If you were expecting a whole raft of new LGBT programming on NETFLIX for February, then you are going to be bitterly disappointed. In comes the Queer Eye Reality TV Show on Feb 6th, plus People You May Know, the story of four friends in their 40s in Los Angeles who have to confront a new reality when Delia gets pregnant from Joe, the best-friend who happens to be gay. Then out goes Stranger By The Lake one of the most erotic French gay movies for years.
Time them to re-visit some of the oldies but goodies that Netflix still have on offer, and here is our own list of suggestions for you to view in the coming month when it is still way to cold to leave the house. Here they are in alphabetical order:
Being 17 is nothing less than a superb coming-of-age story that is completely riveting to the very last frame, and is the work of veteran French filmmaker ANDRÉ TÉCHINÉ. Its the tale of two strikingly different schoolboys from different cultures in a remote community in the Pyrenees who start off hating each other for all the wrong reasons, until they are finally forced to be friends.
EASTSIDERS Season 3. Kit Williamson’s Emmy Nominated Web Series surfaced on Netflix last month and is one of the very best LGBT shows that we got to binge watch for a very long time. Its dark and hilarious depiction of gay life in L.A. is nothing less than excellent, and now we are already gasping to know what happens next. Please let there be a Season 4!
Head On: this Australian drama from 1998 had us, and the rest of the gay world, fall in love with actor Alex Dimitriades as a young, repressed gay man of Greek descent living in inner-city Melbourne. With its very stark realism, and a stunning performance from its star, the film, however, gained notoriety upon its release for its sexual explicitness. Be warned: it is very steamy.
LAZY EYE: 40-year-old Dean is trying not to have a mid-life crisis, but his chances of succeeding are slim. He’s a very successful graphic designer in Silverlake California who is starting to loathe his good paying clients because of their poor taste levels. Then his rather solitary and seemingly empty life is suddenly disturbed by an email that arrives totally out of the blue. It’s from Alex an ex-boyfriend who broke his heart when he walked out of his life 15 years ago, and then totally disappeared off the grid never to be heard of again.
LOEV is a rather touching and gentle gay drama which is a very impressive debut from newbie filmmaker SUDANASHU SARIA, and it takes on an even greater than usual resonance by the mere fact that it is set in India where homosexuality is still illegal. However, in fact, the movie, evidently shot very much on the down-low, showcases how these gay men in contemporary Indian society seem totally at ease with their sexuality and the story that unfolds focuses intently on their own relationships with each other.
THE DEATH & LIFE OF MARSHA P JOHNSON: Just making its Netflix debut last last month, from Oscar-nominated openly gay director David France comes the story of MARSHA P JOHNSON a veteran drag queen and gay liberation activist who suddenly was mysteriously found dead not long after she took part in the STONEWALL RIOTS, and whose death was written off by a disinterested police force as suicide.
THE WAY HE LOOKS: this very cute debut feature from Brazilian writer/director Daniel Ribeiro that won the prestigious TEDDY AWARD for Best LGBT Feature is a coming of age story with a real difference as teenage Leo is blind. This perfect feel-good movie never fails to delight.
THOSE PEOPLE: An exceptionally wonderful debut movie from a remarkably talented filmmaker Joey Kuhn which is a story of unrequited love and one that so many gay (and straight?) men easily relate too. Vaguely based on Kuhn’s own life, this wee LGBT drama is a sheer joy.
VIVA: this is the story of Jesus (Héctor Medina) an 18-year-old hairdresser who is desperate to break out of his very sparse and miserable existence in one of the rougher arts of Havana Cuba and make something out of his life. A joyous tale with a happy ending is also a wonderful glimpse into the city’s delightfully dated drag culture.
WHO’S GONNA LOVE ME NOW: This heartwarming documentary is about Saar Maoz an utterly charming 40-year-old Israeli man disowned by his family, so he moved to London to begin again and look for the love of his life. Now 18 years later, his ‘forever’ boyfriend has left and the very untamed man that took his place lead Saar down a wild and indulgent path which resulted in him being diagnosed HIV+. Saar finds a replacement for his family in the shape of the London Gay Mens Chorus where the other members give him the unconditional love and fellowship that he so desperately needs and wants.
You can read full reviews on most of these movies at www.queerguru.com and be sure to sign up for our twice-weekly newsletter that that includes our raves and rants of the best (and worst) of queer cinema.
Labels: 2018, culture, Netflix, Top Ten List
