Limited runs and special events:
— Adler Planetarium – (312) 322-0548: SonicVision – Open-ended run
— Chicago Filmmakers, 5243 N. Clark, (773) 293-1447: Speaking Of...: Recent Video by Jacqueline Goss (Jacqueline Goss in person) – Mar. 27
— Gene Siskel Film Center, 164 N. State Street, (312) 846-2800:
Seventh Annual European Union Film Festival – highlights include: Bright Young Things: Mar. 18; Haute Tension: WARNING – MAJOR PLOT POINTS REVEALED IN THIS REVIEW. Guaranteed to anger more than a few members of the queer community, this aptly named taut and terrifying French slasher flick (which translates as High Tension) resorts to the deranged-queer-as-killer for its ultimate twist, but not before almost fooling the viewer into thinking otherwise. Lesbian Marie (Cecile De France) and sexually promiscuous straight girl Alex (Maiwenn Le Bosco) are classmates taking a break from their studies to pay a visit to Alex's family's farm. The young women arrive late at night and just as they are settling in to sleep, the peace and quiet of the cornfields and countryside is interrupted by a nameless intruder (Philippe Nahon) in a rusty and rattling van. The ruthless and cold-blooded killer systematically and graphically murders Alex's father, mother and kid brother. He binds Alex's hands and feet with chains, but leaves her untouched. While hiding from the killer, Marie witnesses the gory murder of Alex's mother, and then promises Alex that she will help her escape. When the killer carries Alex out to his truck, Marie fetches a kitchen knife and sneaks in beside Alex. At a gas station, Marie slips out of the truck and witnesses the killer's gruesome ax murder of the attendant (which is also captured by video surveillance cameras), narrowly avoiding death at his meaty and blood-stained hands, and then follows the van-driving killer into the woods in the dead attendant's car. When it is revealed that the killer is just the manifestation of Marie's psychopathic self, on a murderous rampage because Alex doesn't share her feelings, the movie quickly shifts gears and dissolves into something else entirely; a homage to '80s slasher movies crossed with '70s queer exploitation cinema. (C-) - Mar. 18; Twentynine Palms: Mar. 20 & 22; Dogville: Mar. 20 & 24; The Galindez File: Mar. 20 & 25; Song For A Raggy Boy: Mar. 20 & 25; Wrigley Field: Beyond The Ivy – Mar. 26 – 30; Maestro - Josell Ramos's documentary about 'the roots of the underground dance/music culture, centered in New York from 1960s through the 1980s' features footage of and interviews with Francis Grasso, Larry Levan, Frankie Knuckles, David Mancuso and others, as well as location shots of clubs such as Paradise Garage, The Loft and The Gallery. – Mar. 28, 29, 31 and Apr. 1
— Women In the Director's Chair, 941 W. Lawrence, 5th floor, (773) 907-0610: 23rd Annual Women In the Director's Chair International Film & Video Festival – Mar. 17-21. Program highlights include:
Let Me Hear Your Body Talk (co-sponsored by LCCP): This series of short films focuses on issues of body image and body health and features Jaime Scholnick's brilliantly funny Hello Kitty Gets A Mouth, in which the Japanese character comes to life and seeks out a way to express her orgasmic self following a run-in with her vibrator; Mary Feidt's documentary
The Goddess of Isla Mujeres, about Sami Buisson-Daniel, a large woman comfortable in her skin; Mammogram, by Lisa Hayes, which turns the medical procedure into an intimate ballet; and Jesse Epstein's documentary
Wet Dreams & False Images, which explores the unrealizable standards of beauty perpetuated in fashion magazines and advertising, via interviews with barbers in a Brooklyn barbershop and digital photo retouchers. – Mar. 19
Radical Harmonies - Well-regarded lesbian documentary filmmaker Dee Mosbacher returns with the musical and informative Radical Harmonies. Consisting of interviews with women from all phases of the women's music world and a generous assortment of vintage and contemporary performance footage, Mosbacher has created this labor of love that is a cause for celebration for both women and men who value and appreciate the work and pioneering spirit of the performers, organizers and inspirations for this movement. Among the interviewees you will find Amy Ray, Alix Dobkin, Holly Near, Susan Abod, June Millington, Hazel Dickens, Judy Dlugacz, Kristin Lems, Ferron, JEB, Nancy Vogl, Ginny Berson, Robin Tyler, Gwen Avery, Mary Watkins, Margie Adam, the late Kay Gardner, Cris Williamson, Linda Tillery, Judith Casselberry, Sue Fink, Terry Grant, Laurie Fuchs, Ani DiFranco, Bonnie J. Morris and many others. Tracing the evolution of women's music from social protest and civil-rights activism to the founding of women's record labels and music festivals, Mosbacher has a genuine respect for the movement and allows the documentary to unfold and blossom like a field of wildflowers. – Mar. 20
Dyke Night (co-sponsored by Dyke Diva.com): This exceptional series of short films includes LezBeFriends by Lisa Hayes, a humorous look at a filmmaker's experiences in the murky realm of sexual orientation; Shelly Prevost's touching documentary about murdered transgender teenager Gwen Araujo, Isn't It Obvious?; Passing, in which filmmaker Karen Earl uses passing in traffic as a metaphor for other types of passing; the fiery and exotic eroticism of Firepussy by Laurel Almerinda; Refuse & Refashion, Katrina Fullman and Denise Conca's piece about thrift store treasures, part of which was filmed at the Brown Elephant; Angela Robinson's hysterically funny D.E.B.S., starring Tammy Lynn Michaels, about four female teenage super spies, one of whom is repeatedly kidnapped by her girlfriend, who is also the arch nemesis of the D.E.B.S.; What's in a Name?, Hallie Bourne's documentary about an Ohio lesbian couple's legal battle to change their surnames; and Butch Mystique, Debra Wilson extraordinary documentary about butch lesbians, featuring revelatory interviews with several African-American women. – Mar. 20
In Theaters
Yossi & Jagger - Directed by Eytan Fox, Yossi & Jagger sensitively tells the uncommon story of company commander Yossi (Ohad Knoller) and Lior (Yehuda Levi) two Israeli soldiers who conduct a clandestine romance in the macho environment of the Israeli army. Lior, who is nicknamed Jagger because he is like a 'rock star,' is told by one male soldier that he is 'pretty as a girl,' and is also the object of the affections of a female soldier named Yaeli (Aya Steinovitz). Yossi and Lior's interactions are intimate one moment and concealed the next, leading Lior to declare that he no longer wants to be in the closet and is prepared to come out to his family and introduce them to Yossi. Unfortunately, tragedy strikes before Lior has the opportunity. At turns erotic and frightening, Yossi & Jagger is a touching and well-acted movie. (B+)
On TV:
here! Pay-Per-View – showing in March: Luster, Coming Out Party, Happy Birthday
P B S (check local listings for time) - In The Life: 'The TV newsmagazine of record on gay and lesbian America explores bullying, gay/straight student clubs, and the murder of a lesbian teen' in an episode titled 'The Latest Trend.' – Mar. 29
