➤ NEWFEST, from p.31
of belonging. Clements bemoans
the closing of the Lexington Club,
a San Francisco lesbian bar, and
Portland’s feminist bookstore In
Other Words, but her earnest fi lm
is upbeat because she focuses on
the importance these places have
not only for the women proud to
run them but for the community
and the people who benefi t from
them.
Brad Michael Elmore’s horror
fi lm “Bit” (Oct. 26 at 6:45 p.m.,
SVA Theatre) gets its gore on right
away as lesbian vampire Duke
(Diana Hopper) rips the heart out
of a guy and burns it in the opening
moments. Cut to Laurel (Nicole
Maines), a trans teenager who
leaves Oregon — and her gay best
friend Andy (Matt Pierce) — to visit
her brother Mark (James Paxton) in
L.A. On her fi rst night in town Laurel
meets Izzy (Zolee Griggs) who
kisses her on a rooftop — and then
bites her in the neck. Transformed
into a vampire, Laurel joins Duke’s
“Bite Club,” but does suffer a crisis
of conscience about having been
turned. The low budget but highly
stylized “Bit” is an antidote to “Twilight,”
and it doubles as a lesbian/
feminist revenge fi lm as Duke’s Vsquad
preys on sleazy men. There
are some sweet moments, as when
Duke teaches Laurel to fl y. “Bit” is
surely ambitious, but it also feels
slight at times. Still, Maines and
Hopper deliver performances that
are commendable.
One of the highlights of New-
Fest is “Straight Up” (Oct. 26 at
4 p.m., SVA Theatre). In this terrifi
c rom-com, Todd (writer and
director James Sweeney) drops
a bombshell on his friends Ryder
(James Scully) and Meg (Dana
Drori) when he tells them, “I think
I’m not gay.” This nervous, hyperverbose,
OCD guy soon meets Rory
(Katie Findlay), a budding actress
who shares his chattiness, his love
of “The Gilmore Girls,” and his desire
not to have sex. (Among Todd’s
many issues are anxieties about
bodily fl uids.) Todd and Rory couple
up in comfortable domesticity
— Todd’s job is house-sitting
in fabulous abodes — fi guring
out how to manage a relationship
that almost everyone around them
questions. “Straight Up” wrings
knowing laughs from gay stereotypes
and pop culture references,
New York Dyke March as seen in Alexis Clements’ “All We’ve Got,” which screens October 25 and 27.
Mak CK’s documentary “One Taxi Ride,” which screens October 24.
Writer and director James Sweeney and James Scully in “Straight Up.”
but Sweeney also infuses his fi lm
with poignant moments as well as
perceptive insights about love and
relationships. The fi lmmaker employs
inventive visuals that frame
his characters to comment on the
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action and their emotions.
Out gay fi lmmaker Tomer Heymann’s
revealing documentary
“Jonathan Agassi Saved My Life”
(Oct. 24 at 9:30 p.m., Cinépolis
Chelsea) is a profi le of the Israeli
porn actor. Agassi has an infectious
smile and is very engaging in
the early scenes, performing erotic
stage shows, chatting with his
mother, even dressing up in heels
and stockings — and little else.
But Heymann’s portrait is more
than just a showcase for the sexy
performer. The fi lm chronicles his
troubles on Lucas Entertainment
porn productions, his experiences
escorting, and his drug use. In
fascinating scenes of the porn star
alone and preparing himself for
his work, “Jonathan Agassi Saved
My Life” probes his emotional life.
There are depressing moments, as
when he has a horrifying episode
on drugs. And we learn that Agassi
does not have or want a boyfriend
and that interactions with his estranged
father can send him on a
downward spiral. “Jonathan Agassi
Saved My Life” almost exposes
too much about its subject, but it
is hard not to appreciate the naked
emotions on display.
Mak CK’s emotional documentary
“One Taxi Ride” (Oct. 24 at
4:00 p.m. & 6:45 p.m., Cinépolis
Chelsea) chronicles the journey of
healing for Erick, a 20-something
gay Mexican who suffered traumatic
sexual abuse as a teenager.
Erick says he is “tired of hiding and
living a lie” and decides to tell his
boyfriend Rodolfo about an incident
from his past he has long kept
secret. While Rodolfo responds
compassionately, issues of truth
and trust between the two later
emerge. Erick is also able to recount
his experiences to his family
in a scene that is the highlight of
“One Taxi Ride.” The fi lm’s stirring
coda shows that many others in
Mexican society have been afraid
to discuss rape and sexual abuse
they suffered. Erick’s courage in
telling his story is commendable,
and this fi lm offers hope for the
bravery and support victims may
fi nd in telling their truths.
“Queer Genius” (Oct. 26 at 2
p.m., Cinépolis Chelsea) is director
Chet Catherine Pancake’s galvanizing
documentary that profi les
fi ve queer female artists. The fi lm
opens with a segment on the late
Barbara Hammer, who talks about
her life and career as a visual artist,
her archive, and her legacy.
Rasheedah Phillips and Camae
Ayewa (aka Moor Mother) run the
➤ NEWFEST, continued on p.33
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