➤ NEWFEST, from p.32
Black Quantum Futurism collective
in North Philadelphia and pair
soundscapes with spoken word to
explore science fi ction and futurism
through queer voices. Their
discussion of their lives, experiences,
and theories makes for compelling
interviews. Jibz Cameron, aka
Dynasty Handbag, is seen in her
closets, talking about her favorite
outfi ts, as well as performing on
stage. Rounding out the documentary
is a portrait of lesbian poet
Eileen Myles, who reads from her
work and discusses her life, her
sobriety, and her politics. What
emerges is an inspiring portrait of
provocative and legendary artistsactivists.
“Monsters.” (Oct. 26 at 3:45
p.m., Cinépolis Chelsea) is a fantastic
slow-burn drama from Romania.
Told in three acts that encompass
24 hours, the fi lm opens
with the moody Dana (Judith
State) returning from a trip, but
not wanting to go home. She hires
a taxi driver (Alexandru Potocean)
for the night and contemplates
her next move. The second sequence
Jonathan Agassi in Tomer Heymann’s “Jonathan Agassi Saved My Life,” which screens October 24.
features her husband, Arthur
(Cristian Popa), meeting Alex
(Serban Pavlu) for a discreet tryst.
Discussing the diffi culties of gay
relationships, the two men have
an uncomfortable and unsatisfying
encounter. These two episodes
are both shot in a 1:1 square frame
that emphasizes the claustrophobia
each character feels. The last
act has Dana and Arthur together,
and the screen opens wide to show
the couple together. As they attend
COURTESY OF NEWFEST
a baptism and visit his shrewish
grandmother (Dorina Lazar),
Dana and Arthur reevaluate their
relationship. “Monsters.” is simple
but riveting. The long stretches of
silence and the body language by
the two excellent leads convey the
weight of their emotions. Scenes of
Dana sitting forlornly in the taxi or
Arthur with his back to the camera
on a bed after sex are extremely
sad, but revealing moments. In his
fi lm debut, writer/ director Marius
Olteanu has made a searing marital
drama.
Writer/ director Ruth Caudeli’s
stylish “Second Star on the
Right” (Oct. 25 at 9 p.m., Cinépolis
Chelsea) is the story of 30-something
Emilia (Silvia Varón), a bisexual
actress, whose free-spirited
nature sets her apart from her
more responsible friends — businesswoman
Angélica (Alejandra
Lara), Clara (Tatiana Renteria),
and Dana (Lorena Castellanos).
Emilia’s girlfriend, Mariana (Diana
Wiswell), is losing her patience
with her endless drunken latenight
booty calls. While coming to
terms with who she is and what
she wants, the impulsive Emilia
sleeps with a student, Jorge (Andrés
Jiménez), and manages to
sabotage Angélica’s bachelorette
party. Varón is magnetic and her
sex scenes are quite explicit, but
Emilia’s self-destructiveness can
be diffi cult to watch at times.
NEWFEST | Oct. 23-29 | Cinépolis
Chelsea, 260 W. 23rd St.; SVA Theatre,
333 W. 23rd St.; LGBT Community
Center, 208 W. 13th St. |
Full schedule, tickets at newfest.org
GayCityNews.com | October 10 - October 23, 2019 33
/newfest.org
/GayCityNews.com
