One of my favorite queer festivals makes a triumphant return with 2023’s NewFest! The October staple is back, and we have a few notable movies of coverage to go with it. Don’t miss it all after the jump!
Films
ALL OF US STRANGERS
Full review at the link.
FELLOW TRAVELERS
Full review at the link.
THE LOST BOYS
Set expressly at a youth correctional facility, The Lost Boys follows welder Joe (Khalil Ben Gharbia, Peter Von Kant) in the final two weeks before his hearing that may lead to a release. A new arrival in the form of quiet, artistic William (Julien de Saint Jean, Lie With Me) shatters Joe’s reverie. After sharing a cigarette together, the duo secretly bond organically. Staring longingly in one another’s eyes and listening to music together on opposite sides of the facility walls, Joe and William have a quiet attraction that surely enraptures any casual viewer. The direction of The Lost Boys is quite good—co-writer/director Zeno Graton carefully teases this relationship so that by the time a glimmer of it happens, we are supposed to be thrilled. This French production favors subtlety over gratuitous sexual encounters. Grasping the messaging is confusing, especially given the abruptness of the ending and the brief runtime. Ultimately, The Lost Boys should momentarily scratch that queer-indie itch.
MAY DECEMBER
Full review at the link.
NATIONAL ANTHEM
Full review at the link.
NYAD
Full review at the link.
For more information about the festival, please head over to the official website. I’ll be counting down the days until the next NewFest special event, or film festival—whatever comes first!