This time, Banderas had to play a loosely fictionalized version of his beloved friend and collaborator - warts and all. “Pain and Glory”įor their seventh film together, Antonio Banderas did more than reunite with Pedro Almodovar, whose films launched his career nearly four decades ago. In a sea of serious and often tragic queer films, “Wild Nights With Emily” was a guffaw of fresh air. The film is bolstered by a luminous lead performance from none other than Molly Shannon, who supported her old NYU buddy (Shannon credits Olnek as being “the midwife for Mary Katherine Gallagher,” her most famous “SNL” character) in this scrappy micro-budget gem of a comedy. It also shines a light on her nearly 40-year-long romantic relationship with her sister-in-law, Susan (Susan Ziegler). For her third feature film, following 2011’s lesbian alien rom-com “Codependent Lesbian Space Alien Seeks Same” and 2013’s lesbian hustler comedy “The Foxy Merkins,” Olnek stepped up her game with a star-studded period farce about - say it with me now - lesbian Emily Dickinson.Īn off-kilter comedy with some serious scholarship behind it, the film radically upends the myth of Emily Dickinson as a reclusive spinster who feared publication. Throughout her career as a playwright and independent filmmaker, Madeleine Olnek has been the absurdist voice reminding people of a pesky little fact Hollywood would rather forget: Lesbians can be funny, too. The film has stoked protests in Tblisi, where it was shot, proving that queer filmmaking is still a political act. Because of the sensitive subject matter, Akin and his team had to use guerilla filmmaking tactics to shoot in the conservative country, giving the film a gorgeous cinema verite quality. His riveting performance is indisputably the heart and spine of the film. With distinctive features and a lithe physicality, lead actor Levan Gelbakhiani toggles effortlessly between child-like innocence, explosive anger, and wisdom beyond his years.
Framing his gentle coming-of-age tale around such a traditional piece of Georgian culture, Akin has made an inherently political film, rendered in sensitive terms with a celebratory spirit. In Swedish filmmaker Levan Akin’s intimate tour-de-force, a young man comes to terms with his sexuality amid the hyper-masculine world of traditional Georgian dance. Shut out by a home country that stubbornly refuses to honor its great women filmmakers, the film itself stands ablaze in defiance of - and in glaring contradiction to - the dominance of men. While the romance is undoubtedly the heart of “Portrait,” Sciamma also seamlessly infuses the film with evidence of women’s limited options, or rather, the endlessly creative ways they learned to skirt the rules. The setting is a damp and nearly empty manor house on an island in Brittany, the part of France that bears the closest resemblance to England.Ī British austerity permeates the film’s first act, all cold shoulders and sidelong glances between the women, but Sciamma delivers the French passion by the film’s fiery conclusion - and then some. There are only four characters in the film, all women: A painter, her elusive subject, her mother, and their maid. Never fear - Celine Sciamma’s luscious tour-de-force will return to theaters in February, arriving as the perfect Valentine’s Day event for the discerning cinephile. “Portrait of a Lady on Fire”īy now you’ve likely heard enough about “Portrait of a Lady on Fire,” even if you missed its one-week theatrical run. The 35 Best LGBTQ Movies of the 21st Centuryģ0 Disturbing Foreign Films to Watch, from Gaspar Noé to Takashi MiikeĮach year brings more varied and inspiring queer films, one just has to know where to look. Smaller, independent films are garnering interest on the worldwide stage as streaming sites make content more accessible. What’s more, Hollywood is beginning to understand that LGBTQ filmmakers are the best shepherds to bring queer stories to life. More and more filmmakers are not only embracing queer characters and storylines, but learning from criticism about the difference between tokenizing “representation” and authentic and textured storytelling. Oscars or not, there is still so much to celebrate in queer cinema. Celine Sciamma’s stunning masterpiece “Portrait of a Lady on Fire” was passed over as France’s Oscar submission in favor of Ladj Ly’s “Les Miserables,” and Levan Akin’s powerful coming-of-age story “And Then We Danced” was recently left off the short list for Best International Feature. That’s not a reflection of the many excellent LGBTQ films released this year, of which there are a variety. Alas, barring any big surprises, the streak may be broken at next year’s ceremony. “Carol” in 2016, “Moonlight” in 2017, “Call Me by Your Name” and “A Fantastic Woman” in 2018, “The Favourite” and “Bohemian Rhapsody” in 2019.
Over the course of the last four years, there has been at least one queer film in the Oscar race each year.