➤ NEWFEST, from p.24
crashing down after the death of
his lover. He returns to Rurangi,
his hometown, reuniting with his
estranged father, Gerald (Kirk Torrance),
as well as his ex-boyfriend,
Jem (Arlo Green), and others who
knew him a decade earlier. The
experiences the likable Caz has
coming out as trans and redeveloping
his relationships forms the
narrative backbone, but there are
other mini-dramas — such as one
involving a local environmental
campaign Gerald is waging — that
fl esh out this involving drama.
Two feature fi lms that also portray
trans lives and feature preteens
are screening at NewFest.
The better fi lm is “Cowboys,” a
tender, heartfelt drama about a
transgender preteen, Joe (Sasha
Knight), whose father Troy (Steve
Zahn) “kidnaps” his son to escape
Joe’s not-so accepting mother (Jillian
Bell). Their journey is the typical
road trip with ups and downs
— Troy is bipolar, the police are in
pursuit — but the relationship between
Joe and his supportive dad
is affecting.
In contrast, “Gossamer Folds”
is a well-meaning but wrong-headed
fi lm about Tate (Jackson Robert
Scott), a precocious 10-year-old
boy who moves to suburban Kansas
City with his parents, Frannie
(Sprague Grayden) and Billy
(Shane West). Tate’s parents bristle
at their transgender neighbor
Gossamer (Alexandra Grey). But of
course, Gossamer has the patience
of a saint, and teaches the adults
the life lessons of respect and tolerance
they all need to learn.
The documentary “Julia Scotti:
Funny That Way” uses interviews,
animation, and performance clips
to showcase the personable transgender
comedian Scotti, who was a
fi nalist on “America’s Got Talent.”
She describes standup as “opening
your soul,” and likens it to the diffi
culty of living one’s truth. Scotti
talks on and off-stage about her
life before her transition, and she
startles herself watching a clip of
a transphobic routine she earlier
performed as a man. This documentary
also shows how Scotti has
bonded with her son and daughter
who were initially kept from her after
she came out as trans. Scotti’s
humor stems from her cockeyed
outlook on life, and this fi lm captures
Romana Satt and Rosa Ramí rez Rí os in “Forgotten Roads.”
Leandro Faria Lelo (left) in “Dry Wind.”
her well.
Other hot documentaries at
NewFest include “Killing Patient
Zero,” which aims to humanize
Gaetan Dugas, who was dubbed
“the man who brought AIDS to
North America.” Director Laurie
Lynd has friends and family members
recall Dugas’ outgoing personality,
while AIDS researchers and
medical experts in contact tracing
champion his willingness to share
information about his partners
and provide blood samples. While
the documentary acknowledges
that Dugas resisted changing his
behavior until proof showed that
transmission occurred through
sex, Lynd’s compelling fi lm also
demonstrates the negative impact
of Dugas being demonized.
“Making Sweet Tea” an insightful
documentary chronicling Dr. E.
COURTESY OF NEWFEST
COURTESY OF NEWFEST
Patrick Johnson’s interviews with
black gay men across the South
about their lives. He published
his fi ndings in the book, “Sweet
Tea,” but Johnson later developed
a stage version. This fi lm intercuts
scenes of Johnson preparing his
production with interviews with
a half dozen of the men Johnson
depicts on stage. The men discuss
topics including coming out, race,
interracial relationships, class,
gender roles, family, the church,
and HIV/ AIDS — with candor and
sometimes cattiness. This compassionate
documentary speaks
to the value of telling these stories,
and the voices resonate.
“Minyan”by out gay fi lmmaker
Eric Steel, is set in 1986 Brooklyn,
as Russian Jewish teenager David
(Samuel H. Levine) helps his
widowed grandfather Josef (Ron
Rifkin) move into a retirement
home where Itzik (Mark Margolis)
and Herschel (Christopher Mc-
Cann), a discrete gay couple, live.
David is also secretly exploring
his sexuality, sneaking out a gay
bar, and eventually becoming intimate
with the sexy bartender (Alex
Hurt). Their sex scenes inject life
in to this slow, subdued, and elliptical
drama.
“Sublet” by out gay fi lmmaker
Eytan Fox should have taken a
cue from the sexual frankness of
“Minyan.” Michael (John Benjamin
Hickey) is a travel writer who
sublets Tomer’s (Niv Nissim) apartment
in Tel Aviv. However, Michael
invites Tomer to stay when he realizes
Tomer has nowhere to go. The
two men, a generation apart, bond
as they cohabitate, but most viewers
will want them to just shut up
and fuck. The drama may be contrived,
but Hickey’s low-key performance
is a pleasure to watch.
Another featuring focused on
Jewish lives is “Shiva Baby” (starting
Oct. 20, 8 p.m.), a squirm-inducing
comedy about Danielle (Rachel
Sennott), a bisexual college
student who attends a Shiva with
her parents (Polly Draper and Fred
Melamed). There, Danielle runs
into the two people she least wants
to see—her ex, Maya (Molly Gordon),
and Max (Danny Deferrari),
the guy she is currently having sex
with for money. Writer/ director
Emma Seligman makes viewers
as uncomfortable as Danielle, and
Sennott’s performance is noble.
In support, Draper gets off some
amusing one-liners and Gordon
exudes appeal at the affectionate
and perceptive Maya.
Finally, NewFest offers viewers a
sneak peek at the latest fi lm by out
gay writer/ director François Ozon,
“Summer of 85” (starting Oct. 17,
8 p.m.). Alex (Félix Lefebvre) is a
baby-faced teen who meets David
(Benjamin Voisin) when Alex’s boat
capsizes one afternoon. The two
youths quickly become fast friends
and couple up romantically. However,
just as Alex is easily seduced
by the handsome and charming
David, he also becomes jealous.
Ozon play out the mercurial dynamics
in this intense coming-ofage/
loss-of-innocence drama.
NEWFEST | Oct. 16–27 | Tickets
are $12; $95 for a full festival pass
| newfest.org
GayCityNews.com | October 8 - October 22, 2020 25
/newfest.org
/GayCityNews.com
