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Stop! That! Train!

By Golu
Coming out of the same studio that gave us RuPaul's Drag Race, and stacked with a whole crew of former contestants, Stop! That! Train! plays like RuPaul basically taking a bow for the entire franchise she's built. It's not really a gay film in the traditional sense, but with so many drag stars from Ru's shows popping up alongside a few cameos from well known out gay actors, I figured it earns a spot on this blog anyway. The whole thing is completely over the top, packed with GenZ slang, loud flashy visuals, and humor that's constantly winking at you knowing how ridiculous it is. Going in you'd assume it's meant to be a laugh riot, and a lot of critics online seem to be eating it up, but I just couldn't get into it at all. I've never really been someone who vibes with campy silly stuff like this, so honestly my reaction doesn't surprise me one bit. The setup follows Tess and DeeDee, two low level stewardesses who sneak onto the fancy Glamazonian E...
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À cause d'un garçon (French) [You'll Get Over It]

By Golu
There have been a lot of teenage coming-out films. It all depends on how they are done and thats what makes or breaks the fate of the film. The subject in this film has been handled with sensitivity, reality, emotionally and bravely. This film does its job to a good extent but still leaves us with a lot unanswered and desired. More on that later.

Vincent is a high school kid who is also the school swimming champion. His best friend is Stephane and Noemie forms the third in this close group. Noemie loves Vincent but he never gives another thought. Stephane thinks of Vincent as his brother and they have been childhood friends. A chance meeting with a new kid in school, changes life of Vincent. There is apparent attraction between the two. Vincent knows he is gay but has always hide his feelings. But meeting this guy, spills the bean in public and somehow the news is leaked in the school. This is where the problems begin. Suddenly the hero of the school is not a hero anymore. He is bullied and unwelcome in school. And now we see how Vincent deals with all this. His strongest supported is his best friend Stephane, who is sad that Vincent didn't tell him but he doesn't change. Noemie is initially upset and hurt because she truly loved him. Vincent's brother has always disliked him and he tells the news to their parents too. Too shocked to react to anything, eventually they come around too. Thanks to his swimming coach and their literature teacher, Vincent gets back his life in order, learns to deal with obstacles and eventually comes out winner in the end.

It was very heartening to see how Vincent's best friend stood by him throughout. I wonder in real life, how many people would be lucky to have such a friend in their life. I am also very glad that they didn't really show that Noemie ending up becoming Vincent's fag hag. She truly loved him and she is not going to settle for anything less. If it means losing Vincent, so be it. I also liked how parents reactions were handled. From confusion to acceptance and love and finally open conversation, they sure came a long way. When Vincent goes to Marais to meet his old trick, it is shown that he is not very comfortable and runs way from there. I wasn't very sure on what that whole scene meant! Was he questioning his identity or his future? Also it really wasn't clear why the parents preferred Vincent over his elder brother. From an acting perspective, everyone did a marvelous job. As the main protagonist, Vincent brings to life his character, his pain, his struggles, his anguish. This performance was definitely very nice. Although I wish some of the expressions on his face changed a little bit.

A very good film but it does have its shares of flaws. Nonetheless, it is very good and highly recommended. (7/10)
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