A beautiful, naked, athletic, fifty-something woman strikes various bodybuilder poses with a cheeky glint in her eyes. Barbara Hammer is in control, and she knows how to get your attention. So begins Barbara Forever, a fascinating, intimate portrayal of the pioneering lesbian film-maker, feminist activist, lover, and artist. With an archived collection of over eighty films, plus a treasure trove of memorabilia, director Brydie O’Connor struck gold when she began her research into the life and times of the inimitable lesbian movie queen.”

I WANT YOUR SEX is the latest film by Gregg Araki (and co-written by Karley Sciortino, and it premiered at Sundance. It portrays with mockery the times we are living in while dealing with the younger generation’s aversion to sex, lampooning the art world and the limits of artistic permission. Erika Tracy (Olivia Wilde) is a contemporary artist that the public ( viewers included) loves or hates.  Her creative process may be called peculiar because at moments it turns into an abusive practice.

‘Madfabulous’ from director Celyn Jones (who incidentally played the truculent brother in the newly released ‘On the Sea’) and writer Lisa Baker (in her screenwriting debut) is based on the life of Henry Paget, the 5^th Marquess of Anglesey.  Essentially, this is the story of a sweet and generous (to a fault) man who sometimes gets too lost inside his own head to appreciate the needs of those closest to him. This may well be a career-defining moment for Callum Scott Howells as Henry Paget. He imbues the role with the vulnerability and a ferocious flamboyance that the buttoned-down Colin, whom we all wanted to save, in ‘It’s a Sin’ couldn’t afford him.

Mineshaft: The Cruising Murders is an important queer social history lesson. Jeffrey Schwarz always delivers compelling documentaries about queer social history. This story of the controversy around the making of the 1980 queer cult-classic film Cruising.is one of his best. There’s so much to see and learn, and few other ways today to garner the information shared. That world is gone forever, its demise brutally hastened by the beginning of the AIDS crisis just two years after the film’s 1980 release. Powerful, empathetic, beautiful, and well-balanced storytelling. 

Life on the margins in Mexican society isn´t easy, and even more difficult if you’re transient and on the run. On The Road (En El Camino), an excellent, award-winning film noir by director David Pablos, takes us on a dark, tense, very gritty journey of raw masculinity, with violence and lust bedfellows, and a relevant nod to contemporary news events. On The Road (En El Camino) is that rare gem, a movie about life on the road that feels both thrilling and authentic. Mexico´s social problems are effectively incorporated into what is essentially a beautiful tale of human connection.

Few movies set the scene with such succinct clarity as ‘Test’ from writer (and lead) Brock Yurich and director Sam McConnell. Here, we watch as a handsome and very muscled man, wearing nothing but a cock sock, is rolled in fake tan by an older woman while singing a hymn and giggling!!! Eddie (Brock Yurich) is an amateur competitive bodybuilder who lives with his mother, Joanne (Tammy Blanchard), in a state of codependency. He divides his time between the gym, work and church, but neither Eddie nor his mother are doing particularly well; she’s a functioning alcoholic selling make-up to her friends, and he works in a restaurant to pay the bills with a more profitable side hustle as a cam model. This is a fearless, sensitive and flawless performance from Brock; he’s in practically every scene and even with a look, he can convey a whole story of emotions. What’s even more remarkable is that, having written, produced and acted as the lead, Brock maintained his incredible contest-worthy physical condition throughout this journey.

PS. Check here to see Brock Yurich + Sam McConnell talk with Queerguru about their award-winning movie ‘TEST’