|
By Sean Boelman
Pride Month kicked off a little early this year with NewFest’s annual NewFest Pride event — a showcase of some of the highest-profile queer films that have been playing on the festival circuit, along with a couple of world premieres and special screenings of exciting new projects. From lighthearted comedies to weighty dramas, this year’s NewFest Pride event showcased a variety of films by and about the LGBTQIA+ community that are designed to provoke conversation and celebrate the community.
We at disappointment media got the opportunity to cover this year’s NewFest Pride event remotely by screening some of the movies available as part of the virtual festival lineup. Here are our thoughts on some of the films we saw: Close to You
Close to You stars Elliott Page in one of his first roles since coming out as a trans man. Written and directed by Dominic Savage with a story co-written by Page himself, the movie follows a man who returns home for the first time in years since his transition, encountering a friend from high school along with several long-buried feelings. It’s a slow-burn queer drama driven by an incredible performance by Page. Although the film doesn’t have a ton of subtlety, it offers an emotionally rich exploration of themes that are often unexplored from a perspective that feels entirely authentic.
A House Is Not a Disco
A House Is Not a Disco is a verite-style look at the Fire Island Pines, the almost mythical “queer mecca” of Fire Island Pines, located about 50 miles from the heart of New York City. In the film, we get the chance to meet several of the people who take refuge in the “homo-normative” community every summer, and they tell their stories — from humorous anecdotes of debauchery to heartwarming tales of finding a place to belong. Although it’s not a particularly substantial movie, it’s very charming.
The Queen of My Dreams
Fawzia Mirza's The Queen of My Dreams has toured the festival circuit to great success since its premiere at TIFF last autumn, but it is unfortunate that it is coming on the heels of several other films told from a similar perspective. Recent South Asian queer romantic comedies like The Persian Version and A Nice Indian Boy hit a lot of the same beats, and while it’s undeniably refreshing to see stories like this being told from these perspectives, it would be nice to see them less formulaic. Still, it’s a cute, crowd-pleasing movie by every means, so it’s hard to hate.
Sebastian
The sex worker drama Sebastian follows an aspiring writer in London who takes up a job as a sex worker to do research for his debut novel. Although the movie shares several similarities with classics in the queer canon like Mysterious Skin, it also stands on its own thanks to a tender and empathetic approach to its characters. This is not a film that lingers on queer misery — instead, it is much more interested in exploring the reality of queer sex and love. When you add in Ruaridh Mollica’s incredible, ambiguous performance, it’s a truly effective entry in this subgenre.
NewFest Pride ran in NYC and online from May 30 to June 3.
0 Comments
By Sean Boelman  June is Pride Month, and that means all sorts of film events celebrating LGBTQIA+ cinema. Few of these events are as exciting as NewFest Pride, a showcase of some of the greatest queer movies of the year so far that have played at a variety of festivals, including Sundance, SXSW, and TIFF. Although the main NewFest event doesn’t happen till later in the year, NewFest Pride is always a grand time to hold you over till NYC’s biggest queer film festival. Here are a few of the films (and one show) playing at NewFest Pride that we at disappointment media have gotten a chance to see and think you should check out to celebrate an early start to Pride Month 2024. Am I OK?One of the more eagerly anticipated movies playing at this year’s edition of NewFest Pride — both in-person and virtually — is Tig Notaro and Stephanie Allyn’s Am I OK? Starring Dakota Johnson, this romantic comedy premiered at the Sundance Film Festival all the way back in 2022 and was quickly acquired by Warner Bros. and Max (then still HBO Max, if you can imagine how long ago that was), but has not been seen since. Over two years later, the streamer will be premiering the film, and there couldn’t be a better place for its relaunch. A House Is Not a DiscoPerhaps the most “New York” of the movies playing at NewFest Pride is Brian J. Smith’s documentary A House Is Not a Disco, which explores the phenomenon that is the “queer mecca” of Fire Island Pines. Although this queer hideaway vacation spot has already entered the cinematic mainstream thanks to the Hulu romantic comedy Fire Island from a few years ago, this documentary offers a refreshingly honest look at the community that gathers every summer in an oasis 50 miles away from New York City. SebastianAfter its premiere at the Sundance Film Festival earlier this year, the sex worker drama Sebastian is making its New York premiere as part of NewFest Pride. The film follows a 25-year-old aspiring writer who decides to begin a second life as a sex worker to research his debut novel. Mikko Makela’s movie feels very similar in nature to films like Mysterious Skin, albeit with less of a lingering focus on misery. Makela approaches these complex themes with nuance and empathy, allowing him to ask some incredibly provocative questions. FantasmasFormer Saturday Night Live writer Julio Torres’s feature directorial debut, Problemista, played as one of the main screenings at last year’s edition of Newfest Pride, and he returns this year with an advance screening of the first two episodes of his follow-up project — the anthology series Fantasmas. Fantasmas reunites Torres with his Los Espookys network, HBO, and it feels like they gave him carte blanche with budget and creative freedom. It’s a wacky, endlessly creative comedy series with lots of hilarious sketches, blending his comedic style from his SNL days with the quirky sensibilities of his more recent work, establishing him as one of the most distinctive and idiosyncratic voices working today. NewFest Pride runs in NYC and online from May 30 to June 3.
The Criterion Voyages (Spine #58): PEEPING TOM -- A Horror Classic Restored in Glorious 4K5/27/2024
By Sean Boelman
Armageddon and Deep Impact; Volcano and Dante’s Peak; No Strings Attached and Friends With Benefits; Olympus Has Fallen and White House Down. History has seen numerous times that Hollywood will release two similar movies in the same year. However, few cases are as interesting as Michael Powell’s Peeping Tom from 1960, recently released in 4K for the first time by the Criterion Collection.
The main reason why Peeping Tom is such an interesting specimen in this regard is that it’s held in nearly as high of a regard as its peer, Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho. Of course, Psycho is considered almost across the board to be the better film, and rightfully so, but in many ways, Powell’s movie has left just as indelible of a mark on horror cinema as Hitchcock’s masterpiece. Peeping Tom follows a young man who is a photographer by day and a serial killer by night, using his camera as his weapon to murder unsuspecting women and capture it on film to make a “documentary” about fear. It’s an early manifestation of slasher tropes, albeit in the restraints of the Hays Code era, making it an essential piece of horror cinema history. One of the biggest merits of Peeping Tom is Carl Boehm’s performance in the lead role, which is as menacing as they come. It’s almost scarier to have a character like this who thinks he’s acting with reason, unlike some of the later horror villains that would come along and are purely maniacal and evil. 
The other aspect of Peeping Tom that has earned it praise over the years is its visual style. The sequences shot from the POV of the protagonist’s camera’s viewfinder have been done over and over again, and seeing the source of the reference is fantastic. However, the many ways Powell creates suspense despite the limitations of what he can show are certainly a sight to see.
Several of today’s most iconic filmmakers have been influenced by Peeping Tom, from the obvious, like Brian De Palma, to some for whom the influence is more subtle, like Edgar Wright. For further proof of just how many artists Peeping Tom has influenced, look no further than the bonus features on this disc, which include an introduction by Martin Scorsese, an interview with Thelma Schoonmaker, and a making-of documentary featuring the duo along with Boehm. Even beyond that, this Criterion Collection edition of Peeping Tom is a veritable wealth of riches for cinephiles. In addition to the aforementioned bonus features, the release includes two audio commentary tracks from film scholars, a documentary about screenwriter Leo Marks, and a featurette on the film’s restoration, which, mind you, looks absolutely stunning. Peeping Tom is an influential work of classic horror cinema, and this Criterion Collection edition is certainly worth picking up. Although this isn’t one of the more obscure or difficult-to-find titles to enter the fray, the gorgeous restoration and wealth of bonus features make it more than worth adding to your shelf. The Criterion Collection edition of Peeping Tom is now available.
By Sean Boelman
At what point does a political film become propaganda? And is there merit to be found in propaganda despite its purpose? The Soviet production I Am Cuba eludes easy classification in these regards. It boasts an incredibly nuanced look at the politics of the country in which it is set, all shot through the lens of some of the best cinematography of all time.
I Am Cuba is an anthology film set during the early days of the Cuban Revolution. It tells four stories of the average Cuban citizen. What stands out about this movie compared to others with an anthology structure is that all of its segments are very consistent in quality. From melodrama to shocking and guttural war stories, one thing unites each of the vignettes of I Am Cuba: their politicism. Understandably, this is a lot of the reason why I Am Cuba went under the radar for so long. The film was released during a time when the United States had an embargo against Cuba and was amidst the Cold War with the Soviet Union. It wasn’t particularly well regarded among its contemporaries in the Eastern Bloc either. Only decades later would it be recognized for the incredible work of political image-making that it is. And the images created by director Mikhail Kalatozov and cinematographer Sergey Urusevsky are pretty undeniable. I Am Cuba is well-known for its incredible use of long takes, of which there are several. However, these sequences don’t feel like mere gimmicks, effectively immersing viewers in the facade-like world of Cuba. 
Although the movie has been available in several formats in the decades since its rediscovery, the main reason for picking up the Criterion Collection edition of the film is its stunning 4K restoration. The black-and-white cinematography looks as gorgeous as one could hope, and the uncompressed soundtrack is a treat to hear — especially regarding a movie whose soundtrack has been tinkered with as much as this one.
However, it’s not just the film's technical prowess that has earned it a cinematic reevaluation — I Am Cuba has, in recent years, grown in stature for its incendiary themes. Its heavy anti-imperialist, anti-capitalist themes are virtually as controversial today as they were decades ago, but that doesn’t make them any less timely or their perspective any less valuable. As far as bonus features go, this release of I Am Cuba doesn’t offer much that’s “new” — only a new “appreciation” of the movie by cinematographer Bradford Young (Oscar nominee for Arrival). However, it does boast a solidly eclectic bunch of archival materials, including the feature-length documentary “I Am Cuba,” the Siberian Mammoth, and a 2003 interview with Martin Scorsese, who played a large part in the film’s preservation. I Am Cuba is a wonderful movie, but if you’re a cinephile who’s paid attention to the repertory sphere in the past couple of decades, you didn’t need to be told that. Still, it’s absolutely worth picking up the Criterion Collection edition of this masterful once-lost political film, if only to see the pristine restoration of its seminal cinematography. The Criterion Collection edition of I Am Cuba is available beginning April 23.
By Sean Boelman
The Sarasota Film Festival is an incredible showcase for film for those on the west coast of the Sunshine State. From world premieres of local productions to screenings of some of the hottest films on the festival circuit, the Sarasota Film Festival is the place to be for cinephiles in the area.
We at disappointment media are excited to be covering this year’s Sarasota Film Festival, and if you’ll be joining us in the Circus City, here are a few movies you won’t want to miss: The Feeling That the Time for Doing Something Has Passed
Babak Tafti and Joanna Arnow in THE FEELING THAT THE TIME FOR DOING SOMETHING HAS PASSED, a Magnolia Pictures release. Photo courtesy of Magnolia Pictures.
Joanna Arnow’s The Feeling That the Time for Doing Something Has Passed is one of the most uncomfortable awkward comedies of the year. However, it’s also incredibly funny and poignant in its approach to topics like sexuality and age. When you see a deadpan comedy, you generally expect it to be somewhat cold and distant, but this is unexpectedly warm, offering a refreshing approach to this concept.
Green Border
The latest film from Polish auteur Agnieszka Holland, Green Border, made a splash upon its festival debut last Fall. The film tells the story of a group of refugees who are caught in the crosshairs of a geopolitical crisis as they attempt to find safety and a new home in the European Union. It’s an incredibly grueling watch, but fittingly so considering the urgency of the refugee crisis Holland is commenting on.
The Line
The Line star Austin Abrams, who was raised in Sarasota, will be receiving the Rising Star award at the festival. His latest film is a dark thriller exploring the toxicity of university culture. Abrams is just one of many incredible performers in a cast full of some of the most exciting new talents working in film today, including Alex Wolff, Halle Bailey, Lewis Pullman, and the late Angus Cloud. It’s an incredibly nauseating film, but a frank depiction of this culture is what is needed to call attention to how harmful it can be.
Soundtrack to a Coup d'Etat
Those looking for a documentary at this year’s festival likely won’t be able to find one better than Johan Grimonprez’s Soundtrack to a Coup d’Etat, which debuted at Sundance earlier this year. The documentary, exploring the intersection of music and politics during the Cold War, is very dense but absolutely gripping in how it tells this stranger-than-fiction story. Although many viewers will likely be drawn to this because of its inclusion of several high-profile musicians, they’ll walk away more intrigued by the film’s espionage-like aspects.
Thelma
Hot off its Sundance debut and acquisition, Thelma is making a stop at the Sarasota Film Festival before its summer release, and it’s one of the most delightful films you’ll see in the lineup. The film stars the Oscar-nominated character actress June Squibb (Nebraska) as an elderly woman who is scammed by someone impersonating her grandson over the phone, setting her off on a quest for revenge. It’s a lighthearted, fun action-comedy with a great performance by Squibb, and you won’t want to miss this one before it comes out.
The 2024 Sarasota Film Festival runs April 5-14 in Sarasota, FL.
|