Reeling: Chicago’s LGBTQ+ International Film Festival is the second longest-running film festival of its kind, and has always been one of Queerguru’s favorites. In this groundbreaking 41st Edition, the programmers have really gone that extra mile with one of its most diverse and adventurous schedules that seem to run the whole queer spectrum.
Its rich diversity of LGBTQ+ films makes this 18-day event a must for all those queer people from throughout the Midwest who consider the festival to be the highlight of their cinematic year.
We’ve had Queerguru’s Team scour the whole program to come up with our
TOP TEN PICKS OF MUST SEE FILMS
ALL THE COLORS OF THE WORLD : This fictional film from Nigeria premiered at the Panorama Section of the 73rd annual Berlin International Film Festival. where it won the prestigious TEDDY AWARD Queerness is a taboo topic in Nigeria, one of the most difficult countries in the world to be an LGBT+ person, people there can face up to 10 years in jail for being part of anything considered a gay social club or group, and up to 14 years if in a same-sex relationship
An intimate portrait of yearning desire in an adverse social context, and to Queerguru’s knowledge it is only the 6th queer film to be produced in Nigeria, and is not to be missed.
A Place Of Our Own is a new feature film about the trials and tribulations of a couple of transgender women In Bhopal, India, and is a tragic reminder of how life for them has not progressed at all in society. The film, made by the Ektara Collective, an independent collaborative of filmmakers which makes films about and involving marginalized and disenfranchised communities, perfectly captures the lows ….. and the highs ….. of the women’s search for accommodation after their latest landlord has illegally evicted them.
BEFORE I CHANGE MY MIND: In this feature film debut from Trevor Anderson, the highlight is the performance of newcomer Vaughan Murrae as Robin, in a nonbinary lead role. They play an American child who arrives in Edmonton, Canada to live with their smoker father. It is 1987, at school, Robin´s classmates wonder if he is a boy or a girl, if somebody asks, the question hangs in the air unanswered. No gendered pronouns are used to describe Robin in the film. We are allowed to watch the way the children relate with each other, and through Robin’s appreciation and reactions, develop empathy. The girls and boys are mean to Robin and Tony (Jhztyn Contado), the classmate from different roots, who, for obvious reasons, shows complicity with Robin, who likes to draw.
It’s not surprising to learn that BIG BOYS, a charming coming-of-age dramedy and the debut feature film of Corey Sherman, is based on an incident in his own life, as it has such a convincing authenticity to it. In fact, the premise of his heartwarming tale of a confused teen coming to terms with his burgeoning sexuality is something that most of us gay men can relate to on a personal level. Kudos to Sherman for the sensitive way he handled the young man’s sexual awakening with such a fine balance that gave such a sense of normality to both Jamie and his predicament. He was helped to no end by the absolutely pitch-perfect performance by Krasner who made Jamie so extremely relatable. And also with the beautifully measured response from Johnson …. who looked and acted like a charming gay bear… that we would have all wanted to have received back when we were ‘Jamie’.
P.S. you may also like to check out Queerguru’s interview with Corey Sherman HERE
CHASING CHASING AMY is an interesting documentary that takes a deep dive into the complex legacy of Kevin Smith’s 1997 indie film Chasing Amy, its effect on queer people, and its life-saving impact on director Sav Rodgers.
The original film is a romantic comedy starring Ben Affleck, Joey Lauren Adams and Jason Lee. The film is about a male comic artist (Affleck) who falls in love with a lesbian/sexually fluid woman (Adams), to the displeasure of his best friend (Lee). The film was originally inspired by a brief scene in the cult 90s lesbian film Go Fish. In Guinevere Turner’s Go Fish, one of the lesbian characters imagines her friends passing judgment on her for selling out by sleeping with a man. Rodgers’ film is a love letter to film-making, his wife, and to Chasing Amy. His charismatic energy is infectious. Keep an eye on him.
Drifter was the final film of the 2023 BFI Flare and, it has to be said, it’s a delicious side-eyeing choice from the programmers to have the final film be one that leaves you thinking ‘where is this going?’ for the first 60 minutes of its 79-minute length.
Director Hannes HIrsch’s film is almost documentary in style, but hanging in the air is the question of whether it is being satirical. The characters and the scenes are so on the nose. The artists do their art. The club kids do their clubs. The sexually liberated, well, they do everyone. However, If it is being satirical it does it without being snide or judgemental and It sits back and lets the audience decide. If it’s not satire it may just be the veneer that outsiders see because they are not part of it.
If ever there was a time that the LGBTQ+ community needed powerful voices in our corner it is now. The trouble is that for them to get to a place where they can be heard and make a real difference is getting even more impossible in the present political climate. Not that Malcolm Kenyatta was aiming to just represent the queer community in his home state of Pennsylvania, but his attempt to run for the US Senate was severely hampered by the fact that he is a gay man of color.
Tim Harris‘s documentary Kenyatta: Do Not Wait Your Turn the inspiring story of Malcolm Kenyatta’s political campaign really grabs you both mentally and emotionally. When the final credits roll you simply just want to dash off and vote for him, It is of course too late but you know that even though he may have fallen at this hurdle, Kenyatta will be back
Lie WIth Me, based on the novel by Philippe Besson, has a wistful charm that sits with you long after the film is over. It’s a tale about nostalgia, love and heartbreaking loss that begs you to feel nothing but kindness to all its characters.
The character’s pain reveals their humanity in all its absurd messiness. Guillaume de Tonquedec portrays the writer Stephane as equally capable of saying the toe-curlingly wrong thing as he is of achieving sublime prose. This adds to the idea at the heart of the movie that life can be brought back into balance. In the case of director Olivier Peyon’s charming Lie With Me, the balance is achieved by finally being able to see life through someone else’s eyes.
Since The Last Time We Met is a romantic psychological drama by Argentinian director Matias De Leis Correa. Handsome Victor (Patricio Arellano) by chance bumps into hunky David (Esteban Recagno), his first love, fifteen years since they last saw each other. The reunion ignites the clandestine love they had had for each other, secretly seeing each other back then without telling their mutual group of friends. David, however, had suddenly broken off the affair and blocked all contact with Victor without giving him any reasons. Victor had been heartbroken but unable to share his grief with anyone as their relationship had been secret.
Since The Last Time We Met is a confident film. Beautifully shot with powerful and heartfelt performances by Arellano and Recagno, both of whom are very easy on the eye. The plot only focuses on the relationship between the two men as they emotionally navigate their way through complex waters given their history, their differences, and David’s married status. Will they manage to make it work?
THE MATTACHINE FAMILY is a heart-touching story about queer parenthood. It is the story of a handsome couple Thomas (Juan Pablo Di Pace) and Oscar (Nico Tortorella) who are living a good life in LA. They are in love, busy, and happy foster parents to a young kid Arthur (Matthew Jacob Ocampo). When it’s time for Arthur to return to his birth mother, however, his loss affects the couple deeply and in different ways, and they realize they have different ideas about what being a family entails.
PS You may also like to check out http://Married filmmakers Andy & Danny Valentine talk about THE MATTACHINE FAMILY a story about gay parenting
Reeling: Chicago’s LGBTQ+ International Film Festival begins on 9/21 and will end on 10/08 To see the whole program and book tickets https://reelingfilmfest.org/
for full reviews of over 1800 queer films check out www.queerguru.com and whilst you are there be sure to subscribe to get all the latest raves and rants on queer cinema …best of all its FREE
Labels: 2023, Chicago, Must See Movies, Reeling Film Fest, Top Ten Picks
