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...
Andi, a teenager lives in a small town. No one knows that he is gay, except his older brother. Today is a special day because he is going to Madrid where he has a date with a boy his age whom he has met online. Things end in a drama, but with. Positive message acceptance and hopefully love.
A pregnant mother, unsure of how to raise a child, arranges an interview with her two gay dads but fate intervenes when his dad suffers a heart attack. Her dad reflects on their family’s history, captured on an old camcorder. A heartfelt narrative told through animation, that carries a heartfelt message of love and family.
A playful, tongue-in-cheek jab at the modern dating scene. Clayton, who has an unlucky love life, is on his first date with August, a guy he met on Grindr. When he meets him his anxiety fades, as he is fascinated by how easily they form a connection. The idyll is broken when August mentions his partner.
Cult of Beauty (USA)
An experimental short film, something on gay culture, bad quality, and which made no sense at all.
Two friends are spending an afternoon together. Its obvious that one of the them likes the other, but when this guy starts chatting with a girl on the phone, he gets discouraged and decides to go back home, only for the audience to later find out that this other guy telling his friend "Maybe he is not into me". A really short film with beautiful tension between teenagers struggling to come out with their feelings.
Through personal home-made videos and photographs, the director reflects on what it means to be young and queer in Tunisia. It draws attention to the still existing article 230 criminalizing homosexuality, with hopes for a better future. From fear to uncertainty this film creates an intimate and touching story of longing for future, love, freedom, opportunities, and community.
A gay couple going through a hard time in their relationship, ends up being on the two opposite ends of Juhu beach for their catch up. They continue their conversation on phone, trying to figure out what is going wrong in their relationship. Just like their physical distance now, they will both have to meet halfway to make things for them. Interesting film.
Three years before Stonewall, on an unknown date in 1966, trans women in San Francisco’s Tenderloin district rioted against police violence at Gene Compton’s Cafeteria. There was no news coverage, and the arrest records no longer exist. Decades later, trans historian Susan Stryker unearthed the history of the riot and interviewed the surviving “Compton’s queens.”
16 year old Diego, who is part of school wrestling team has a crush on his best friend Travis. At a party, he takes the opportunity to finally express his feelings. Things don’t go entirely smoothly, and soon the whole team becomes aware of Diego’s sexuality. But thankfully, Travis comes around and Diego also gets unexpected support from his father, who is also his coach.
Two 15 year old friends hang out together and spend their summer fishing. When a girl holidaying joins the, hidden feelings are aroused. One of the boys kisses his friend, who in turn likes this girl. A simple story of teenage friendship and crush and a solid end where at least the friend doesn't go against his best pal for kissing him.
After a decent min series earlier, this short film of almost 35 minutes, how's us blossoming love between two boys practicing song and art for an upcoming village festival. ‘Khar Taw Mi’ is a beautiful short film that weaves together themes of chance encounters, personal growth, and budding romance against the backdrop of cultural festivals. The climax where Thein Myat confesses his feelings and makes a vow of loyalty during the Thingyan festival, is a poignant moment that brings their story full circle. Even though the film has product placements to recover money but this short film does warm your heart.
Hope is meatball seller who coincidentally parks his cart in front of a BL series production company. The owner reaches out to him to become his new star and makes him work with Nine, who has been with the company for a while. Nine doesn't like the idea initially but to save his own job, he reluctantly agrees. But when he finds out true nature of Hope and how he is struggling in life, he falls in love with him, helps Hope become s abetter actor to work in the series and in turn the duo fall in love. This is one of those simple 2 part short films that we have seen even before form this country.
Two friends go for their regular afterparty on weekend to the sauna. One of them does not want to be there but the other insists leading to some arguments. The reason for his change is a secret that has caused him an existential conflict about what is done in the sauna he goes to every weekend. A very odd short film.
Trapped at home with his talking cat, BOLD seeks refuge in the strong arms of strange men as together they venture deep down into the nether regions of the Internet in search of true happiness. Caught in the tangle of technology and social media, he wonders to his cat about his place in the world. If he spreads his wings, can he fly? Super odd short film with a lot of anus shots for some reason.
Along a river that undergoes a major change, Baby, a middle-aged transwoman, shuttles between her job as a companion-for-hire for strangers and her duty to her father. As the people around Baby start to disappear, she realizes that she has been left behind in a stagnating city. I didn't connect much with this short film.
A narrative/doc hybrid film, which shows a married farmer travels to a gay campground to find his long lost love -- and discovers the past isn't done with him yet. There are thirty-some LGBT campgrounds in America – a phenomenon that started in the 1980s at the height of the AIDS epidemic as refuges for urban gay men and as meeting places for rural (often closeted) men from conservative areas. I wasn't aware of such camp grounds, so in that sense it is an interesting short film.
Fourteen-year-old Szymon lives in a seaside village. The boy is going through one of the most turbulent stages in his life - puberty. The boy's monotonous life is interrupted by an unexpected visit from his childhood friend. An ordinary meeting on a cliff turns into his first summer romance. A beautiful teenage gay romance with minimal dialogues.
It's the 1990s. Toby, the shy young adult, just out of college, comes to Manhattan to spend the summer with his older cousin whose lover has just died of AIDS. The cousin gives him his lover's old pair of shoes, which oddly give Toby more confidence. He starts getting powerful visions of the pre-AIDS scene in the 1970s, as if he's there. Wearing the shoes, Toby goes to a bar, hooks up with Dick, and wakes up in Dick's bed. How will he handle it? And what will happen to the shoes?
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