already seen a few things and will have reviews online starting tomorrow (advance hint: you'll want to see the Divine bio-doc!), but here's a few comments just as a general overview.

It looks like a bumper crop of documentaries at this year's festival. I saw Valentine Road and God Loves Uganda at Hot Docs and recommend both (check out my full reviews for them here and here). Valentine Road is especially tragic and anger-inducing — bring your tissues — but an excellent, must-see film. I missed Continental at Hot Docs, but I heard uniformly good things about it, and expect to catch it here. Otherwise, Inside Out brings us dispatches from Jamaica and Cameroon to remind us there are places where the struggles for safety and respect are less advanced than in Canada, while Before You Know It examines issues of elder care in the LGBT community.

Looking beyond docs, the shorts programmes are always a good place to head for those who can't settle on a single movie. You'll usually find a surprising new fave or two, even if you go in expecting to like a specific short. Besides various boy-boy and girl-girl themed programmes, look for curated selections on the black and trans experience, as well as art and horror, plus an international showcase.

As for the slate of features, the best advice I can give is that you head over to this youtube playlist, where you can check out trailers for a whole lot of the festival's films.

TICKETS + MORE INFO

Most screenings (except galas) are $13, with some $10 matinees and discounts for youth and seniors. If you're seeing a bunch, 8-Ticket Vouchers are available for $91. Members help support the festival year-round and get deals on tickets, too.

Inside Out 2012: Reviews #3

Reviews of screenings from the 22nd Annual Inside Out Toronto LGBT Film Festival, Toronto, Canada.

Boy Shorts 2 [shorts programme]

This collection of five short films was united by their comedic drive — varying payoffs, but no out-and-out duds.

Best of the lot was Dik (Dir: Christopher Stollery, Australia, 2010, 9 min.), where a six-year-old's picture has his parents asking if he might be gay. Consideration of the ramifications of this quickly spirals out of control for the parents, but the situation stays rooted in a deadpan, realistic mode. Top stuff.

Less worried with realism is the joyfully over-the-top Half-Share (Dir: Sean Hanley / Jesse Archer, USA, 2010, 30 min.). A paean to Fire Island's boystown, this plays like a pilot to a sitcom that is squeezing in as many gags as possible out of fear there'll never be a chance to tell 'em again. And, like a sitcom, the characterizations are paper thin and dealing in stock types, but the zingers come at a fast-enough pace to keep this moving along. Delighting in the uniqueness of its milieu (especially revelling in local slang), it's also a celebration of a space where the rules of the straight world don't apply.

Couples Therapy: Twitter (Dir: Mike Rose, USA, 2011, 10 min) also played like a sitcom — so much so that director/actor Rose has already won a pilot deal as a result. One member of a couple has a joke that he loves to tell everyone that he meets, driving his boyfriend to such distraction that it needs to be hashed out in front of a councillor. Superficial but breezy enough to entertain. Plus, this came with the value-added moment of director Rose proposing to his real-life bf on stage while introducing the film.

Rounding out the programme, Fuckbuddies (Dir: Juanma Carrillo, Spain 2011 6 min.) brings a low-key realism to a daytime car sex hookup, focusing on the awkwardness of both finding the right position from the back seat of a compact and the small talk afterwards. And Slut: The Musical (Dir: Tonnette Stanford, Australia, 2010, 16 min) plays, I am guessing, off some of the recent popcult highschool glee club fascinations. Set in the chastity-endorsing hallways of a Catholic school, one prefect decides he can no longer hide his love for his boyfriend — and shows it with dance, proving, in the end, that sluts do have more fun. It follows a pretty predictable path and the dialogue is fairly cornball (self-consciously so, I think). Make-or-break is the songs, and I found them about 50-50 — "He a Slut" is a winner, but there's also some mushy misfires. Your appreciation will probably depend on how high that batting average is for you.

Keep The Lights On (Dir: Ira Sachs, USA, 2012, 101 min)

The festival's centrepiece gala will probably have tongues wagging amongst a certain gossip-seeking set. An admittedly autobiographical feature from director Sachs, the film tracks the love affair of his on-screen alter ego, pampered documentarian Erik (Thure Lindhardt) with Paul (Zachary Booth). The latter is a fictionalized version of literary agent Bill Clegg, who has given his own version of some of these events in his own well-received memoirs.

But putting such things aside, this is simply a love story that asks a complicated question: what happens if you fall in love with a person with self-destructive habits? How far down the spiral will you go with them — and at what point does unconditional love blend into enabling? Presenting vignettes from over a ten-year relationship, this shows both the good and bad in such a relationship, with moments of tenderness interrupted by the agony of repeated relapses.

Set within the rarefied world of privileged New York culturati, Paul and Erik's relationship is accepted from all sides without a shrug, so the dramatic tension here arises from the conundrums of sharing a life with an addict. In that respect, one problem with the film is that I was left wondering: no matter how good the good parts of this relationship are, who's going to stick with this? When the early stages of a relationship include someone smoking crack, how is that not a big red flag? In the post-film Q&A session, Sachs touched on this, discussing how some gay men have an affinity for damaged partners as a means of giving them an avoidance mechanism for their own problems. The film hints at this with some of Erik's personality traits, but outside the intimate context of a relationship it's hard to really see how it could be worth it.

But on the whole, though not riveting, the film is a success, offering a realistic slice of life with some finely-observed details that do a nice job of conveying its time and place, focusing on human-scale events like phone sex cruising and AIDS test angst. The sense of place is certainly aided by a score incorporating the beautiful music of Arthur Russell, which really added a dramatic punch to several scenes. The movie is worth seeing — and hopefully it gets a few people to head out and grab one of Russell's albums as well.

Facing Mirrors (Aynehaye Rooberoo) (Dir: Negar Azarbayjani, Iran, 2011, 102 min)

When Rana (Ghazal Shakeri), a female Terhani cab driver, picks up Adineh (Sheyesteh Irani) as she flees from possible vicimizers the stage is set for a literal voyage of discovery as Rana is convinced to take on a fare heading well outside her usual boundaries. Transgendered Adineh prefers to be called Eddie, and is preparing to flee from her wealthy family — and the country — to undertake sex reassignment surgery. Rana has plenty of troubles on her own, forced into cab driving as a means to try and save her husband from debtor's prison.

On learning that Eddie is trans, Rana is initially repulsed, but a twist of fate forces her to see the good person underneath the "sin" as Rana slowly transforms into a friend willing to make a sacrifice for Eddie's happiness.

The film is modest at every level, allowing the characters to unfold themselves to reach quiet payoffs rather than aiming for explosive revelations. Shot simply with lots of closeups, a lot of the film takes place in Rana's trundling taxi (Kiarostami's Ten may come to mind for some). Along the way, there's a chance to see not only fascinating little details of daily life in Iran, but also to see how people of different backgrounds interact (class distinctions are in evidence throughout) and how people just get along while living under a misogynist, theocratic dictatorship.

Interestingly, one presumes that the film made it past Iran's censors owing to the nation's official tolerance towards transgendered persons — although holding to an official line might also explain a slight credibility gap at the film's closing, when Eddie manages to leave Iran free on any of the informal interferences that a wealthy man like her father could surely bring to bear. A low-key film that builds up nicely to earn the emotional response at the close.

Technical aside: I don't know if it was inherent to the source, if there was a conversion problem or something in the projection system, but this film looked inelegant on the big screen. Any camera movement against a background had a subtle-but-unpleasant rippling effect that had the image calling attention to itself as a malfunctioning technological artifact, distracting the audience from drinking in the story.

Inside Out 2012: Reviews #2

Reviews of screenings from the 22nd Annual Inside Out Toronto LGBT Film Festival, Toronto, Canada.

Madame X (Dir: Lucky Kuswandi, Indonesia, 2010, 100 min)

When I saw this transsexual superhero "over-the-top extravaganza" in the program guide, I honestly wasn't sure if it was going to be any good. With comedy, and especially comedies from different cultural contexts, there's just so much that can go wrong. I'm entirely glad I went to check this out, as it turned out to be stupendous, fabulous fun. The film takes the now-clichéd superhero origin story, drive-in movie kitsch and dayglo-coloured camp and twists the stands together into a riotous laugh-out-loud extravaganza that plows ahead with giddy momentum.

Adam lives a quiet life as a glamourous/trashy hairdresser amongst a surrogate family that accepts him as a "trannie" until a visionary stranger with a murky agenda shows up on his birthday. Giving him a "fortune" meant to deter him from following his destiny might have worked if the efforts of a rising purity + morals faction didn't throw his life out of skew. Ending up at a dance studio in a remote village, Adam's true potential is slowly revealed as he accepts his role as crime-fighting Madame X.

Along the way, queer and trans stereotypes are embraced and joyfully skewered while "rising superhero" tropes are winked at one by one. Cartoonish villains, helpful mentors and mute butlers all have hidden backstories that the semi-oblivious Adam slowly unfolds as the story shifts with self-aware temporal leaps — when asked why he is staring off into the distance at one point, Adam curtly responds, "I'm having a flashback!" before the frame dissolves into his memory.

Sight gags abound, but the snappy dialogue keeps up, even with subtitles. It ain't highbrow, but it's sure as hell hilarious. And I haven't even mentioned the shadowy nemeses in neon-coloured burqas or the weaponized hairdressing implements. Completely recommended, and if you come to this with the right sensibility you'll also be tantalized by the requisite sequel-baiting loose threads that are left dangling at the conclusion.

How to Survive a Plague (Dir: David France, USA, 2011, 109 min)

The topped-up reserves of positivity were probably helpful in getting through this documentary, receiving its International Première at the festival — a thoroughly excellent work that is, nevertheless, rather emotionally draining. An immersive history of ACT UP (AIDS Coalition to Unleash Power) covering the years of fear and confusion in the late 80's/early 90's when AIDS was at its deadliest, and despair was setting in. The passion with which cadres of newly-minted activists applied themselves to the cause reflects the fact that they were aware that they were fighting for their lives, often against smug indifference — if not outright hostility.

Rather than trying to tackle the whole of the AIDS crisis and the response to it, this film slices it down to focus on the original New York City-based chapter of ACT UP, and from there to tell the story of a handful of individuals. Peter Staley, Garance Franke-Ruta, Mark Harrington, Iris Long, Larry Kramer and Bob Rafsky are among those followed, tracing them through their roles in the various direct actions as well as their own individual journeys in the face of personal extinction.

The layers here are manifold. At one level, this is a case study in a highly effective civil rights campaign, and the direct democracy structure that sustained it. Footage from the free-ranging general assemblies that were ACT UP's main organizational forum look prescient for today's Occupy-ers, and testify to the potential of messy, rambling direct democracy. And there's copious footage of the group's protests, undertaken with immense media savvy to get the message out to the general public that the government was failing in the face of a crisis.

And beyond that, it's a presentation of the persuasive power of the right individual with the right words. Showing the organization's penchant for inside/outside engagement, footage of Peter Staley, invited to address the 1990 International AIDS Conference in San Francisco, is astonishing rhetoric — Staley finds common ground with the academics, leads them in a chant, and tells them they are also activists: "You are now members of ACT UP."

And as the inevitable tactical and strategic divisions begin to appear amongst the activists, there's also a starkly stirring clarion call from Kramer, like an old-testament prophet, cutting through the bickering with shouts of "Plague!" The splits and messiness within the organization aren't papered over, though there's perspective gained from all sides in more recent interviews.

All of this is undercut with a gut-punch emotional undertone. No matter how much there was to celebrate in the end, when procedures and programs pioneered by the activist community started to bear fruit, this is also a lament for those lost along the way. And though with the new combination therapies the worst of the crisis has passed, the film ends with the stark reminder that two million people are dying from AIDS every year. The struggle continues.

Act up! / Fight back! / Fight AIDS!

Our Paradise (Notre paradis) (Dir: Gaël Morel, France, 2011, 100 min)

I guess there's just a meanness in this world. A hustler on the wrong side of thirty, Vassili is finding his clients to be less enticed by his charms, opening an existential chasm that he attempts to plug with their murdered bodies. Showing no remorse for the violence he exacts, Vassili is nevertheless capable of great tenderness, which is revealed when he rescues a badly-beaten younger hustler and quickly falls in love.

The younger man is also smitten, claiming to be reborn in Vassili's arms and casting off everything about his former life, including his name. Re-christened Angelo, the pair begin an unconventional courtship, flirting while turning tricks. The bodies continue to pile up, and when Angelo realizes this in the aftermath of a protective-yet-murderous gesture from Vassili, he is discomforted but unshaken in his commitment.

When things take the inevitable bad turn, the pair begin a Starkweather-like cross-country ramble, meeting up with Vassili's former lover Anna as well as Victor, his wealthy sugar daddy with a gorgeous, remote mountain cottage. The outcome feels inevitable following the pair's trajectory — do not expect a surprise twist to provide anyone's redemption.

Which is to say: whatever value this movie has doesn't arise from the progression of the plot. Its aim seems more to act as a psychological profile of Vassili, although there's only suggestions and shadows to hint at his motivations — mostly a nihilism arising from his collapsing narcissism as his youthful looks fade. (One problem with that is that Stéphane Rideau is still movie-star buff and handsome, so it takes a mild leap of faith to see him as a fading beauty.) There's also an undertone of moralistic class warfare, with Vassili and Angelo simply punishing the rich perverts who would procure their services, although the movie doesn't push too hard with this idea.

Although it is well-filmed and decently acted (and Dimitri Durdaine's Angelo probably serves as eye candy enough to make this satisfying for some), it ultimately feels a little airless. For me, the most interesting notion was how much sympathy the film aroused for Vassili, despite the brutal acts we see him perform. It's not until the final act that I began to feel a sense of complicit shame for tagging along while he got his kicks. All told, not a major work, but an entertaining flick.

Inside Out 2012: Reviews #1

Reviews of screenings from the 22nd Annual Inside Out Toronto LGBT Film Festival, Toronto, Canada.

Jobriath A.D. (Dir: Kieran Turner, USA, 2011, 107 min)

If you're the least bit interested in cult rocker Jobriath, you'll probably be going to see this movie. It's biographically comprehensive and gets facetime from nearly all the right people. That said, it is a talking-heads doc that runs a little long, and its attempts to break out of the format's limitations mostly fall flat.

But still, this is a compelling story. Coming to prominence in the original west-coast production of Hair, Jobriath headed to New York City and met Jerry Brandt, a huckster whose claim to fame was discovering Carly Simon. The two outsized egos combined to create an ahead-of-its-time pre-spectacle, a hype-first assertion of fame (a big-budget, non-underground application of a strategy that General Idea were working with in the same era).

Pushing past the sexual fluidity of glam, Jobriath was openly and defiantly gay ("Asking me if I'm homosexual is like asking James Brown if he's black.") — something the mainstream wasn't ready for yet. Despite that unprecedented PR campaign, the album flopped, setting Jobriath on a spiral towards obscurity. In one sense, it's nearly a queer Gatsby story, with child prodigy Bruce Wayne Campbell ditching his birth identity to reinvent himself as the flamboyant Jobriath and never quite reaching the brass ring.

Jobiath let his songs speak for him, so there's not much of him presenting himself in his own words. We do, however, get a lot of testimony from friends and contemporaries, including such notables as Jac Holzman, Eddie Kramer and Tony Zanetta. Plus there's extensive interviews with Brandt, who in turn receives a generous treatment. There's also praise from some contemporary artists who have picked up of various strands of Jobriath's work, including Jake Shears, Stephin Merritt and Will Sheff — although hipsters might be sad to learn that it's Def Leppard's Joe Elliott who is most articulate and entertaining of the lot.

Along the way, we get an interesting snapshot of the interaction between queerness and pop culture in the 70's, observing how the critical consensus of the time wasn't yet ready to move past its implicit straight machismo. By that token, the gay culture of that time — then in a very butch, leather-daddy phase — wasn't ready to embrace or champion a sissy self-declared fairy. From there, it was just a step down to the crash and subsequent landing on the roof of the Chelsea Hotel, lean hustler years with Jobriath giving way to Cole Berlin — a promising cabaret reinvention cut short by the emergence of AIDS.

So, yes — lots of interesting strands here, but the film is not without its flaws. It's unsurprising that there's no interview with Morrissey, a big fan who oversaw a Jobriath reissue campaign and reintroduced him to a new generation of fans in the internet age. But I think the film's biggest mis-step was a series of animated sequences, meant to bring to life a few moments in Jobriath's career. Like the artist's grand plans for a tour of Europe's opera houses that ended up as a tour of backwater bars, the animation's reach exceeds its grasp and looked a little shabby. It also contributed to the film feeling a little over-long by the end.

But this will be a valuable resource down the line, and hopefully there will be a DVD that's jam-packed with full performances (something missing from the doc) and the like.

Screens Saturday May 26, 4:30 PM @ TIFF Lightbox 1

Call Me Kuchu (Dir: Malika Zouhali-Worrall and Katherine Fairfax Wright, USA, 2012, 87 min.)

It might seem distant from the day-to-day rhythm of things in Toronto, but there are places in the world where being gay is still a crime, punishable by the death penalty from inflamed vigilantes. This excellent documentary takes us to Uganda, where intense open discrimination has culminated in the proposal of a draconian new Anti-Homosexual Bill which would threaten to imprison not only gays and lesbians but also anyone failing to "report" on their friends, lovers, children or students. At a time when gutter newspapers are "outing" gays — under headlines like "HANG THEM", no less — it takes an incredible act of bravery for any "kuchu" to be out.

And yet, there are a small number who are standing up, organizing and trying to assert their most fundamental human rights. They know the stakes — when one references Jefferson's famous claim that "the tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots", you know this isn't a distant theoretical worry. Foremost among the dedicated activists that we meet is David Kato, a brave and dignified former teacher who we meet while he helps collect the data needed to demonstrate to the world what's happening on the ground in Uganda. It's sadly not-shocking that we witness, a year into the film's production, the aftermath of his murder.

We also see some of those on the other side, including one of the anti-gay reporters who repeats his homophobic cant with the ease of someone who genuinely cannot see gays as fellow humans and cannot feel any empathy toward their pain. And in the larger picture, we see the religious zealots whipping up the frenzy, fake Christians who cling to Old Testament vengeance instead of turning the other cheek. They are encouraged by North American evangelicals who call this a beacon of virtuousness — and it's a chilling reminder of what these fundamentalists would say in North Carolina (or Alberta or Toronto) if they didn't have to couch their language in a cloak of tolerance.

Given the dangers, the bravery required to not shy away, to not return to the closet, to not become refugees is immense. The forbearance and grace under pressure that we see in the movie's subjects is almost unimaginable — considering this reality for a couple hours left me nearly immobilized with sadness and rage. Perhaps, then, one of the movie's few flaws is that at the end there was no concrete call for action, no information given for how we could help. But still, this is excellent work, and though an uncomfortable experience is a must-see.

The Crown Jewels (Kronjuvelerna) (Dir: Ella Lemhagen, 2011, Sweden, 120 min)

Director Ella Lemhagen's Patrik 1.5 (which screened at Inside Out back in 2009) presented us with a modern, urbane Sweden that felt lifted from the pages of an Ikea ad. Kronjuvelerna, every bit as gorgeously shot, takes us instead to the quaint countryside, and blurs the here-and-now feeling into something hazier by giving us a fairytale sensibility in a story imbued with a light gloss of magic realism. That tone might require a bit of a buy-in from the viewer, and what you get from this film probably depends on how much you can suspend cynicism and literalness and embrace its belief in the impossible.

Fernandez Fernandez, a shoe factory stock clerk (and alchemist on the side) is the chief promoter of that viewpoint. His daughter — and our protagonist — Fragancia, strives to believe in such magical possibilities, but has a rough time of it, which is unsurprising, given the tragedies that unfold around her. The film is told in a series of flashbacks — at the beginning, Richard Persson (a neighbour from a wealthy family born on the same day as her) is shot, and Fragancia's prison interrogation becomes the framework for the whole story. Along the way, we meet both her family and the quirky townsfolk she has grown up with, including the world's greatest hockey player, a pacifist that makes Ned Braden look like the Hanson Brothers.

The film is meticulously structured — at times almost airlessly so. A bit elusive at the start (especially given the presence of a secondary framing device featuring a narrator speaking from beyond the grave), we soon start to see a set of almost mathematically-exact setups — and by about the two-thirds mark we start to see the patterns of the resolutions emerge. That reduces some elements that at first seemed like charming quirks to wait-for-the-payoff placeholders. There's also an interesting tension in the way that the movie maintains a consistently sweet tone in the face of a series of grim tragedies, a juxtaposition that only works if you can accept the fairy-tale spirit at the heart of it all.

In the end, I'd call this a modestly successful movie — certainly well shot and nicely acted. I did find the neatly-tied bow of the resolution to be a bit too metaphysically trite, but I didn't mind the journey. And, in a local note, I'm sure there are some gnashings-of-teeth over at Telefilm Canada, with a certain jealous resentment that it was the Swedes who were first to market with a hockey subplot that effortlessly incorporates a queer storyline. Score one for the Tre Kronor!

Inside Out 2012: Preview

Preview of the 22nd Annual Inside Out Toronto LGBT Film Festival, Toronto, Canada.

Another reliable sign of spring turning into summer always comes around the May long weekend when Inside Out sashays into local theatres, now for the second year based at the TIFF Lightbox. The journey from Beauty to Sodom (or from Cherry to Stud Life) unfolds over the next week and change, so there's probably something on offer for everyone, whether you want a sober documentary or something more, um, thrust-y. Reviews will be running soon, but in the meantime, here's some things worth checking out:

First and foremost, I saw She Said Boom!: The Story of Fifth Column a couple weeks ago at Hot Docs and it comes highly recommended to anyone with an interest in postpunk/DIY music and/or local history. Lots to like here on how a group of strong feminists subverted rock'n'roll norms, being amongst the first to queer the aesthetic while still producing some kick-ass music. (my full review can be found here). [Sunday, May 20, 5:00 PM, TIFF Lightbox 2]

For more music there's also Hit So Hard (about former Hole drummer Patty Schemel) and Jobriath A.D., telling the story of the too-gay-for-glam '70's cult hero.

And speaking of documentaries, most noteworthy is Call Me Kuchu, which just nabbed the Best International Feature award at Hot Docs. Telling the story of Ugandan activist David Kato, this is a strong reminder that there are many parts of the world where being out is still a death sentence. [Saturday, May 19, 4:45 PM, TIFF Lightbox 2]

Director Ella Lemhagen brought the delightful Patrik 1.5 to the festival in 2009, so I'm enthused to check out her follow-up, The Crown Jewels. It promises "mystery, romance, fantasy and a soupçon of gay hockey stardom", delivered, I will presume, with dry Swedish wit. [Saturday, May 19, 9:30 PM, TIFF Lightbox 1] (The festival is also screening her earlier Immediate Boarding as a free family screening, so check that out as well. [Sun May 27, 2:00 PM, TIFF Lightbox 2]

Inside Out is always good for a blast or two of campy fun, and this year Madame X looks like a promising candidate. Equal parts superhero flick and fashion spectacle, it tells the story of "a pre-op transsexual superhero who fights intolerance, all the while looking fierce and fabulous". This sounds like all sorts of awesome — come out and celebrate that grand old queen with this matinée on Victoria Day. [Mon May 21, 2:15 PM, TIFF Lightbox 2]

And for those looking for quicker bursts of satisfaction, there's a solid series of shorts programmes — excellent for those who want to check something out without making a long-term commitment. I saw The Man That Got Away at Hot Docs and still have a couple of the songs in my head, so I can recommend this unique doc/musical hybrid that's playing as part of the Mixed Shorts screening. [Sunday, May 27, 2:15 PM, TIFF Lightbox 1] And looking top-to-bottom, I reckon that Boy Shorts 2 should be a whole bunch of fun: twitter jokes, Fire Island and something called Slut: The Musical. Oh, my. [Tueday, May 22, 2012, 7:15 PM, TIFF Lightbox 2]