More from the Melbourne Queer Film Festival

There are a few films screening at the 21st Melbourne Queer Film Festival that I've already seen and previously reviewed; one of which I highly recommend (if you like your comedy pitch black) and another I was deeply underwhelmed by.

Glenn Ficarra and John Requa's I Love You Phillip Morris is hilariously funny and totally unpredictable, and a film I very much enjoyed when it screened at MIFF last year. I'm very much looking forward to seeing it again on the big screen. Conversely, the Danish drama nicknamed 'Brokeback Nazi', Brotherhood, failed to engage me due to its underdeveloped screenplay and an over-reliance on dramatic plot contrivances.

Over the last two days I've also caught two collections of lesbian shorts, Femme Fatalities and Short and Girly, and the earnest, energetic UK drama Fit.

Of the shorts, the highlight of the rather mediocre Femme Fatalities collection was Rebecca Thomson's Cupcake: A Zombie Lesbian Musical. Filmed in suburban Hobart, this gleefully gory, tongue in rotting cheek comedy pitted a lesbian couple and their homophobic neighbours against a zombie apocalypse, with entertaining results. The final musical number about zombie pride fell a little flat, but otherwise this little film was a real charmer. Bonus points for the inventive use of a dildo as an improvised weapon, too.

Conversely, Katrina Del Mar's Hell on Wheels: Girl Gangs Forever promised so much but failed to deliver. What could have been an inventive comedy set in a world of skateboarding girl gangs and roller derby was a badly scripted, limply directed, overlong mess. I could see what it was aiming for, but it fell well short.

Thankfully, the films in Short and Girly were of a higher standard, though there will still a couple that only barely limped across the finish line. The best of the bunch by a country mile was Gina Hirsch's concise, warm and witty You Move Me, a comedic celebration of friendship and an evocative demonstration of the film-making adage that less is more. With a sharp script, well developed characters and strong performances, this rare gem of a lesbian buddy movie stood head and shoulders above all the other films in the package.

Written and directed by Rikki Beadle-Blair (who also stars in the film as the out and outgoing dance & drama teacher Loris), the UK teen drama Fit was a real charmer despite being occasionally hindered by its overly earnest and self-consciously educational script.

Adapted from a play designed to address anti-homophobic bullying which has successfully toured UK schools and institutions, the film explores the lives of a disparate group of teens, some of them struggling with their sexuality, other struggling with their peers' preconceptions about their sexuality. There's the closeted gay jock, the straight tomboy who everyone mistakenly assumes is a lesbian, the homophobic bully who is himself bullied by his father, and a range of others who have been brought together in a hip hop dance class at their school for kids who are struggling in the education system.

Is it a trifle over-earnest? Yes. Does it wear its heart on its sleeve? Yes. But the performances are excellent, its message is important, and its vibrant approach to equality and tolerance makes for an engaging, ebullient and delightful film which I thoroughly enjoyed.

21st MQFF review: LA MISSION

The conflicts sparked by generational and cultural change find form and focus in writer/director Peter Bratt’s La Mission, a sometimes predictable but nonetheless engrossing drama set in San Francisco’s slowly gentrifying Mission district.

A vibrant mélange of Mexican and South and Central influences and immigrants, the Mission is virtually another character in the film thanks in part to the dynamic cinematography of Hiro Narita, but the story’s main focus in the tough and uncompromising Che Rivera (Benjamin Bratt, Law and Order, Modern Family), a single father, recovering alcoholic and ex-con.

Che works as a bus driver in order to provide for his son, Jesse (Jeremy Ray Valdez), and takes pride in his position of authority and respect in the neighbourhood; but when he discovers that Jesse is gay, the foundations of Che’s life – family, community, and a slowly developing relationship with his new neighbour, Lena (Erika Alexander) – are dealt a blow from which he may never recover.

The film is somewhat beholden to its traditional three-act narrative structure, and key plot elements unfold with a degree of predictability, but La Mission tells its story with charm and verve thanks to powerful and believable performances from its lead actors, and a script that only occasionally crosses the line into cliché (though when it does, it turns the cliché meter up to 11).

Characters are quickly and deftly sketched, save for Jesse’s boyfriend, who remains little more than a cipher; and the tensions that underpin the film – generational conflict, the shifting demographics of the Mission – are alluded to subtly but effective through the soundtrack, where the youthful voice of hip hop clashes with the funk and soul of Che’s generation.

By the time the film moves into its third act, Che’s battle to avoid the bottle is as constant as his struggle with his son’s sexuality, ensuring that he remains a fascinating and engaging character despite his violent outbursts and old-fashioned, unforgiving machismo.

A tighter pace (and less reliance on unsubtle visual symbolism) would have ensured a stronger film, but its drama packs a punch and the chemistry between its two main leads is palpable. Overall, La Mission overcomes its flaws to become a rewarding and engaging portrait of a man in crisis, and of a father and son – and a community – struggling to adapt to change.

This review originally appeared on Arts Hub.

21st MQFF review: KABOOM

The 21st Melbourne Queer Film Festival kicked off on Thursday night at The Astor, opening with Kaboom, the latest film from queer auteur Gregg Araki (The Living End, The Doom Generation, Totally Fucked Up). It returns to the themes of his earlier, rawer, angrier work – sexual fluidity and teenage angst – with a newfound confidence seemingly gained while making his critically acclaimed, poisonously beautiful drama about the impact of childhood sexual abuse, 2005’s Mysterious Skin.

Set at a nameless Southern Califorian college, Kaboom focuses around film studies major Smith (Thomas Dekker) and his immediate circle of friends, including his sarcastic lesbian buddy Stella (Haley Bennett), the free spirited London (Juno Temple), Smith’s ‘friend with benefits’, and his dumb but gorgeous surfer roommate Thor (Chris Zylka).

As Smith’s 19th birthday draws near, he begins to experience a series of unsettling, possibly prophetic dreams involving a red-haired girl, a mysterious door, and the secrets that lie behind it. In the days that follow, Stella hooks up with the obsessive, supernaturally gifted Lorelei (Roxane Mesquida), and Smith encounters the red-headed woman from his dreams while tripping – only to see her murdered by a pack of animal-masked men, who soon start stalking Smith himself across the campus.

Soon events start to spiral out of control, and the plot threatens to follow. Smith hooks up with a handsome stranger at a nude beach, meets a potential love interest at a concert performed by Texan post-rock band Explosions in the Sky, and discovers the existence of a doomsday cult whose machinations threaten to bring about the end of the world.

This gleefully deranged comedy-drama features many of Araki’s familiar trademarks, including witty one-liners, a colour-saturated design aesthetic, provocative statements about the construction of personality and sexuality, and a dynamic soundtrack featuring a who’s who of contemporary alternative music, including The XX, The Horrors, The Big Pink, Yeah Yeah Yeah and Interpol.

The film’s heady blend of elements may not be especially deep, but Araki is cleverly enjoying himself as he splashes about in the shallow end of the cultural pool, mixing and matching genres with gay (or omnisexual) abandon.

Kaboom blends a hefty dose of horror film and science fiction tropes into its hot-blooded story of sexual and personal awakening; and rockets along at a breakneck pace, ensuring a wildly enjoyable ride for audiences in tune with Araki’s slyly subversive and playful approach to filmmaking.

Kaboom opens in limited release at Cinema Nova on Thursday 27 March.

Farewell to 2010 part one: Cinema

I didn't see anywhere near as many films in 2010 as in previous years, as a consequence of investing more heavily in the performing arts over the past 12 months, but I still managed to get to the cinema 56 times to see a range of new releases and festival-only flicks. More than most people, obviously; considerably less than my many professional film-reviewing friends.

Since I missed out on quite a few of the so-called 'best' films of the year (e.g. The White Ribbon, Un prophète) I'm going to list my personal favourites - the films that most moved or excited me - rather than claiming that these are the absolute cinematic highlights of the year.

In the order in which I saw them, then, here's my Top Ten for 2010:

Precious (Dir. Lee Daniels, USA, 2009)
A harrowing film about redemption, Precious is the story of an obese, illiterate African-American teenager (Gabourey Sidibe) who is pregnant to her own father for the second time; whose mother belittles and beats her; but who refuses to let life grind her down. The film’s grim nature may put some people off, and certainly the cavalcade of misery Precious lives through is difficult to stomach, but while director Lee Daniel doesn’t skimp on the grim details of the story, he also imbues the film with a palpable sense of grace. Harrowing and difficult viewing, but ultimately uplifting and inspiring.


Children of God (Dir. Kareen Mortimer, Bahamas, 2009) A powerful and beautiful story about love, fear and religious intolerance set in 2004, when anti-gay hysteria was at a violent peak in the Bahamas, Children of God is the island nation's first gay feature film, and screened at the 2010 Melbourne Queer Film Festival. The stories of three people - a young gay artist, a closeted black man, and the deeply religious wife of a closeted Christian pastor - slowly intertwine in this intelligent, exquisitely shot and emotionally bruising drama.


The Man Who Loved Yngve (Dir. Stian Kristiansen, Norway, 2008)
A breath of fresh air for that tired old genre, the coming out film, this charming coming of age film from Sweden also showed at the 2010 MQFF, having previously screened in 2009 at the Nordic Film Festival (which sadly appears to have vanished off the festival calendar following its one-off appearance that year). Set in 1989, and opening with a direct-to-camera monologue that quickly establishes the light and engaging tone of the film, The Man Who Loved Yngve centres on Jarle Klepp (Rolf Kristian Larsen), a bored teenager living in Norway’s oil capital, Stavanger, whose life in turned upside down when he falls in love with a new student, Yngve (Ole Christoffer Ertvåg). Incisive direction ensures that the film authentically captures the heartbreak and joy adolescent romance; and the film’s refusal to resort to cliché - and the filmmakers’ decision not to pigeonhole Jarle’s sexuality (films acknowledging bisexual identity are rare on the queer festival circuit) - were especially welcome.


Animal Kingdom (Dir. David Michôd, Australia, 2010)
The most highly acclaimed Australian film of the year, David Michôd's debut feature is a truly remarkable, albeit low key, domestic drama about a family of career criminals; and was partially inspired by the 1988 murder of two young policemen in Walsh Street, South Yarra and the unsuccessful court case which followed. Central performances from Jacki Weaver, Ben Mendelsohn and understated newcomer James Frecheville are all excellent, as is the sound design; and the film caught my attention right from the word go thanks to its understated and surprising opening scene. Rather than a flashy, high-octane gangster flick, Michôd has crafted an oppressive, subtle and powerful drama, where suspense is created by the camera lingering and holding a shot instead of leaping from scene to scene. It’s a remarkably confident debut feature, and a truly compelling film.


Fish Tank (Dir. Andrea Arnold, UK, 2009) Set on a housing estate in rural Essex, Fish Tank for me featured one of the best performances of the year: a fragile, violent, angry and compelling turn by untrained actor Katie Jarvis making her screen debut. Andrea Arnold's second feature film as director features characters who are simultaneously unlikeable and deeply sympathetic, explores themes of alienation and sexual awakening, and casts a bleak eye over the fractured families of modern Britain. Grim but powerful, it unfortunately seems to have been one of most overlooked films to be released in Australia in 2010, and more's the pity, for it certainly deserved a wider audience.


Inception (Dir. Christopher Nolan, USA, 2010) Though initially over-hyped, and then consequently suffering somewhat from a critical and popular backlash, Nolan's intelligent blockbuster Inception was certainly one of the standout films of the year. It's dreams-within-a-dream approach to the plot may have confused some audiences but I found it an engaging storytelling construct; and its reliance on characters over CGI (though when such effects were used, they were dazzling) made for a winning cinematic experience. And for me, anything that gives UK actor Tom Hardy wider exposure has got to be a good thing.


Red Hill (Dir. Patrick Hughes, Australia, 2010) Kinetic direction, strong performances, superb cinematography and an excellent sound design made for an impressive first outing for directorial newcomer Patrick Hughes. This contemporary western set in Australia's high country, around Omeo in regional Victoria, failed to connect with audiences at the box office, which was a real shame given the way it successfully presented the issue of relationships between Indigenous and White Australians under a cop movie veneer.


Winter's Bone (Dir. Debra Granik, USA, 2010) Debra Granik’s second feature film is a vivid exploration of the lives of the USA’s working class and the impact methamphetamines have had on their lives; and a chilling and compelling slice of rural noir set in the Ozark Mountains in southern Missouri. As the young lead, Jennifer Lawrence was outstanding - if she doesn't get an Oscar nomination I'll be very much surprised - while the supporting cast, and the film's vivid captured sense of place, are equally compelling. Every scene in Winter's Bone breathes authenticity on rank, whiskey-scented breath; it's a grim yet restrained masterpiece.


I Love You Philip Morris (Dir. Glenn Ficarra & John Requa, USA, 2009)
Gleefully offensive, wonderfully romantic, and featuring an electrifying chemistry between its two male leads, Jim Carrey and Ewan McGregor, this hard-to-believe-it's-based-on-a-true-story-but-it-is prison rom-com was hands down the funniest film I saw all year. The fact that it still hasn't got distribution in Australia is nothing short of criminal.


Boy (Dir. Taika Waititi, New Zealand, 2010)
This ebullient, hilarious and charming film about an 11 year old boy called Boy (James Rolleston) successfully combined comedy, pathos and nostalgia its its evocation of a 1980s childhood spent in rural New Zealand. Part coming of age story, part family tragedy, it's hilarious, heartfelt and absolutely delightful.

Honourable mentions: Bran Nue Dae, The Road, Welcome, The Kids Are All Right, Scott Pilgrim vs The World, The Social Network, The King's Speech.

Dishonourable Mentions: The Wolfman, Robin Hood, The Wedding Party, Clash of the Titans.

More from the MQFF

I've only seen nine sessions at the Melbourne Queer Film Festival so far this year, which is pretty poor by my usual standards. There were a couple more sessions today that I wanted to see, but ironically I missed out on them as I've been sitting in front of the computer all day writing reviews (my first Comedy Festival piece for The Age this morning, followed by several other reviews for this here blog this afternoon). I may as well continue in that vein, with a brief summary of the remaining sessions I've attended. Hopefully I get to see at least one more film tomorrow, before the Comedy Festival eats my life...

SHORT FILMS

I've seen three short film packages this year: Sex Drives and Videotape, a selection of edgy gay shorts exploring fetishes and the dark side of sexual desire; another collection of gay shorts, Short & Burly, and the lesbian shorts selection, Short & Girly. As always, an ecclectic range of films, none of them bad (in my opinion) but only a couple that were truly memorable.

Highlights included the wry American animation Numerology (dir. Paula Durette) which playfully mocked lesbian relationships through the mystic art of numerology; another animation, from Canada, The Island (dir. Trevor Anderson), inspired by a hateful email; and two films about sex and violence, the confronting Weak Species (dir. Dan Faltz, USA, 2009), and the meditative and murderous Heiko (dir. David Bonneville, Portugal, 2007).

My favourite short film though, was Second Guessing Grandma (dir. Bob Giraldi, USA, 2008), an emotionally engaging and surprisingly touching story about coming out to an elderly relative.

THE FISH CHILD
(Dir. Lucia Puenzo, France/Spain, 2008)

Set in Argentina and Paraguay, this new film from the director of lauded intersex drama XXY (which screened as the closing night film at the MQFF in 2008) was a heady mix of crime drama, lesbian love story, class structure critique and magic realism. From a fractured, multi-linear beginning featuring flashbacks a-plenty, the film gradually coallesces into a love story between the privileged young Lala (Inés Efron, who also played the lead in XXY) and Ailin (singer Mariela Vitale Emme in her screen debut). When Lala's father, a judge, is murdered, she flees to Ailin's village in Paraguay, while Ailin herself is arrested. Returning to take the rap and set her lover free, Lala is drawn into a web of corruption and exploitation, with devestating results.

The Fish Child is not as solid a film as Puenzo's remarkable debut feature, lacking the emotional impact of XXY, but it is still beautifully crafted and exquisitely shot, with excellent performances from all the cast. The storyline, with its turbulent mix of robbery, murder, incest and more, strains belief, so that one never quite believes the relationship which holds the story together. It was, nonetheless, an intellectually engaging cinematic experience.

Rating: Three stars

Next up was another feature, one I'd already seen but which I was keen to see again, and I wasn't disappointed. It held up extremely well the second time around, proving just as emotionally engaging as I remembered it - but rather than write a brand new review, here's what I said about it last year, when I reviewed the film for Arts Hub.

THE MAN WHO LOVED YNGVE
(Dir.Stian Kristiansen, Sweden, 2008)

This excellent Norwegian drama, directed by Stian Kristiansen and based on the acclaimed young adult novel by Tore Renberg, proves that there is life yet in that relatively tired queer film genre, the ‘coming out’ story.

Set in 1989, and opening with a direct-to-camera monologue that quickly establishes the light and engaging tone of the film, The Man Who Loved Yngve centres on Jarle Klepp (Rolf Kristian Larsen), a bored teenager living in Norway’s oil capital, Stavanger, who finds a new friend in fellow punk rock fan Helge (Arthur Berning). The pair form a band with a third friend, Andreas (Knut Sverdrup Kleppestø); and Jarle soon finds himself with a new girlfriend, the frank and fascinating Cathrine (Ida Elise Broch), as well as an important upcoming gig. But the arrival of a new student, Yngve (Ole Christoffer Ertvåg) disrupts Jarle’s life and forces him to reconsider everything he knows – or thinks he knows – about himself and his world.

Over its 90 minute running time, the film captures the highs and lows, the turmoil and the intensity of Jarle’s world, from his awkward and sometimes angry discussions with his separated parents, to his rapid infatuation with Yngve and all he represents.

Featuring charming performances from some of Norway’s best young actors, and incisive direction from newcomer Stian Kristiansen (who was still studying at Sweden’s National Film School in Lillehammer at the time he was appointed to helm the production) The Man Who Loved Yngve avoids clichés and sentimentality while telling a fresh and authentic story about adolescent life. Characters are appropriately inarticulate, avoiding the faux-adult teenage dialogue depicted in such staples of US drama as Dawson’s Creek, The OC and more recent productions such as Gossip Girl; and the pangs and pains of adult life are fleetingly though accurately portrayed.

Important alternative bands of the era – Joy Division, The Cure, The Jesus and Mary Chain – pepper the soundtrack, further establishing the period in which the film is set but also providing insights into the characters’ emotions, such as a scene in which a pensive Jarle lies on his bed as The Buzzcocks’ ‘Ever Fallen in Love (With Someone You Shouldn’t’ve)’ plays in the background.

The contrast between Jarle (an endearingly goofy, outgoing redhead who listens to bands like The Clash and Einstürzende Neubauten) and Yngve (a shy, blonde, tennis-playing fan of synth-pop and New Wave bands like Japan) couldn’t be more pronounced, but as the film unfolds the undeniable attraction between the two youths plays out with all-too-believable consequences. Especially welcome was the film’s refusal to resort to cliché, and the filmmakers’ decision not to pigeonhole Jarle’s sexuality: too many coming out films focus purely on gay life and gay desire, whereas films acknowledging bisexual identity are rare.

Having won the Best Feature award at the Seattle Lesbian and Gay Film Festival in October 2009, as well as two Amanda Awards (Best Children’s or Youth Film, and Best Direction) at the 2009 Norwegian International Film Festival earlier in the year, The Man Who Loved Yngve marks Stian Kristiansen as a major talent to watch.

Rating: Four and a half stars

MQFF 2010: BANDAGED

BANDAGED
(Dir. Maria Beatty, Germany, 2009)

Oh dear. The first train-wreck of a film at this year's MQFF was this German-made, English language psychodrama which was advertised as a 'lesbian horror' film in the festival program. The only horrific moments in Bandaged were generated by the sheer awfulness of this film, an overwrought melodrama that tipped over into truly camp territory. When you're one of dozens of people in the cinema not even trying to stifle your giggles during the truly bad sex scenes, you know you're watching a real stinker.

Lucille (Janna Lisa Dombrowsky) is a home-tutored student whose father, Arthur (Hans Piesbergen) a brilliant but smothering surgeon, refuses to let her leave home to study poetry, preferring that she stay and do home-tutored science instead. In a moment of destructive teen angst Lucille pours acid over herself. Ouch. Enter her nurse, Joan (Sussane Sachse), who gradually realises that Arthur is trying to restore Lucille's face so that she resembles her dead mother; and who also falls in love - or at least in lust - with her heavily bandaged patient. Cue tongue flicking, bad sex faces, and generally laughable scenes.

Clearly trying to recreate the poetic horror of the 1960 film Eyes Without a Face, director Maria Beatty fails dismally, thanks in part to the stitled and melodramatic performances of her cast, and the film's inability to evoke the gothic mood it aims for. Laughablly bad, Bandaged is a film I can only recommend to people such as my friend Miranda, who is always looking for another film to watch at her regular Bad Lesbian Movie night.

Rating: One and a half stars

MQFF 2010: DARE

Wah! Where did the week go? One minute it's Saturday and I'd just finished blogging about seeing the excellent Children of God at the 20th Melbourne Queer Film Festival, and the next minute it's the following Friday and the Melbourne International Comedy Festival has already begun. Argh! So, time for a rapid run-through of what else I've seen at the MQFF over the last week...

DARE
(Dir. Adam Salky, USA, 2009)

Following the success of their acclaimed 2005 short film of the same name (which I described as 'a fresh take on the coming out film, which effectively communicates that fraught moment when you first put your desire on the line' when it showed at the MQFF in 2006) director Adam Salky and writer David Brind have reworked and expanded their mini-drama about a gay teen and the straight-in-theory jock he desires into an enjoyable but unremarkable feature film.

The story follows three teenagers, the wanna-be-theatre-diva Alexa (Emmy Rossum), her shy best friend Ben (Ashley Springer) and Johnny the jock (Zach Gilford) whose arrogant facade hides a sensitive soul who just wants to be loved; and is divided into thirds, with each segment of the film following one of the three main characters as they are drawn into an awkward ménage à trois.

Alexa wants to be an actress, but according to her drama teacher's former star pupil Grant Matson (a sly cameo by Alan Cumming) she lacks the life experience necessary to embody true emotion. Consequently, she throws herself at Johnny at a drunken party. Ben soon follows suit, in a swimming pool seduction scene which was the centrepiece of the original short film; and soon poor Johhny, who just wants to be friends with Ben and Alexa, finds himself a pawn in their attempts to out-vamp each other.

Dare is not a perfect film, but it's certainly more adventurous and more heartfelt than most teen dramas. A more accomplished writer/director team might have worked wonders with the story; as it is the film falls short of what it was striving for. Nonetheless, the performances are solid - Gilford particularly, although the most outstanding performer in the film is Ana Gasteyer as Ben's mother, who transforms her two dimension post-hippie mum into a truly remarkable and loveable character. Overall it comes across (in the words of my friend Byron, who I saw it with) as a milder John Hughes film for the 21st century. Not brilliant, but definitely enjoyable.

Rating: Three stars

MQFF 2010: AMERICAN PRIMITIVE

My second film at this year's Melbourne Queer Film Festival was the US independent feature American Primitive, directed by Gwendolyn Wynne and written by Mary Berth Fieldler, based on events from Wynne's own childhood.

Set in 1973, the film tells the story of the recently widowed Harry Goodhart (Tate Donovan), who has moved to Cape Cod with his two teenaged daughters, 16 year-old Madeline Goodhart (Danielle Savre) and her slightly younger sister Daisy (Skye McCole Bartusiak), who fancies herself as a bohemian poet and litters her sentences with words straight out of the dictionary. The film is told from Madeline's point of view as she struggles to fit into her new school, where she is drawn to the handsome but shallow tennis jock Sam Brown (Corey Sevier), seemingly unaware that scruffy local boy Spoke White (an excellent performance by Josh Peck) may be a kinder, more honest suitor.

The film's drama is driven by Madeline's discovery that her father's 'business partner', the urbane and charming Theodore Gibbs (Adam Pascal), who lives at the back of their new home, is actually her dad's lover.

Once outed, Harry faces the very real possibility not just of public opprobrium, but also of losing custody of his children - and also losing their love. Madeline in particular struggles to square her discovery about Harry with the father she thought she knew.

Unfortunately, despite strong performances by many of the supporting cast (including Anne Ramsay as Mrs. Brown, the single woman who sets Harry Goodhart in her sights; and Susan Anspach as the girl's deeply religious grandmother) much of the dramatic elements in American Primitive felt straight out of telemovie territory, with the film's earnest script and Wynne's lacklustre direction dragging it down several notches. Creative flourishes - such as a use of split-screen shots that tries to pay homage to the Seventies but which borders on the invasive; and some very obviously fake sideburns on Adam Pascal - hinder rather than help strengthen the story.

In more inventive hands this could easily have been an excellent film about love, family and intolerance set in the less caring 1970's. Instead, it ends up as heavy handed and unimaginative; lacking subtlety and insight, and overly reliant on pat dialogue and simple moralising about being true to who you are and the importance of family in your life.

Of the film's traditional three act structure, the middle act is its weakest point, and to be fair, the film does lift towards the end, thanks in part to an excellent performance by Josh Peck. The scene in which he tells Madeline why her father's sexuality is none of his business is the emotional heart of the film and helps steer American Primitive towards its predictable but positive conclusion.

There is much to admire here - the title, which refers to an art movement practised by Mr. Gibbs, but which also cleverly highlights the less accepting times in which the film is set, the production design (save for those damn sideburns), and the intent with which the film is made; but ultimately I found American Primitive rather cheesy, and a little stodgy to easily digest.

Rating: Two and a half stars

MQFF 2010: ANTIQUE

Directed by Min Kyu-dong, Antique (Sayangkoldong yangkwajajeom aentikeu) was a brave choice by the Melbourne Queer Film Festival programming team, which usually shows relatively safe crowd-pleasers on opening night to assist in fostering an appropriate vibe at the party following the screening. Unlike the usual bland fodder sometimes screened at opening nights (such as the dreadful Canadian feature Breakfast with Scot, shown two years ago; ironically, the year prior was one of the best opening night's ever, the excellent Truman Capote biopic, Infamous) Festival Director Lisa Daniel and her team went with this high quality but more challenging film from Korea.

Consequently, numbers were definitely down at the Astor on Wednesday night (some 200 less tickets were sold than in previous years), a situation which reinforced my view that - generally speaking - the gay community is inherently conservative (a view that's further bolstered by the domination of drag and house music in gay clubs: tangible signs of a culture that is stuck in the 1980's). Subtitled films, it seems, are too challenging for many of Melbourne's gay cinema-goers.

Their loss. It meant that there was more food and more booze for the rest of us at the opening night party.

But what of the film itself? Antique was a curious blend of genres - comedy, drama, thriller, musical - that unfolded at a pace so rapid it was sometimes bewildering; featuring luscious cinematography and production design, and a stunningly handsome cast.

The plot revolves around a young man from a rich family, Kim Jin-hyeok (Joo Ji-hoon) who is searching for a girlfriend, and decides to attract one by opening a bakery specialising in rich pastries and fine cakes - an odd choice, given that such sweet treats make him physically ill.

The pastry chef he hires is Min Seon-Woo (Kim Jae-wook), a French-trained master of his craft who has nonetheless been sacked from every previous work place within 12 months, because he is 'a Gay of Demonic Charm' - irresistible to any man, gay or straight. Chaos follows in his wake. Only Kim Jin-hyeok, it seems, is immune to his charms.

Joining the team at the patisserie, 'Antique', where fine food is served on equally fine old china, are the eager young boxer turned apprentice pastry chef Yang Ki-beom (Yu Ah-in) and Kim Jin-hyeok's loyal bodyguard, the cool-seeming but clumsy Nam Su-yeong (Chin Ji-ho).

All four main characters, we soon learn, have secrets, but it is Kim Jin-hyeok's past which is the most complex: kidnapped as a child, he cannot remember any details about his kidnapper, only terrifying flashes that haunt his dreams, in which he runs through the streets covered in blood.

But soon Kim Jin-hyeok's past returns to haunt the present: more children are being kidnapped, and their bodies are turning up dead, stuffed full of cakes from a certain bakery. Further complicating matters is the unexpected arrival of Min Seon-Woo's French boyfriend and former teacher, the short-tempered Jean-Baptiste (Andy Gillet), who is desperate for his ex-lover to return home to Paris.

Unhindered by Western traditions of genre, Antique follows a convoluted and unpredictable narrative path which was at times confusing, but never less than entertaining, although its rapid pace meant that some story elements felt a trifle rushed. Even more puzzling was the resolution of its plot, which seemed somewhat contradictory - possibly due to a subtitling error at a key point in proceedings.

Such criticisms aside, this was a sweet yet surprisingly complex film, and a very enjoyable one. The chemistry between its odd couple leads - Joo Ji-hoon as the rich but unhappy Kim Jin-hyeok, and the gorgeous Kim Jae-wook as the 'Gay of Demonic Charm' - was fantastic, resulting in a rapport which resulted in solidly comedic moments; and the lingering shots of cakes and pastries had me salivating in my seat.

A highly enjoyable though occasionally confusing start to the 20th Melbourne Queer Film Festival.

Rating: Three and a half stars

MQFF diary Part the Fifth

Work deadlines and other things have slowed down my festival viewing this week, which is why I haven't posted since Monday. I have managed to squeeze in a couple of sessions, though...

Jerusalem is Proud to Present details the turbulence leading up to Jerusalem's 2006 World Pride festival; a celebration of queer human rights which was marred by violence and death threats by religious extremists. How ironic that expressions of same-sex love should be the only thing capable of uniting feuding Jewish, Muslim and Christian religious leaders. The film's talking heads included various homo-haters, a gay Palestinian who had to flee Jerusalem after threats to his life from Hamas, staff from Jerusalem's Open House (an LGBT community centre) and a gay Jew who was almost killed in a knife attack by a Jewish extremist in an earlier pride march. Director Nitzan Gilady's fascinating feature wasn't as gripping a documentary as I'd hoped for, but his skill in encouraging those who both supported and opposed Jerusalem's pride march to open up on camera, and the skillful editing which nicely juxtaposed their comments, are certainly to be applauded.

Ask Not was another documentary that failed to achieve greatness, but which still provided a detailed view of another unjust situation: in this case the US military's ban on gays and lesbians serving opening in the armed forces known as 'don't ask, don't tell'. Directed by Johnny Symons, the film provided the historical background behind the ban (a failed attempt by then President Clinton to lift the ban on gays and lesbians in the military entirely) and interviewed a number of military personnel - although women's experiences were largely absent - including a retired Coast Guard rear-admiral, and a soldier on active duty in Iraq, about their experiences.

The film also follows a group of gay ex-army men as they visit and speak about 'don't ask don't tell' at US colleges and universities as part of the 'Call to Duty' tour;, and documents demonstrations by members of Soulforce's 'Right to Serve' campaign as they attempt to sign up and are refused on the basis of their sexuality. Frankly I could have done with less of the latter, and more interviews with actual military personnel, but knowing how difficult it can be to get people speaking on the record I imagine the filmmaker had to go with what he had.

The film makes many valid points, including comparing the ban on gays and lesbians in the armed forces to the way that African Americans used to be segregated in the military; and points out the futility of banning willing would-be soldiers on the basis of their sexuality at a time when violent criminals are being allowed to enlist in order to boost dwindling recruitment targets; but ultimately, I concur with another review of Ask Not which describes the film as 'well-intentioned but unfocused'. There's no emotional resonance to really hook you in, and too many story elements jostling for your attention for this documentary to really work. Its unjust subject is an important one, but this film lacks the polish and the punch that would really make viewers care.

The Spanish feature Boystown (Chuecatown) is a light and lively story of love, murder and gentrification set in Chueca, a trendy district of Madrid. Here, the lives of the comic-book loving Rey(Carlos Fuentes) and his driving instructor husband Leo (Pepon Nieto), two scruffy, slobbish bears, are thrown into chaos when psychotic real estate agent Victor (Pablo Puyol) starts killing Chueca's elderly women in order to get his manicured hands on their apartments. When their neighbour becomes one of Victor's victims and leaves her flat to Rey in her will, he moves his gorgon of a mother, Antonia (Concha Velasco), into the now-vacant apartment - much to Leo's horror. With their relationship faltering because of Antonia's dislike for Leo, the situation is complicated further when a neurotic police detective, Mila (Rosa Maria Sarda) and her son and partner, Luis (Eduard Soto) begins to suspect Leo of being the killer.

The central relationship between Rey and Leo, and the on-screen chemistry between Fuentes and Nieto, are the best things about this at times awkward film. The coarse, plump pair are a far cry from the slim, sophisticated gay couples usually seen on screen, and provide director Juan Flahn with an opportunity to mock gay body fascism as well as urban gentrification. While briskly paced and colourful, I found most of the comedy elements overplayed, with the saving grace being the barbed banter between the wonderfully vile Antonia and the beleagured bear, Leo. Overall, Boystown is solid enough, but the balance between comedy and drama is uneven, and the fact that Victor is shown early on to be the killer denies the film the opportunity to enter thriller territory, which could have provided the film with a sharper edge.

Find Part the First of my MQFF journal here, Part the Second here, Part the Third here and Part the Fourth here. Additional MQFF reviews can be read here, and also on Twittter by following rperdio and walypala. Alternatively just go to Twitter and search for 'MQFF'.

MQFF diary Part the Fourth

An endearing Swedish drama about love and family, Patrik 1.5 aka Patrik, Age 1.5 sees gay couple Göran (Gustaf Skarsgård) and Sven Skoogh (Torkel Peterson) moving into a new home in preparation for the impending adoption of their baby son. Stresses soon arise over difficulties with the neighbours, not all of whom are thrilled about the pair moving in next door, and are compounded by Sven's drinking and his relationship with his ex-wife; but when, due to a clerical error, the couple are lumbered with a homophobic 15-year old with a criminal past (Tom Ljungman) instead of the one and a half year old boy they were expecting, fault lines rapidly begin to emerge in the Skooghs' relationship.

Like many genre films - for Patrik 1.5 is eventually a contemporary take on the rom-com formula - the joy of this movie is not the fairly predictable outcome, but the unexpected twists the story takes in getting there. Strong production values, a solid script that mostly manages to avoid trite sentiment and false notes, and excellent performances - especially from young Tom Ljungman, who gets Patrik's blend of bravado and loneliness just right - coupled with a light directorial touch by Ella Lemhagen, result in a rich, warm and charming feature that will have you smiling long after the closing credits have run their course.

Lesbian feature Hua Chi Liao Na Nu Hai (Candy Rain), a quartet of four loosely overlapping stories set in Teipei, the Taiwanese capital, is the debut feature from director Chen Hung-I. This fragmented, self-conscious drama is the sort of fare that's perfect for a relaxed Saturday afternoon, when you can ease into its eclectic pace and acclimatise yourself to its video clip-style sensibilities. On a Monday night, straight after a shitty day at work, I was too tense to really enjoy its Wong Kar-Wai-lite construction. After two of the four segments I retreated to the festival club for dinner and a relaxing glass of wine, and steeled myself for the next session.

After tonight, the gothic Mexican drama Quemar Las Naves (Burn the Bridges) is my favourite film at this year's MQFF to date.

Given the abundance of baroque elements which make up the plot - a decaying family home, a dying mother, a poisonously close relationship between a brother and sister, Catholicism, tortured homoeroticism and adolescent longing - and that it's the debut feature from director and co-writer Francisco Franco, it would have been easy for Burn the Bridges to descend into a maelstrom of cliche and stupidity. Instead, it's a remarkable, memorable and thoroughly beautiful film.

Helena (Irene Azuela, who rightly won Mexico's 2008 Mejor Actriz award for this role) and her younger brother Sebastián (Ángel Onésimo Nevares) live with their dying mother, Eugenia (Claudette Maille), once a famous singer, and Eugenia's devoted maid, Chaya (Aida Lopez) in a once-grand mansion in Zacatecas. The highly strung Helena and Sebastián are close - very close - but when Sebastián falls in love with a scarred and scowling new boy at his school, Juan (Bernardo Benitez), Helena begins to fret and fume that she might lose her brother and her control over him. The jealous devotion of Sebastián's handsome best friend, the pampered Ismael (Ramon Valdes), is the final spark that sets the film's smouldering tensions ablaze.

Featuring some remarkable visual flourishes, and excellent performances from its relatively young cast - especially Irene Azuela, whose portrayal of Helena could easily have slid into camp melodrama - Burn the Bridges is my must-see film of the 2009 festival. What a shame it only had one screening.

Find Part the First of my MQFF journal here, Part the Second here, and Part the Third here. Additional MQFF reviews can be read here, and also on Twittter by following rperdio and walypala. Alternatively just go to Twitter and search for 'MQFF'.

MQFF 2009 diary part the second

As mentioned in my last/first MQFF post, I skipped seeing anything on Friday night in favour of grabbing an early night. That said, I'd already seen a work-in-progress version of SHANK (see my interview with the film's co-writer/producer Christian Martin, and director Simon Pearce on the MCV website, here), so I wasn't entirely missing out, even though it would have been good to see the film with an audience.

Saturday's festival-going commenced with the charming US feature Ready? OK! at 1:15pm. Written and directed by James Vasquez, Ready? OK! is a slight but sincere drama about Andrea Dowd (Carrie Preston), a mid-career woman and mother struggling to deal with her 10 year old son Joshua's fondness for dolls and dresses, and his determination to become a cheerleader.

Josh (Lurie Poston) is aware that he doesn't fit in, but is seemingly unconcerned by this fact, although he struggles to conform to the expectations of his Catholic school teachers, and his mother's wish for him to fit in as one of the boys on the school's junior wrestling squad. The absence of Joshua's dad complicates matters, as does the reappearance of Andrea's apparently good-for-nothing brother Alex (John G. Preston).

While Josh may or may not be gay (though his interest in one of the boys on his wrestling team suggests his sexuality is pretty much a given), the real drama in the film comes from Andrea's difficulty in accepting her son's difference. Andrea's caustic yet sincere gay neighbour, Charlie (played by Michael Emerson - Lost) and her own mother both support Josh in his dream of cheerleading, much to Andrea's discomfort. As an aside, the beautifully underplayed scene in which Charlie chides Andrea for her refusal to allow Josh to truly be himself brought tears to my eyes.

As written, Josh is less flamboyant than the titular character of last year's bland MQFF opening night film Breakfast With Scot, but he definitely doesn't conform to gender stereotypes. Those of you who have seen the superior 1997 French film Ma vie en rose (My life in pink) will be familiar with the ground Ready? OK! covers, but while its dramas are relatively low key, the film never slips over into schmaltz, maintaining believability and charm, assisted by the real life sibling relationship between Carrie and John G. Preston, and a warm, honest and well rounded script.

Although not without its flaws - including unimaginative lensing and a too-easily achieved rapproachment between Andrea and Alex - overall Ready? OK! was a sweetly sincere film that got my Saturday afternoon off to an excellent start.

After a decadent lunch at tapas bar MoVida Next Door (across the road from ACMI, and well worth visiting if you want a break from the fare served in the Festival Club) my next film was Irish cannibal horror/thriller Insatiable, directed by Jessie Kirby. Sadly I missed the first 10 minutes of the film due to mistakenly getting the screening time wrong. Nonetheless, once in the cinema I quickly settled into my seat hoping for a good time. I was sadly disappointed.

Set in the not too distant future after the economy has crashed and the world is faced with famine, this film totally failed to adequately represent its supposed dystopian small town setting (there's no food, people are starving to death and social collapse is imminent, yet electricity is still readily available, people dress well and watch TV/listen to the radio. What? They're not eating bark and boiling their leather jackets for food? You call this a famine?). It also lacked tension, suspense and fear thanks to extremely leaden direction - typified by a laughably bad scene in which a soon-to-be-murdered woman is scrabbling in 'terror' along the ground trying not to outcrawl the killer lumbering behind her. Her badly staged death, when it came, was a relief; at least it meant we could cut away to another (lacklustre) scene.

A poor script and extremely uneven acting - especially from the film's scenery-chewing lead villain, supermarket owner Mr Harvey (Jon Kenny) - added to the film's multiple woes, although some credit must go to Brian Keegan's moody but over-used score. In short, Insatiable was so bad I walked out of the cinema after 50-odd minutes. Life is too short to waste on bad cinema, which is a shame, as the film's cannibalistic premise could have been a winner in more competent hands.

Thereafter I bailed on the festival for the evening; not because Insatiable left a bad taste in my mouth, but because first I wanted to see a visiting theatre production from Wales, Floating (and god I'm glad I did), and secondly I was DJing at The Laird from 9pm. The latter, of course, meant that I was dog-tired on Sunday, impacting on my ability to see as many films as I would have liked, but more of that shortly...


Find Part the First of my MQFF journal here. Additional MQFF reviews can be read here, and on Twittter, by following rperdio and walypala. Alternatively just go to Twitter and search for 'MQFF'.

MQFF 2009 diary part the first

The 19th Melbourne Queer Film Festival kicked off at the Astor on Wednesday night with the usual speeches, sparkles and not-entirely-fantastic opening night film.

This year we were served up the sweet confectionery of Were The World Mine, which two unforgiving friends described as "a trainwreck". They were a bit harsh, I thought. True, the festival does prefer to open with a party-friendly feel-good film rather than a movie of real quality (the year they opened with Infamous was a pleasant exception to the rule; usually we're lumbered with the likes of last year's Breakfast With Scot (ugh) or But I'm A Cheerleader), but I honestly didn't think Were The World Mine was that bad. Yes, its first 30-odd minutes dragged rather badly, but once the actual plot (gay student discovers secret love charm hidden in the pages of A Midsummer Night's Dream and uses it to make all the homophobes in his town walk in his shoes for a while) really got underway, there was some real charm displayed in this low budget cross between Shakespeare and High School Musical.

That said, the entire viewing experience would have been far more enjoyable if a 35mm print of the film had been available; watching a poorly lit, washed out video copy of the film on the big screen at the Astor, accompanied by distorted and muffled sound, definitely did not do the film justice.

The after party was certainly good fun, though unfortunately as I had to present a three-hour radio program the next morning, I didn't kick up my heels as much as I would have liked. For an impression of the party, I refer you to this review by my homosexually-challenged friend Andrew at the damn fine website The Enthusiast, over here.

On Thursday night I chose to limit myself to two sessions. First up was lo-fi indie US indie charmer, The Art of Being Straight, one of several films in this year's program that really is queer in that it explores the mutability of contemporary sexual identity. Written and directed by Jesse Rosen, who also stars as the film's male protagonist, John, the film is a remarkably astute and affable tale of 20-something self-discovery, featuring a straight boy who is starting to realise he might not be a Kinsey Zero, and a charmingly foul-mouthed lesbian, Maddy (Rachel Castillo) whose insecurity about moving in with her girlfriend expresses itself as a crush on the new man next door. Its 77 minute running time was just enough to establish the film's tone and milleu thanks in part to clean, simple cinematography and strong performances, and never outstayed its welcome. A friend disliked the lack of a clearly articulated ending, whereas I felt the open-ended nature of the narrative suited the film's questioning tone just perfectly. Like its protagonist, The Art of Being Straight is a definite charmer. If you missed it at the MQFF, keep your eyes peeled for a DVD release through FQ Films later this year.

Screening with The Art of Being Straight was the US short film The Young and Evil (directed by Julian Breece), about an African-American youth who wants to be infected with HIV and does everything in his power to achieve that goal. Strong performances and production values but not especially memorable.

Next was was the men's shorts package, Cocktales; a collection of five short films from around the world. The moving Auld Lang Syne (dir. Joon-moon So) was a Korean film depicting the belated, awkward reunion of two elderly men who were lovers in their youth; and other example of an open-ended narrative, as well as a rare exploration of the lives of LGBT seniors. Next up was the Turkish film Lot's Wife (dir. Harjant Gill and Koray Durak), a simple but elegant portrayal of the conflicting demands of family and sexuality (pictured, right); followed by an excellent Israeli film with a similar theme, Tryout (dir. Nimrod Rinot), in which a gay man struggles to be true to his lover while being the father he thinks his son needs. This theme - and again, the same ambiguous ending displayed in all the films I'd seen so far on Thursday night - was echoed in US short Traces (dir. Rachel Zisser), in which a father learns the truth about his son's life only when it is too late. Alan Feinstein as the father, Sydney Kessler, gave an admirably wounded yet internalised performance in this quality short.

Last up was the unfortunately jarring stop-motion animation Rick & Steve: The Happiest Gay Couple In All The World, a trite, shallow stop-motion animated comedy which featured a couple of funny lines, but which was otherwise tedious, and quite at odds with the tone and quality of the rest of the Cocktales package.

So far for MQFF 2009, so good. I was supposed to see another three films tonight, but having had a shit night's sleep I really wasn't in the mood; and after hearing a mate's flat-out loathing for one of the films I'd planned to see, Dog Tags, I'm actually rather glad I stayed home to blog instead...

A sneak peak at the MQFF

Screening the best in new local and international LGBT cinema this March, the 19th Melbourne Queer Film Festival (MQFF) will showcase movies for every taste, from heart-pounding horror films to thought-provoking documentaries.

Although most of the program is still under wraps, Festival Director Lisa Daniel has given CANVAS a sneak preview of some of the films that will screen this year.

Opening night on Wednesday March 18 will see audience members treated to Tom Gustafon’s delightful Were the World Mine (pictured above), a magical high school musical in which unhappy gay student Timothy (Tanner Cohen) discovers a secret recipe for a love potion encoded in the pages of Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Naturally, he uses it to make his school’s homophobes fall in love with each other!

“It’s very, very similar to High School Musical,” comments Daniel. “Think that kind of vein, take out Zack Efron, bump in a lovely-looking boy and that’s pretty much the opening night film. It’s lots of fun, great music; a really good crowd pleaser, I think.”

Another film that’s sure to win hearts is Swedish director Ella Lemhagen’s finely observed drama Patrik 1.5, which Daniel says she was lucky to secure at all.

“It was really hard to get because the distributors were really playing hardball with it, because I think it’s going to be pretty big.

“It’s about two gay guys who try and adopt what they think is a young baby, but there’s a bit of typo in their adoption papers and they end up getting a 15-year-old boy who’s homophobic and quite aggressive and has had a lot of social problems. It’s a really interesting take on modern gay stories. The gay partnership is just taken for granted; there’s no coming out drama, it’s just about stuff that’s very modern and relevant for contemporary audiences.”

With its striking cinematography, complex characters and assured acting, Patrik 1.5 will be a strong contender for the festival’s Audience Award for Best Film, a $5,000 cash prize sponsored by FQ Films.

On the documentary front, festival-goers can look forward to David Rothmiller’s For My Wife… which Daniel describes as “an American documentary … about the birth of an activist” and nominates as one of her personal favourites.

After the tragic death of her wife, Charlene Strong was thrust into the spotlight, becoming a powerful voice for the equal rights of same-sex couples and their families. Her advocacy led to the passage of Washington State’s historic Domestic Partnership legislation.

“She basically has to get permission from [her in-laws] to get permission to see her own wife, because she doesn’t carry around marriage papers and the hospital don’t accept that she’s the wife. So by the time she gets the permission her partner has basically died. And then to make matters worse, she has similar problems at the funeral home, who also treat her badly.

“And from there she became involved in all sorts of activist groups and managed to get all sorts of laws changed around visiting hospitals for partners, that sort of thing. It’s just really inspiring. It had me riveted from the start.”

The festival will also be screening Ghosted, a “lesbian thriller” from director Monica Treut.

“We seem to have a lot of violent films this year,” Daniel observes. “There’s a couple of horror films, and a British film which we’re having the world premiere of called Shank.”

Directed by Simon Pearce, Shank is a confronting story of gang violence and conflicted sexuality, with its main character, Cal (Wayne Virgo) a violent young scally who is conflicted about his sexuality, and afraid to act on his feelings for his best mate, Jonno (Tom Bott).

Coupled with other films in the MQFF program, it indicates an increasing engagement with genre by contemporary queer filmmakers, and a move away from the blandly uplifting stories of the past.

“What I think they’re doing is saying, ‘Look, we’ve had enough of a couple of decades of feel-good stories about gays like Billy’s Hollywood Screen Kiss and Adam and Steve’,” Daniel says.

“They’re still around, those sorts of films, but a lot more filmmakers are doing really interesting stories where the gay characters aren’t really nice; sometimes they’re just real, like the rest of us. Instead of fluffy Will and Grace types, they’re flawed and they’re complex and they don’t always do the right thing. For me, for my personal taste, it’s a welcome relief.”

The 19th annual Melbourne Queer Film Festival runs from March 18 - 29. Program available from February 25, tickets on sale February 26. Festival members are able to purchase MQFF tickets one week earlier than the general public. Go to www.mqff.com.au for membership details.

This article first appeared in MCV #420, Thursday January 22.