Frameline 2011: Wednesday
Jun. 24th, 2011 06:10 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
nakedbeeWe're more than halfway done! Woo hoo! Lots of good movies today, but the standout was the last film, a political slash delight!
Note: plot summaries and promotional images again shamelessly lifted from Frameline. Check out the festival website and/or websearch the film's titles for more info.
Silent Stories
The most compelling stories are often simultaneously deeply personal and strikingly universal. This film accomplishs both, revealing experiences of queer individuals in Africa and the Middle East. Silent Stories is a portrait of four individuals—Sara, Jean-Louis, Rabiatou, and Arezki—who were forced to flee their homes of Iraq, Senegal, Guinea, and Algiers, respectively.
This doc was cool, even if I had a little trouble staying awake sometimes (long stretches with no talking always have that effect on me). It was very cool to hear stories from refugees from several different countries. As sad as it was that they had to leave their home countries I'm glad they all seemed to land on their feet in the new places.
Bob's New Suit
When sweet (and often shirtless) workingman Bob and longtime girlfriend Jenny finally decide to tie the knot, the timing couldn’t be worse! Bob’s sibling Stephanie is beginning the process of transitioning to Steve with the support of girlfriend Marlena (played by a femmed up Jenny Shimizu), but his mother has trouble accepting her new son. Their father Buster struggles to hide his long-buried past, and shady cousin George threatens to get them all in a world of trouble with his latest scheme. If that wasn’t enough, the whole shebang is narrated by Bob’s fine Italian suit acquired just for the wedding. Yes, that’s right, his suit (it’s not as crazy as it sounds).
This was a very sweet family drama/comedy. The director said his goal was to tell the story of a non-neurotic character going trough gender transition and that was certainly the case. I really liked the range of family member responses and how they all converged on positivity and acceptance by the end. I think this film could serve pretty well as a starting point for discussions between a trans person and their family.
La Robe Du Soir (The Evening Dress)
What is it about sexual awakening and obsession that makes them fit so well together? Twelve-year-old Juliette is irresistibly drawn to her French teacher, Madame Solenska. But when the teacher’s affection seems to be waning, how far will Juliette go to take revenge? As Juliette sinks further into her obsession, she tells herself a fabricated story of betrayal, based on her own jealousy and insecurity. But her uncontrollable outbursts end up hurting more people than she anticipated.
Not my kind of movie, but oh well. Can sort of be summed up by: depressing stalker kid lives unhappily ever after.
Wish Me Away
Surrounded by a family, community, culture and religion that all believed that being gay is just wrong (and, to many, “of the devil”), Chely Wright prayed regularly for God to rid her of her homosexuality, vowing to give up on love in return. Instead, music became her love, as she scored hits like “Shut Up and Drive” and “Single White Female”. But while her dreams of stardom came true, she remained tormented by her sexuality and paralyzed by the fear of coming out. She tried dating men, poured her energy into philanthropic endeavors, and contemplated suicide before finally acknowledging what she knew she needed to do. In 2010, she began calculated preparations to release an album and a book (Like Me) that would finally reveal her coming-out story and make country music history.
This was really cool! So inspiring! Chely Wright is my new country music hero! They started with an awesome subject, but I have to mention the brilliant work by the filmmakers; they really know how to craft a compelling story.
I downloaded her latest album yesterday. I've only listed to it once through so far; I'll have to see how it wears over time to decide what I think about the music rather than just the emotions brought up by the songs as I remember the film. I'm liking it a lot now, though. :)
Fyra år till (Four More Years)
Love can be so political—especially when you’re a politician! David Holst was the rock star of Sweden’s conservative political party. Two years later, his popularity is plummeting and David is clamoring to hold onto his career. Barely stumbling through each day, David’s life is turned upside down when he falls in love with a man from the Socialist Party, Martin. Martin sits second fiddle to the new Prime Minister and is a cocky political steamroller that would crush David’s standing if they’re caught together.
A cheeky comedic romp, Four More Years sweetly redefines what it means to be bipartisan.
Yippee! This was just as slashily awesome as I'd hoped it would be!
I'd definitely recommend watching this if you can track down a copy. While there are lots of awesome films in this festival, this one really had a "slashy" feel, rather than a "gay" feel. It's probably not a coincidence that the director is female. I'll certainly be looking for it on DVD later.
In the meantime, be sure to check out![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
byblythe's fantastic Harry/Draco fic Corridors of Power. It is super cool in its own right, but also happens to have a lot in common with the film; there's a lovely romance woven into a really fascinating and educational story about politics that are totally different from the politics I'm used to. Very cool!
Note: plot summaries and promotional images again shamelessly lifted from Frameline. Check out the festival website and/or websearch the film's titles for more info.
Silent Stories
The most compelling stories are often simultaneously deeply personal and strikingly universal. This film accomplishs both, revealing experiences of queer individuals in Africa and the Middle East. Silent Stories is a portrait of four individuals—Sara, Jean-Louis, Rabiatou, and Arezki—who were forced to flee their homes of Iraq, Senegal, Guinea, and Algiers, respectively.
This doc was cool, even if I had a little trouble staying awake sometimes (long stretches with no talking always have that effect on me). It was very cool to hear stories from refugees from several different countries. As sad as it was that they had to leave their home countries I'm glad they all seemed to land on their feet in the new places.
Bob's New Suit
When sweet (and often shirtless) workingman Bob and longtime girlfriend Jenny finally decide to tie the knot, the timing couldn’t be worse! Bob’s sibling Stephanie is beginning the process of transitioning to Steve with the support of girlfriend Marlena (played by a femmed up Jenny Shimizu), but his mother has trouble accepting her new son. Their father Buster struggles to hide his long-buried past, and shady cousin George threatens to get them all in a world of trouble with his latest scheme. If that wasn’t enough, the whole shebang is narrated by Bob’s fine Italian suit acquired just for the wedding. Yes, that’s right, his suit (it’s not as crazy as it sounds).
This was a very sweet family drama/comedy. The director said his goal was to tell the story of a non-neurotic character going trough gender transition and that was certainly the case. I really liked the range of family member responses and how they all converged on positivity and acceptance by the end. I think this film could serve pretty well as a starting point for discussions between a trans person and their family.
La Robe Du Soir (The Evening Dress)
What is it about sexual awakening and obsession that makes them fit so well together? Twelve-year-old Juliette is irresistibly drawn to her French teacher, Madame Solenska. But when the teacher’s affection seems to be waning, how far will Juliette go to take revenge? As Juliette sinks further into her obsession, she tells herself a fabricated story of betrayal, based on her own jealousy and insecurity. But her uncontrollable outbursts end up hurting more people than she anticipated.
Not my kind of movie, but oh well. Can sort of be summed up by: depressing stalker kid lives unhappily ever after.
Wish Me Away
Surrounded by a family, community, culture and religion that all believed that being gay is just wrong (and, to many, “of the devil”), Chely Wright prayed regularly for God to rid her of her homosexuality, vowing to give up on love in return. Instead, music became her love, as she scored hits like “Shut Up and Drive” and “Single White Female”. But while her dreams of stardom came true, she remained tormented by her sexuality and paralyzed by the fear of coming out. She tried dating men, poured her energy into philanthropic endeavors, and contemplated suicide before finally acknowledging what she knew she needed to do. In 2010, she began calculated preparations to release an album and a book (Like Me) that would finally reveal her coming-out story and make country music history.
This was really cool! So inspiring! Chely Wright is my new country music hero! They started with an awesome subject, but I have to mention the brilliant work by the filmmakers; they really know how to craft a compelling story.
I downloaded her latest album yesterday. I've only listed to it once through so far; I'll have to see how it wears over time to decide what I think about the music rather than just the emotions brought up by the songs as I remember the film. I'm liking it a lot now, though. :)
Fyra år till (Four More Years)
Love can be so political—especially when you’re a politician! David Holst was the rock star of Sweden’s conservative political party. Two years later, his popularity is plummeting and David is clamoring to hold onto his career. Barely stumbling through each day, David’s life is turned upside down when he falls in love with a man from the Socialist Party, Martin. Martin sits second fiddle to the new Prime Minister and is a cocky political steamroller that would crush David’s standing if they’re caught together.
A cheeky comedic romp, Four More Years sweetly redefines what it means to be bipartisan.
Yippee! This was just as slashily awesome as I'd hoped it would be!
I'd definitely recommend watching this if you can track down a copy. While there are lots of awesome films in this festival, this one really had a "slashy" feel, rather than a "gay" feel. It's probably not a coincidence that the director is female. I'll certainly be looking for it on DVD later.
In the meantime, be sure to check out
byblythe's fantastic Harry/Draco fic Corridors of Power. It is super cool in its own right, but also happens to have a lot in common with the film; there's a lovely romance woven into a really fascinating and educational story about politics that are totally different from the politics I'm used to. Very cool!