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  WINDY CITY TIMES

Reeling Film Festival 2015: 50 Shades of Gay
Extended for the online edition of Windy City Times
by Steve Warren
2015-09-15

This article shared 5549 times since Tue Sep 15, 2015
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A lot more than Caitlyn Jenner's gender has changed since last year's Reeling Film Festival, including yours truly getting legally hitched to Dan Warren ( formerly Smith ) after a 26-year "engagement." Have the movies kept up with the times?

As Sarah Palin ( remember her? ) would say, "You betcha!"

You can see how well if you look back at the early days of Reeling, which celebrates its 33rd edition Sept. 17-24. A typical festival would include a romcom about a gay man looking for ( and finding ) love, a drama about a woman leaving her husband after realizing she prefers another woman, and a documentary about the nascent "gay" ( or "gay and lesbian" ) movement in another country.

Films about transgenders were rare, and even L, G and B films were in short supply, though helped by distributors of those newfangled homevideos trying to build word of mouth for their upcoming releases.

Cut to 2015, when we have all kinds of narrative and documentary films about people all up and down the Kinsey Scale, in various phases of transition, and mingling freely in a diverse society.

Production values are up too, at least equal to those of hetero indie films, because there's increased competition from cable, Netflix and other distribution outlets. As GLAAD pointed out recently, TV series with at least one LGBT character have become the rule rather than the exception.

An encore showing of "Brokeback Mountain" reminds us of the days when we were lucky to have one film with LGBT content carrying the banner for us in Award Season. ( "Brokeback" won 2006 Oscars for director Ang Lee, screenplay and music, but lost Best Picture to "Crash." )

This year's acting Oscar winners, Julianne Moore and Eddie Redmayne, are in contention again, Moore for playing a lesbian in "Freeheld" ( showing in Reeling Sept. 21 ), which also features this year's acting nominee Steve Carell as a gay man; and Redmayne for playing transgender in "The Danish Girl." There's also award buzz around Cate Blanchett and Rooney Mara as a lesbian couple in "Carol," Elle Fanning as a transgender teen in "About Ray," and Tom Hardy as the Kray twins, one of whom is gay, in "Legend."

With all these and more ( including the controversial "Stonewall," which Reeling shows Sept. 20 ) coming to theaters, you have to wonder what's left for a festival. I think you'll be pleasantly surprised at the answer.

Here are my thoughts on about half of the festival features, which I was able to preview. Being a critic ( a.k.a. professional bitch ) I didn't love them all, but that doesn't mean you won't.

For complete festival information including locations, and to buy tickets, visit reelingfilmfestival.org .

BEAUTIFUL SOMETHING ( ** 1/2 ) ( Wednesday, Sept. 23, 7 pm )

"Beautiful Something" is a throwback that eschews 21st-century assimilation for old school gay ghettoization. It's set in a nighttime world of men looking for love and finding sex.

Like the old joke, "SEX! Now that I've got your attention...," the movie includes two hot sex scenes in the first 15 minutes. But now that it has your attention, what does it do with it?

There are some pretty postcard images where cinematographer Matthew Boyd tries to do for Philadelphia what Gordon Willis did for "Manhattan," but there's also a lot of talk. Filmmaker Joseph Graham obviously attracted his actors by promising them a lot of intense dramatic scenes that would look good on their demo reels.

Graham has a lot he wants to say about artists and their muses, but he doesn't need so many words to say it in a visual medium.

There are four main characters. Brian ( Brian Sheppard ) is a poet with writer's block since the man who inspired his one published book decided he prefers women after all.

Drew ( Colman Domingo ) is a sculptor with a live-in model, Jim ( Zack Ryan ), who's itching to move out, even though Drew keeps professing his love for him.

Then there's Bob ( John Lescault ), who cruises around in a chauffeured stretch limo. He's an agent by profession but that's not the kind of "talent" he's looking for tonight. He thinks he'll know what he's looking for when he sees it, but he's basically trying to fill a hole in his heart.

With most of the actors encouraged to overact, Zack Ryan, a younger, slightly prettier version of Steve Buscemi, stands out for his natural performance, except for a scene where Jim practices Shakespeare to establish that he's an actor.

None of the performers are bad, except at choosing material, but there's entirely too much drama here for a movie men will only want to see for its sex scenes.

DEATH IN BUENOS AIRES ( *** ) ( Thursday, Sept. 24, 9:30 pm )

The opening shot of "Death in Buenos Aires" raises all sorts of intriguing possibilities. Gomez ( Chino Darin ), a young man in police uniform, is sitting on the edge of a bed where an older man lies — asleep? Did they spend the night together before the young man had to get up to go to work?

The young man stands up and we see blood. The other man is dead. Did the young man kill him or, as he tells Inspector Chavez ( Demian Bichir ), did his precinct receive a noise complaint and send him to check it out?

Get used to uncertainty, because it's one of those movies where you're never sure what to believe, including your own eyes. I was scouring the outtakes during the closing credits for clues that might yet put a different spin on things.

Gomez, known as Ganso ( Goose ), insinuates himself into the investigation, a promotion from his usual rookie work. The victim was a gay man from a wealthy family that wants a speedy, confidential resolution to the case. Chavez uses Ganso as bait to lure the prime suspect, popstar Kevin ( Carlos Casella ), who was romantically involved with the victim.

Chavez is married and has a son, and may be fooling around with his hot ( female ) partner; Gomez, we find out later, is engaged to a woman. Yet there seems to be something between them. Sometimes they're just kidding, but other times...

The plot is complicated by horses ( who figure in a couple of amazing scenes ), drugs, art forgeries and power-saving blackouts. Is Chavez the last remaining honest cop in Argentina or just obsessive about his work? Is Gomez his protege or has he already been corrupted?

You may not get all your questions answered but the answers are probably there in the clever script co-written by director Natalia Meta, and if you enjoy a movie that keeps you guessing, this one will rank high on your list.

FOURTH MAN OUT ( *** ) ( Thursday, Sept. 17, 7:30 pm )

Not every movie has to be cutting-edge. "Fourth Man Out" takes a refreshingly obvious sitcom approach to the story of Adam ( Evan Todd ), a 24-year-old mechanic who comes out to his three straight besties: Chris ( Parker Young ), his closest friend; Nick ( Chord Overstreet from "Glee," with facial hair ), the vain one; and Ortu ( Jon Gabrus ), the fat one and the only one in a serious relationship.

As close as they are and constantly up in each other's business, I don't know which is harder to believe, that Adam has been able to explore his sexuality in secret or that his buds have never suspected. But this is a romcom. If you want reality, watch a reality show. ( joke )

There's a lot of initial awkwardness, and a little more later ( especially a key moment that's perfectly staged ), but basically the guys are true to Chris' initial promise: "Nothin's gonna change, man."

Well, some things change. His friends take a crash course in Gay so they can be supportive of Adam, who can now be open in his search for romance.

It's a 21st-century premise that could easily translate to a TV series ( although in some respects it was already done in "Happy Endings" four years ago ). Todd and Young have the kind of good looks people tune in to watch every week and people of all orientations have someone to relate to. ( Well, assuming they can work in lesbians and a transgender or two. )

For the moment "Fourth Man Out" is a movie, and an entertaining one. With their first feature, director Andrew Nackman and writer Aaron Dancik show a lot of promise.

GUIDANCE ( *** ) ( Saturday, Sept. 19, 9:15 pm )

David Gold ( writer-director Pat Mills ) is a hot mess. ( Well, not so hot. At his best he looks like a much less attractive Ryan Reynolds. ) He may be the least heroic anti-hero ever, but you can't quite hate him. He's a raging alcoholic and a flaming queen, but he's as much in denial about the latter ( "I just have a gentle voice" ) as he is about the stage 3 skin cancer that's getting ready to kill him.

A TV child star more than a generation ago, David still tries to find work as an actor; but when it all dries up he applies for a job as a high school guidance counselor. "I'm an actor," he says. "I can be anyone. I can do anything." He prepares for the "role" by watching a YouTube-ish video and even adopts the real counselor's name: Roland Brown.

The school is desperate to fill the job and doesn't even bother to check "Mr. Brown's" driver's license. The funny thing is, David actually likes kids and wants to help them.

So on the one hand "Guidance" is one of those sentimental movies about a noble educator who breaks through to his students; but on the other — much larger — hand, it's a dark comedy about a pathetic creature who relates to his charges by sharing booze and smoking weed with them — in his office!

In the meantime Scott ( David Tompa ), the gay gym teacher, tries to bring David out, but if David were any deeper in his closet he'd be in Narnia.

It's a delicate balancing act, all the more so because it looks so indelicate. Mills, flying solo as writer and director on a feature for the first time, pulls it off superbly. You can't wish for David to fail when he's trying so hard...to fail!

HOW TO WIN AT CHECKERS ( EVERY TIME ) ( *** 1/2 ) ( Monday, Sept. 21, 7:15 p.m. )

"How to Win at Checkers ( Every Time )" is a story of brotherly love and an 11-year-old boy's coming of age among the exploited poor of Bangkok. It's not the gayest film in the festival but it may be the best.

Their parents having died, Oat and Ek are being raised by their aunt, who cleans houses for a living. Ek works as a bartender for the sleazy black marketer who virtually owns their neighborhood, and whose son Junior is a bully.

Ek has a boyfriend, Jai, who is "richer, taller and whiter" than he is. Among their best friends is Kitty, who is "not your average girl. Not your average boy either." She's transgender but hasn't yet had surgery. There's no indication that anyone finds any of these things unusual, let alone objectionable.

Thailand still has a military draft, with young men required to participate in a lottery when they turn 21. Some of them will serve for two years. Like the U.S. draft back in the day it's rigged in favor of the wealthy and well-connected. I couldn't help thinking of "The Hunger Games" as Ek, and a decade later Oat, took their chances.

I don't want to give away much detail of the fairly simple plot, which had me in tears at the end. I'm sure some cultural specifics went over my head, but it's really a story of family values in the 21st century, when families are more diverse and inclusive.

Writer-director Josh Kim adapted his screenplay from two short stories in a best-selling collection. He makes good use of bits of documentary footage, including the positive testimony, partway through the credits, of a transgender woman who really served in the Thai army.

Checkers is a metaphor for life in this lovely film I'm still too verklempt to review rationally. Just see it.

HUSH UP SWEET CHARLOTTE ( * 1/2 ) ( Thursday, Sept. 24, 9:15 pm )

Five years ago writer-director Billy Clift gave us "Baby Jane?" a drag spoof of "Whatever Happened to...?" In keeping with historical tradition it's only natural he would follow that with his version of "Hush...Hush, Sweet Charlotte," and that the second film wouldn't be as good as the first.

This time, however, the quality drop has been far more precipitous. "Hush Up Sweet Charlotte" is less a spoof than a remake, with the leading female roles portrayed by men. The result is a bad melodrama that's rarely even amusing, once you get over the initial giggles.

Matthew Martin has been playing Bette Davis, on stage and screen, almost as long as the original did. Here he plays Bette playing Charlotte, a southern belle who's been reclusive since her adulterous lover was murdered several decades ago. If she's not crazy, there's a conspiracy to push her over the edge while the family's century-old plantation house is being demolished. Martin fits so comfortably into Davis' shoes he's not even funny here, rarely going as far over the top as Davis did, except when he flutters his eyelashes enough to save on air conditioning costs for the production.

The visiting cousin Olivia de Havilland played in the original has been split into "twins" as a wink to insiders, because Mildred ( J. Conrad Frank ) is made up to look like Joan Crawford, who was fired from the original film and replaced by de Havilland. Varla Jean Merman plays Melanie ( renamed from Miriam to reference de Havilland's "Gone with the Wind" character ), who looks nothing like the original but has an amazing rack that's the funniest thing in the movie.

Mink Stole takes over Agnes Moorehead's role as Velma, Charlotte's faithful housekeeper.

Clift uses some effective editing tricks but his switching between black-and-white and color doesn't make sense, any more than having his actors in a camp version of a camp classic play it relatively straight.

IN THE GRAYSCALE ( ** 1/2 ) ( Monday, Sept. 21, 9:15 p.m. )

There aren't 50 shades of gray in this Chilean drama, but it's repeatedly made clear that not everything in life is black or white.

This is a story of one of the Q's in LGBTQ. Bruno ( Francisco Celhay ) is a 30-something architect who takes a break from marriage and raising a ten-year-old son, moves into his grandfather's workshop and takes some me time. ( He says "I want to be alone" more than Greta Garbo. )

Hired to design some kind of landmark by the kind of guy who gives rich people a bad name, Bruno is paired with Fer ( Emilio Edwards ), a historian and tourguide in his late 20s who happens to be openly gay.

Although it takes a while, Bruno and Fer come together faster than Bruno's projects; but Bruno's still not sure that's what he wants. When Fer says "I hate happy endings" it could be an omen.

Directed by first-timer Claudio Marcone, "In the Grayscale" develops at a slow pace that's sometimes appropriate, sometimes annoying. Some plot elements, such as why the Santiago native would need a full-time consultant, are strained or fuzzy; but the acting is good, the basic story plausible ( if frustrating, since we're likely to side with Fer in wishing Bruno would make up his damn mind already ), and the men have a hot sex scene about halfway through.

Approached with reasonable expectations, "In the Grayscale" will deliver.

LIZ IN SEPTEMBER ( ** 1/2 ) ( Saturday, Sept. 19, 7 pm )

It's been 32 years since I saw Jane Chambers' play "Last Summer at Bluefish Cove." I don't remember much except liking it ( though I suspect I called it a lesbian version of "The Boys in the Band" ), so I can't say how faithful the screen adaptation, "Liz in September" is.

I'm surprised Lifetime never made a movie of it, but since that task ultimately fell to Venezuela's Fina Torres, the result is a cross between a Lifetime movie and a telenovela — and not the fun kind "Jane the Virgin" has got me used to.

The two main characters start off by talking about death, Liz ( Patricia Velasquez ) vaguely and Eva ( Eloisa Maturen ) more specifically about the death of her child.

They meet when Eva's car breaks down ( yes, that old device ) on the way to meet her husband. The only place she can find a room in the nearest small town is in a hostel that appears to be a lesbian commune. Some of the six guests are paired up. Liz was formerly paired with Dolores, who is now with Coqui, who is trying to get with Liz ( which is silly because it's well known that Liz' unfaithfulness is what caused her split with Dolores ).

When Liz sees Eva it's lust at first sight. It's apparently that way when Liz sees any woman, but this time it develops into something more intense. Eva is uncertain how to react to the unusual situation, but can't seem to stay away from Liz. When she is away Liz bets she can bed Eva within three days.

That's the fun part, but romance, melodrama and tragedy lie ahead. Like Chekhov's gun, you can't introduce death into a story like this without using it.

A lovely underwater sequence provides some respite, and the acting and direction are splendid; but there's just too much drama for my taste. ( Yes, I'm gay. Why do you ask? ) You know if you like this kind of movie and if you do, you'll like this one.

MARGARITA, WITH A STRAW ( ** 1/2 ) ( Sunday, Sept. 20, 4:45 pm )

Political correctness can be a bitch. In the beginning you're watching an Indian family with a daughter, perhaps 20, who has cerebral palsy. Laila's ( Kalki Koechlin ) best friend is a boy who's also physically challenged, and one day she gets up the nerve to kiss him.

But the guy she really likes is a hot singer, Nima ( Tenzing Dalha ). She writes lyrics for a song that wins his group a battle of the bands, but the moment is spoiled by a patronizing speech that says they won because a "disabled" girl wrote the lyrics. If you've been feeling sorry for Laila — and how could you not? — the speech will make you feel guilty about your feelings. Or is it just me?

The point of "Margarita, with a Straw" is that people with "special needs" have regular needs too. Laila has to break away from her sheltered life in India to learn who she is and what she wants.

She gets the chance when she's accepted at NYU and goes to New York, with her mother accompanying her until she gets settled. Before long Laila has a blind girlfriend, Khanum ( Sayani Gupta ), and a British boyfriend, Jared ( William Moseley ).

The affair with Khanum is more serious. They move in together and Khanum, who is of Pakistani and Bangladeshi descent, accompanies Laila to India for spring break.

So far so good, but now the movie veers into Lifetime territory by giving Laila's mother colon cancer. And while the ending is meant to be positive, I found it disappointing.

Koechlin bears an amazing resemblance to Hilary Swank, who would win a third Oscar if she were the one giving this performance. It's difficult to watch ( or am I being un-PC again? ), which means she's doing it right. The rest of the film has some good parts but it's not consistently worthy of Koechlin's work.

NAZ & MAALIK ( *** ) ( Sunday, Sept. 20, 3pm )

"Naz & Maalik" are obviously connected by more than an ampersand. The black 18-year-old Muslim Brooklynites are best friends ( with benefits ) in Jay Dockendorf's film that builds slowly into the festival's sweetest surprise.

For most of the first half hour we get mostly a series of street and subway scenes as Naz ( Kerwin Johnson Jr. ) and Maalik ( Curtiss Cook Jr. ) buy lottery tickets, snacks and other items and resell them at inflated prices. They're not breaking any laws — except Sharia law, when they duck into an alley to make out — but thanks to racial profiling they attract the attention of the NYPD and the FBI.

In a clever — possibly true — moment, a Muslim prayer service begins with words of welcome to anyone from law enforcement who may be infiltrating the service.

There are no shootings, major action scenes or overwrought drama - the most intense discussions come when Naz and Maalik argue over what constitutes charity, and when Naz arouses Maalik's jealousy by taking advantage of a gay man's interest in him to unload some merchandise — but this turns out to be the most eventful day of our heroes' young lives.

Though he hopes to go to college, Naz is a pessimist. That automatically makes optimistic Maalik the more likable character and Cook milks it, coming across as a taller, more serious Kevin Hart.

It's not likely to win any Oscars but the Independent Spirit awards should take note of "Naz & Maalik" and of Dockendorf, whose low-key first feature shows a lot of promise.

THE NEW GIRLFRIEND ( *** ) ( Friday, Sept. 18, 7 pm )

Here's one you haven't seen before. Still grieving the death of her BFF Laura, who died shortly after giving birth to a girl, Claire ( Anais Demoustier ) visits Laura's widower David ( Romain Duris ) and finds him in Laura's clothes. David explains he's always been into cross-dressing, except while he was married to Laura; and whatever he's wearing, he's attracted to women.

He asks Claire not to tell anyone, even her husband Gilles ( Raphaell Personnaz, a ringer for Superman-era Christopher Reeve ); so she invents a new girlfriend, Virginia, to explain the time she spends with David in his — er, her new persona. After the initial shock ( "You're a pervert!" ) wears off, Claire finds she enjoys going shopping and having an occasional girls' night out with Virginia. She still thinks there's something wrong with David but enjoys enabling him — er, her.

The story could go in a lot of different directions from here, and it does. Between dreams, fantasies and reality, every possibility is explored, including some you would never think of. I won't spoil it with any details. Just be prepared to be surprised — repeatedly.

Gay writer-director Francois Ozon, who has made some of the best French films of the last two decades, adapted this script from a short story by novelist Ruth Rendell. It's mostly serious, and when it makes you laugh you'll have second thoughts about whether that was the appropriate reaction. ( Screw political correctness — if it's funny, laugh! )

Think of "The New Girlfriend" as another nail in the coffin of labels for gender identity and sexual orientation. In a few more years we may have no use for them. Meanwhile, enjoy watching Claire wrestle with the changes.

OUT TO WIN ( *** ) ( Saturday, Sept. 19, 12 noon )

There are dozens of dramas in this year's Reeling Film festival, 12 of them in "Out to Win," Malcolm Ingram's documentary about high-profile LGBT athletes. With the significant omission of the late Glenn Burke, the first major league baseball player to come out, the film covers the major historical figures and a few up-and-comers.

A timeline would be useful, as there's considerable jumping around, especially returning to last year's big story of Michael Sam and the NFL draft.

In the old days players ( starting with David Kopay ) didn't come out until they retired or were outed ( Billie Jean King, Martina Navratilova ). Later they faced overt homophobia ( John Amaechi received death threats, British footballer Justin Fashanu was driven to suicide ). In this decade players are coming out early in their careers ( Michael Sam, Jason Collins ) and homophobes ( e.g., Tim Hardaway ) are being punished.

Also featured are women's hockey Olympian Charline Labonte, women's basketball star Brittney Griner, baseball's Billy Bean, football player/activist Wade Davis; and teenagers Conner Mertens and Chandler Whitney, who were inspired by those who went before not to wait to be famous before coming out. As in every other field and society in general, each generation's trailblazers make it easier for those who come after them.

Ingram has done a public service, besides making an entertaining film, by compiling this historical record. I don't care about sports but I salute these groundbreaking athletes.

SAND DOLLARS ( ** ) ( Sunday, Sept. 20, 2:45 pm )

Nearly half of "Sand Dollars" goes by before we learn that Yanet Mojica's character is named Noeli, and another quarter before Geraldine Chaplin's character is revealed to be Anne. We never do hear the name of the third lead, played by Ricardo Ariel Toribio.

What's in a name? you ask. Well, it's one of my pet peeves when I have to try to follow a story in my head without character names. If I think in terms of the actors' names it takes me out of the movie.

Occasionally there's a reason, such as intentionally keeping the characters generic — "The Boy" and "The Girl" — but more often, as in this case, it's sloppy writing ( or perhaps sloppy subtitling; with dialogue in Spanish, French and English, an unwritten name could have slipped by me ).

The same authorial attitude of "I know; I don't have to tell you" extends to the rest of the "Sand Dollars" script, which directors Israel Cardenas and Laura Amelia Guzman adapted from a novel.

In Las Terrenas, Dominican Republic, Noeli supports her boyfriend ( Toribio ) by being nice to tourists and receiving cash and gifts in return. She spends every day with Anne, who must be three times her age. It's not clear whether she's a salaried companion ( with benefits ) or just does very well on the money she begs from the too-willing Anne.

Whatever their relationship is, it's been going on for three years. Anne keeps talking about going back to Paris, where she has an estranged son, and taking Noeli with her — for a visit, if not forever.

Anne is neurotic and possessive. Noeli pretends her boyfriend is her brother, until she gets pregnant. I had to wonder at this point if he was the father, or it was the man at the very beginning of the film who told Noeli he wanted to leave her with a parting gift she would carry with her always.

I'm afraid I've made the story clearer than it actually is on screen. In one sense it's the lesbian equivalent of "Gerontology," the love story of an old man and a barely-a-man; but that one gave us a plot to follow, not just a series of attitudes where the dialogue is as likely to be lies as truth. We don't know enough about the characters to know when to believe them.

Chaplin has been praised for her performance, probably for being brave enough to look older than she actually is. Her close-ups will send other actresses running to their cosmetic surgeons.

SEEKING DOLLY PARTON ( * 1/2 ) ( Tuesday, Sept. 22, 7:15 pm )

I knew going in that "Seeking Dolly Parton" ( unlike "Hollywood to Dollywood" ) has nothing to do with the Dolly Parton, but as a fan I felt resentful that someone was taking the Dolly Lama's name in vain. With her sense of humor, Dolly would be the first to admit she's not above employing cheap gimmicks herself, although her two principal gimmicks are quite expensive.

It turns out the title is the least of "Seeking Dolly Parton"s problems. It should have been called "50 Shades of Awkward," because nearly every conversation in the movie is awkward, whether it involves two or three people, or eight at a dinner table; there's even an awkward monologue on an answering machine. A little of this goes a long way, and there's a lot of it.

We start by meeting a likable lesbian couple, Charlie ( Kacey Barnfield ) and Cerina ( Anya Monzikova ), who have decided to have a baby. Cerina will carry it but they need a sperm donor. They quickly blow off the websites with donor lists in favor of using someone they know.

Their first choice is their best friend, Jon ( Raffaello Degruttola ), a neurotic gay man who can't make up his mind whether to participate.

Next up is Josh ( Michael Worth ), who was Cerina's boyfriend before she met Charlie. He's an artistic type ( but straight ) who's pushing 50 and still hasn't found himself. He also has trouble deciding, and for a time it looks like, if this were a major studio movie, he and Cerina would get back together.

If you know that Worth also wrote and directed the film, you'll be less surprised when the focus shifts to Josh. It's still about the women, but it's more about Josh's feelings toward them and how fathering their baby will impact him. One suspects his therapist suggested he make this film to work out some issues.

If you're wondering where Dolly Parton comes in, it's not the singer but a rose that was named for her in 1985. Charlie remembers it from a garden her father took her to before he died when she was ten. She's been painting it but she hasn't been able to find the garden again. ( They were visiting from England at the time. )

Josh is a landscape photographer but cinematographer Chia-yu Chen deserves plaudits for the gallery of photos of the San Francisco Bay area that provide welcome relief from the redundant angst on the faces that fill the other 99 percent of the movie.

A SINNER IN MECCA ( ** 1/2 ) ( Sunday, Sept. 20, 5 pm )

One of the "good Muslims" some dismiss as a myth, Parvez Sharma works to resolve his own spiritual conflicts as a gay Muslim, and possibly save the world, with his latest documentary.

Sharma tries to cinematize his video diary of his hajj ( pilgrimage to Mecca ), which every Muslim is required to make at least once, by injecting elements of suspense. He begins with the viral video of a gay man being publicly beheaded ( discreetly cutting away at the critical moment ), which was witnessed by an Arabian friend Sharma met on Manjam, an international gay dating site.

He prefaces his own trip to Saudi Arabia by saying he was branded an "infidel" for his earlier film about gay Muslims, "A Jihad for Love." He makes it sound like he's on some kind of no-fly list, but he has no problem traveling freely or entering Mecca, from which non-Muslims are barred.

The early part of the film jumps around in time and place, with Sharma sometimes bearded, sometimes clean-shaven. We see his New York marriage to Dan, a solo trip to his birthplace in India and his honeymoon there with Dan. He says he still feels bad about his mother dying when he was 21 without forgiving him for being gay, although a letter he reads from her indicates she still loved him but was hoping he'd change.

Sharma also gives us some Islamic history, tracing the religion's puritanical aspects to the 18th century and saying Islam today has been "hijacked by a violent minority" in power in Saudi Arabia.

The hajj is shown — as much as Sharma was able to capture on his iPhone, as filming is forbidden in Mecca ( or Makkah, as it's apparently called there ) — as a sort of spiritual triathlon, involving a lot of travel, trash and crowds. There's even a fourth part where a goat is sacrificed, but he has to return to India for that because Saudi Arabia runs out of goats. ( Vegetarians won't want to watch, and even goativores may be put off. )

Although some people tell him he shouldn't be filming, Sharma never appears to be in any danger; but the guerrilla situation excuses any problems with his cinematography. With hundreds of thousands of pilgrims in Mecca at the time, "A Sinner in Mecca" may set a record for the largest cast ever.

Technically, the film was probably more theraputic for Sharma to make than it is rewarding for us to watch; but it's useful for helping to demystify Islam for us infidels, and for that reason I'm glad I saw it.

SUMMER OF SANGAILE ( ** 1/2 ) ( Friday, Sept. 18, 9:30 pm )

Probably the first Lithuanian film I've seen, "Summer of Sangaile" is visually stunning but overly minimalist in its storytelling. While there's a romance of sorts between two 17-year-old girls, Sangaile ( Julija Steponaityte ) and Auste( Aiste Dirziute ), it's outweighed by Sangaile overcoming her fear of flying.

Sangaile wants to be a stunt pilot but suffers from vertigo, which is ironic because her mother was a ballerina. She's spending the summer at her parents' villa, an odd multilayered, multicolored building. She's a moody teenager who doesn't smile much and is into self-mutilation.

Auste spots Sangaile at an air show and becomes instantly obsessed with her. Sangaile eventually accepts her offer of friendship. We don't know if Sangaile has a sexual history, but in the movie she has sex with one boy and then one girl ( Auste ), returning only to the girl for seconds — and thirds and fourths...

Auste makes a dress for Sangaile and photographs her in a variety of costumes and poses. When she learns of her friend's passion she arranges for her to take a test flight, which doesn't go well.

After that Sangaile sets out to overcome her fear of flying on her own, and while she and Auste remain friends, the two-years-later epilogue leaves a lot of questions unanswered.

You don't have to read a lot of subtitles in "Summer of Sangaile" but you might have been willing to make the tradeoff to flesh out the story.

TCHINDAS ( *** ) ( Saturday, Sept. 19, 5 pm )

When you hear "gay" and "Africa" you think of countries like Uganda, where they debate whether we should be executed or incarcerated. ( I hear Kim Davis wants to be a judge there. )

It's refreshing to see a lighter side of the Dark Continent, or an island off its northwest coast, one of ten that make up the former Portuguese territory of Cape Verde. Though independent since 1975, Cape Verde still celebrates Carnaval every year.

There, in 1998, Tchinda became the biggest celebrity from the island of Sao Vicente since singer Cesaria Evora ( 1941-2011 ). Publicity materials for the film describe her as transgender, but she seems more like a gay man who frequently cross-dresses.

In any case, she and her friends are apparently loved by people of all ages and orientations in her hometown of Mindelo. They camp it up in the streets, even when it's not Carnaval, and parents don't cover their children's eyes.

"Tchinda" has become a slang term for gay on the island, and the gays frequently address each other that way, as we might say "Girl" or "Mary." Filmmakers Pablo Garca Perez de Lara and Marc Serena went to Mindelo in 2013 to film the original Tchinda ( a.k.a. Alcides Andrade ) and her friends as they prepare for Carnaval.

These are obviously not wealthy people ( I doubt they could afford to transition if they wanted to ) but they make amazing use of their limited resources. Elvis Tolentino designs the costumes and Edinha Pitanga wears them best, dancing with three young girls on a float in the Carnaval parade.

Tchinda is the queen bee who makes sure everything gets done, albeit at the last minute; but during the parade she walks around in a t-shirt and silly platinum wig, letting everyone else have the glory. She picked a strange time to retire, while a film was being made about her.

"Tchindas" has been compared to "Paris Is Burning," with its legendary drag ball. It's more hit-and-miss in the scenes leading up to Carnaval, and even in its coverage of the celebration itself. Too many scenes seem too mundane, but the cumulative effect is positive.

When it was over I felt like I'd been to Cape Verde and gotten acquainted with a few of its gay inhabitants. I enjoyed it for the travelogue aspect and the music, which includes a few songs by Evora;; and while I would have liked to know more about the people, I was glad to spend time in their company.

THAT'S NOT US ( ** ) ( Thursday, Sept. 24, 7:15 pm )

The title is misleading. The whole point of "That's Not Us" is to appeal to multiple demographics by letting gay men, gay women and heterosexuals look at one of the three featured couples and say, "That's Us!"

Sisters Liz ( Elizabeth Gray ) and Alex ( Sarah Wharton ) and their respective partners, Dougie ( Tommy Nelms ) and Jackie ( Nicole Pursell ), are sharing a cottage with their friends James ( Mark Berger ) and Spencer ( David Rysdahl ) for a "beach weekend" a ferry ride from Manhattan.

Each couple has something to deal with this weekend. The women haven't had sex in a couple of months and can't seem to get on the same page about it. Spencer's been accepted to grad school in Chicago, which means a possible prolonged separation from James. And because straight people don't have real problems, Dougie can't ride a bike and Liz is determined to teach him.

Maybe a great writer could develop these situations and stretch them into a dramatically satisfying film, but director/editor William Sullivan and producer/cinematographer Derek Dodge, who share screenplay credit, had the cast improvise most of their dialogue.

I'm not a fan of the so-called "mumblecore" genre, pioneered by the likes of Joe Swanberg and the Duplass Brothers. If I want to see real people having natural conversations I don't have to go to the movies.

Some dialogue scenes here are choppily edited, the result of being shot in one take with one camera and needing to be tightened.

Some of these people might be fun to spend a weekend with in real life, but watching them anguish over their situations for an hour and a half is not my idea of a day at the beach.

THOSE PEOPLE ( ** 1/2 ) ( Saturday, Sept. 19, 7:15 pm )

"Those People" is largely set in the kind of fabulous Park Avenue apartments most of us only spend an occasional night in. ( Er, don't we? ) It shows that people with no financial problems can have as hard a time finding — or recognizing - true love as the rest of us.

Writing and directing his first feature, Joey Kuhn has done a beautiful job in most respects; but unless I missed something ( which is possible when I'm in festival mode watching one movie after another ), his screenplay takes far too long to clarify the relationship between the two central characters. Are they really the wealthiest gay couple since Leopold and Loeb?

For 15 of his 23 years, Charlie ( Jonathan Gordon ) has been best friends with four-years-older Sebastian ( Jason Ralph ). They're obviously devoted to each other and spend a lot of time together with their tight social circle that includes two women and a "token straight boy." When, early on, Sebastian asks Charlie to move in with him, it sounds like a proposal. And Charlie accepts.

Only after Charlie becomes involved with Tim ( Haaz Sleiman of "The Visitor" ), a Lebanese pianist, do we learn that he and Sebastian have been friends without benefits all this time. Still, Charlie's feelings for Sebastian keep him from fully committing to anyone else.

Meanwhile Sebastian is dealing with infamy caused by his father, who is in prison for financial crimes in which Sebastian may have been involved.

We care about Charlie, Sebastian maybe not so much ( he seems like he'll always be screwed up in some way ), and Tim looks like a good catch.

A minor character who helps bring things to a head asks, "What's the point of having gay friends if you can't sleep with them?" That may be debatable but it brings the point of "Those People" into question.

I liked the film well enough to watch it again — if I had time, with dozens of other festival films stacked up — to see how it plays with a clearer understanding of the "friendship" at its core. At least now you'll know going in.

TWO 4 ONE ( *** ) ( Wednesday, Sept. 23, 9:15 pm )

In the early '70s there were a couple of movies ( e.g., "A Slightly Pregnant Man" ) about men getting pregnant. They were silly fantasies, but it was the same era as a serious movie ( "The Man" ) on the equally fantastic topic of the first black U.S. president. Meanwhile on television, Norman Lear was producing sitcoms ( e.g., "All in the Family" ) that found humor in serious issues of the day.

Two generations later, Canadian filmmaker Maureen Bradley combines a pregnant man with seriousness and humor in "Two 4 One." The man, Adam ( Gavin Crawford ), used to be Melanie; and he got pregnant while helping Miriam ( Naomi Snieckus ), his former lesbian lover, artificially inseminate herself. Adam, now 40, hasn't completely transitioned and was off his testosterone. ( I'm not sure how scientifically accurate this is but it's presented believably enough for a movie premise. )

Miriam's current lover, Julia ( Andrea Menard ), hates kids and is opposed to Miriam having one. Adam is finally getting a job in the field ( engineering ) he studied for, but his colleagues are more like construction workers. His supportive mother ( Gabrielle Rose ) is the very definition of unconditional love.

Even though Bradley piles on a little too much baggage ( Adam loses some sympathy because while saving up for "bottom surgery" he's defaulted on his student loans, as a result of which he's declaring bankruptcy ), she keeps the tone light enough that the film never bogs down in melodrama; but neither does it get so fluffy that you don't take the characters and their problems seriously.

There's romance, comedy and drama, making "Two 4 One" as hard to label as some of its characters and their relationships; and that's the point it's trying to make: Let everyone be themselves and let consenting adults get together in a way that works for them, and stop worrying about what to call them.

SIDEBAR

Award winners from the big summer festivals that are showing in Reeling include:

Frameline ( San Francisco ):

Audience Award Best Feature: Margarita, with a Straw

Jury Award Outstanding First Feature: In the Grayscale

Outfest ( Los Angeles ):

Audience Award Best Dramatic Feature: Fourth Man Out

Audience Award Best First U.S. Dramatic Feature: Those People

Jury Award: Documentary Feature Special Recognition: Tchindas

Jury Award Documentary Feature Film: A Sinner in Mecca

Jury Award Actor in a U.S. Dramatic Feature: Curtis Cook Jr and Kerwin Johnson Jr in Naz & Maalik


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