FILM
LGBTQ Movies at Two Film Festivals
Pair of festivals bring a collection of queer movies
BY GARY M. KRAMER
Two fi lm festivals in
March feature some
LGBTQ movies — and
while the pandemic continues
to keep folks at home, these
streaming festivals can transport
viewers to a different time and
place.
Rendezvous with French Cinema
Unspooling virtually March 4-14
through Film at Lincoln Center,
Rendezvous with French Cinema
is the annual showcase of Francophone
fi lms. This year’s program
opens with the documentary “Little
Girl,” about a transgender preteen,
and it gives viewers another
opportunity to see gay enfante terrible
François Ozon’s latest, “Summer
of 85,” which is expected to get
a release later this year.
“Little Girl”
This fi lm is directed by Sébastien
Lifshitz, who may be best known for
his classic gay drama from 2000,
“Come Undone.” In recent years, he
has pivoted to documentary fi lmmaking,
and his latest feature is
an intimate portrait of Sasha, an
eight-year-old who was assigned
male at birth, but says, “When
I grow up, I’ll be a girl.” Sasha’s
parents — her mother Karine especially
— are strong advocates
for her, and battle with her school
principal and teachers to make
sure Sasha is treated respectfully
(and with correct pronouns) and
able to dress as in accordance with
her gender identity as a girl.
Lifshitz takes his time with his
fi lm’s subjects, sitting with them
as Sasha plays with her supportive
siblings or a classmate. He also
attends a meeting Sasha and Karine
have with a kindly doctor who
discusses issues of gender dysphoria.
There are interviews with
both Sasha’s mother and father
where they recount their attitudes
about their child with candor and
acceptance. Nevertheless, Karine,
however encouraging, worries that
Sasha will face a diffi cult future.
“Little Girl” charts a year in
Alex (Félix Lefebvre, left) with David (Benjamin Voisin) in “Summer of ‘85.”
Sasha’s life and the changes she
(and her family) experience as she
tries to live more authentically.
Watching her mimic a young girl
in her ballet class shows Sasha’s
uneasiness, but seeing her become
more confi dent, dancing in heels,
and eventually putting on a twopiece
swimsuit, is rewarding. Lifshitz
captures his subject well.
“Summer of 85”
Writer/director François Ozon
brings a nifty adaptation of Aidan
Chambers’ novel, set in a seaside
community in Normandy. The
fi lm, which bills itself as a story
about death, opens with Alex (Félix
Lefebvre), a baby-faced teen, being
taken in handcuffs by the police.
He narrates this story of his loss of
innocence and how he met David
(Benjamin Voisin), who — spoiler
alert — becomes the corpse in the
story.
When Alex’s boat is capsized one
afternoon, David saves him. The
two youths quickly become fast
friends, spending as much time as
they can together. Alex also takes a
job in David’s family’s store, much
to the delight of David’s mother
(Valeria Bruni Tedeschi). Things
only seem to improve when the two
youths begin a romantic relationship.
But Alex is provoked by jealousy
as easily as he is seduced by
MUSIC BOX FILMS
the handsome and charming David,
and that may be why he ends
up dead.
“Summer of 85” is a lively tale of
heartbreak and death, well-acted
by the attractive leads and well
told by Ozon.
South by Southwest
This annual festival is online
March 16-20 this year. Two features
are having their world premiere
and two shorts will appeal
to queer viewers. While reviews for
the features were embargoed, here
is what can be revealed:
“Potato Dreams of America”
Written and directed by Wes
Hurley, this is the highly anticipated
feature version of his fabulous
2017 documentary short, “Potato
Dreams.” (Hurley wrote the
feature before he made the short,
but he rewrote the feature after
making the short). Based on his
life as a closeted youth growing
up in the USSR, the visually stylish
and dryly comic fi lm recounts
Potato (Hersh Powers in Russia;
Tyler Bocock in America) coming
to terms with his sexuality. He and
his mother Lena (Sera Barbieri in
Russia; Marya Sea Kaminski in
America) emigrate when she marries
a man (Dan Lauria) in Seattle
who may not be what he seems.
The cast also includes out actors
Jonathan Bennett (as Jesus
Christ) and Lea DeLaria.
“Swan Song”
The long-awaited third fi lm in
director Todd Stephens’ “Sandusky”
trilogy follows his 1998
breakthrough feature, “Edge of
Seventeen,” and “Gypsy 83,” which
is celebrating its 20th anniversary
this year. This seriocomic fi lm is
set and was shot in the director’s
hometown of Sandusky, Ohio, and
based on an iconic man Stephens
knew. Mr. Pat (Udo Kier in a phenomenal
performance) is a retired
hairdresser asked to style a dead
woman (Linda Evans) for her funeral.
As he escapes his nursing
home and travels across town, Pat
refl ects on his life. The fi lm costars
Jennifer Coolidge and out gay actor
Michael Urie and features cameos
by Stephens’ regulars, Stephanie
McVay and Jonah Blechman.
“The Beauty President”
This fi lm by Whitney Skauge recounts
the story of the 1992 drag
queen Joan Jett Blakk, who was
the fi rst openly queer write-in candidate
for president. A preview was
not available.
“Trade Center”
Adam Baran’s excellent, wistful
short is about sexual hotspots in
the pre-9/11 World Trade Center
(WTC). Five men recount their joyful
experiences having anonymous
sex in the building’s public bathrooms
and secluded stairwells.
One man even describes getting
dressed up to access the WTC’s
12th fl oor bathroom, which was
“hotter” because everyone was in
a suit.
Baran deftly edits images from
the Freedom Tower against the
voiceovers to show how the space
(and access) has changed over
time. Moreover, comments about
Giuliani cracking down after the
onset of AIDS lend an air of poignancy
to this terrifi c historical
documentary.
RENDEZVOUS WITH FRENCH
CINEMA | Streaming March 4-14
through Film at Lincoln Center
“SXSW” | Streaming March 16-20
February 25 - March 10, 2 26 021 | GayCityNews.com
/GayCityNews.com
