A Revry original, Unconventional is a really well-liked queer dramedy that feels totally different from the usual stuff. The heart of the story is about two pretty eccentric queer siblings and their partners trying to build a family that doesn't follow the traditional rules. It takes a super raw and unfiltered look at queer life, diving deep into things like mental health, addiction, and how complicated identity and relationships can get. It’s not afraid to get messy or show people at their most vulnerable, and it really pushes boundaries while showing a lot of different queer experiences. The first season has nine episodes, and each one is about a half-hour long. The story centers on Noah, a grad student who’s been struggling for years to wrap up his PhD. He’s been with his husband, Dan, for nine years, and they’ve recently gotten married and moved to Palm Springs. While they're trying to figure out how to start a family and have a baby, they decide to shake things up by in...
There is a ton of misinformation in USA about sex—which might explain why the United States has one of the highest rates of teen pregnancy in the developed world. Obviously, we have a lot of issues when it comes to sex. Filmmaker Alex Liu is on a mission to sort it all out by talking with researchers, educators, and Pornhub data analysts, who can give us the naked truth. As a gay man raised in an Asian Catholic household, Liu uses his personal struggles with his own sexuality to start this important conversation. We see Alex having multiple conversations with even a priest, sex researchers from Kinsey institute and even Vancouver, a psychologist and most importantly his own family.
Of course, as you can imagine, the documentary is a lot about conversations right from how do you define sex, to abstinence to being gay or teen pregnancy, to medically what happens in brain for orgasm. You do see a lot of uncomfortable topics being discussed, but its the earthy wit, humor and charm of the narrator director Alex Liu that keeps this documentary very engaging and a thoroughly watchable fare. A charming and frank tour guide, Liu leaves no stone unturned on his mission, even masturbating in an MRI scanner for science. He has one mission, confront the country on its long shadow of same when its comes to sex (which I personally don't think is true), but I might be an exception. Eventually towards the end, as you could have expected, this personal pursuit culminates in the need for a comprehensive sex education for everyone. My favorite moments, which were also highly awkward for me to watch were Alex's conversation with his parents both in the beginning and the end. It really does take courage and a certain openness. Watch this documentary just for the brilliant and charming Alex. His nervous laughter was my favorite. In the hands of a less charming man, this would have completely fallen flat. (6/10)
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