LGBTQ Films to Watch in September
Wrap up your summer with seven different movies
BY GARY M. KRAMER
As the summer ends,
two hangout fi lms with
LGBTQ talent that are
streaming this month
evoke the feeling of long, lazy days.
Other titles of interest this month
include a horror fi lm, a teen romance,
an animated series, and
two features by queer fi lmmaker
Stephen Winter.
We Need to Do Something
“We Need to Do Something”
(streaming on demand September
3) opens during a storm as Robert
(Pat Healy) and Diane (Vinessa
Shaw), and their kids, Melissa (Sierra
McCormick) and Bobby (John
James Cronin), take refuge in the
bathroom. The tensions between
the family members only escalate
as a fallen tree traps them inside
and the power goes out. Sean King
O’Grady’s claustrophobic fi lm will
certainly resonate with folks under
lockdown as the family’s situation
worsens over time. However, fl ashbacks
reveal that Melissa and her
girlfriend Amy (Lisette Alexis), who
was into necromancy, were dabbling
in spells, which may be the
root of the family’s problems. “We
Need to Do Something” has some
very effective moments — as when
Robert and Diane lap up the blood
Melissa spews in one scene. Metaphors
abound, and the relationship
between Melissa and Amy is, perhaps,
a cautionary tale. But the real
highlight of this chamber piece is the
reliable character actor Pat Healy’s
delightfully unhinged performance.
It Takes Three
Out gay actor-turned-fi lmmaker
Scott Coffey’s fi lm (on digital and
on demand September 3) is yet another
variation on “Cyrano,” cowritten
by the director’s partner,
author Blair Mastbaum. Gawky
Cy (Jared Gilman) a teen with two
moms (Lori Alan and Nicole Sullivan),
helps the cute but dumb
Chris (David Gridley) romance
Roxy (Aurora Perrineau), the new
girl at school, by catfi shing her. In
the process, of course, Cy falls for
her as well. The fi lm is squarely
aimed at the social media generation
Set in eastern Argentina, “The Carnival” combines documentary and interview footage with fi ctional
elements.
— Chris’ IRL date with Roxy
goes sideways when Cy can’t coach
him from afar — but there are as
many sweet moments as cringeinducing
ones, like Cy’s epic fail of
a prom-posal. The cast leans into
the oft-trod material with aplomb,
playing up their characters’ insecurities,
with the confi dent Perrineau
the standout.
Samantha Rose
Non-binary actor Sam Rose
plays the title character in “Samantha
Rose” (available digitally
September 7), a genial, low-key
drama about a twentysomething
trying to fi gure out her future.
When her mom, Diane (Marla
Freeman) tells Sam to move out of
the New York City apartment they
share, Sam fl ies out to see her father,
(Nicholas Horiatis) in Oregon.
Once there, she reunites with Taylor
(Johnny Dawson), her childhood
friend, who now lives with
Matt (Matthew Danger Lippman),
Luna (Natalia Ruiz-Heinsohn), Vili
(Vilém McKael), and Allie (Allison
Berman). The six friends hang out
and go swimming, work harvesting
grapes, play cards, sing songs,
and go tubing.. The fi lm provides
an auspicious debut for Sam Rose,
who gives a terrifi c performance as
a young woman who is paralyzed
by indecision.
Chicago Party Aunt
The brash animated series,
“Chicago Party Aunt,” (dropping
September 17 on Netfl ix) features
TLA RELEASING
Diane Dunbrowski (Lauren Ash)
as a loud, foulmouthed hairdresser
whose husband walks out on
her. And then both her job and her
apartment are in jeopardy. Forced
to embrace extreme change, she
impresses her boss Gideon (Ru-
Paul) and assumes care for her
gay nephew Daniel (out actor Rory
O’Malley), who has deferred his
freshman year at Stanford. Wacky
adventures ensue. “Chicago Party
Aunt” features a character and humor
that is both crass and shrill,
but it is not without some heart.
The Carnival
“The Carnival” (available September
21 on Amazon, Dekkoo,
TLAGay.com, Vimeo, and iTunes)
is an impressionistic and immersive
fi lm set in Gualeguaychú, Entre
Ríos, in eastern Argentina. Directors
Marco Berger and Martín
Farina mix documentary and interview
footage with some fi ctional
elements as they profi le Vilmar
Paiva and Franco Heiler as they
prepare for the annual summer
carnival. The fi lmmakers observe
the guys hanging out, drinking,
sitting in the pool, and dancing,
as well as dressing and undressing.
(The camera is frequently focused
on various guys’ buff chests,
crotches, and butts). “The Carnival”
is an affectionate portrait of
these two friends as they rehearse
and perform, but Vilmar is troubled
because he may not be participating
in the parade this year.
FILM
Meanwhile, two actors, Gaston Re
and Julieta Tramanzoli, arrive to
partake in the festivities. The enthusiasm
of the guys for this annual
event is infectious, and Berger and
Farina showcase that, along with the
homoerotic camaraderie, at beach
parties, the parade, and the changing
room. Berger and Farina succeed
in their aim to capture the “soul and
spirit” of the carnival.
Chocolate Babies
Queer writer/director Stephen
Winter’s radical 1996 debut feature,
“Chocolate Babies,” (available
for streaming on the Criterion
Channel starting in September)
concerns a “queer terrorist group”
comprised of a handful of Black
and Asian HIV+ activists. Fighting
for respect and justice in New York
City, they assault Congressman
Freeman (Bryan Webster) who may
have the AIDS acquisitions fi les, a
nefarious list of HIV+ people in the
city. Sam (Jon Kit Lee), one of the
group members, works in the Freeman’s
offi ce—the Congressman
is secretly having an affair with
him—but Sam really loves Max
(Claude E. Sloan). The fi lm also features
storylines about Max’s HIV+
sister, Jamela (Suzanne Gregg Ferguson),
and group members Larva
(Dudley Findlay Jr.), and Lady Marmalade
(Michael Lynch).
Jason and Shirley
The politics of race and sexuality
are also part of Winter’s other fi lm
on Criterion, “Jason and Shirley.”
The 2015 fi lm, a fi ction, plays with
truth and illusion as it considers
what might have transpired when
Shirley Clarke (Sarah Schulman),
a straight, white, Jewish fi lmmaker,
interviewed the black gay sex
worker and would-be entertainer
Jason Holliday (Jack Waters) for
her landmark 1967 fi lm “Portrait
of Jason.” Schulman is ingratiating
as Shirley, and Waters is especially
good with his comic timing, capturing
both Jason’s fl amboyance and
his seriousness as he delivers his
amusing one-liners. Both inhabit
their roles fully and are great fun to
watch. However, the fi lm is factually
inaccurate (perhaps deliberately?)
which may frustrate viewers.
GayCityNews.com | AUGUST 26 - SEPTEMBER 8, 2021 27
/TLAGay.com
/GayCityNews.com
