★★★ Croatian gay drama Sandbag Dam initially caught my attention amongst the Berlin Film Festival lineup, as its premise deeply resonated with me on a personal level. Coming-of-age films in the queer space have many similarities typically, leaning into familiar tropes, coming out scenarios, homophobia from peers, and often tragic endpoints. What sets Sandbag Dam … Continue reading Berlinale 2025: Sandbag Dam
SBIFF 2025: Fine Young Men
★★★★ Examining toxic masculinity through the lens of high school parties has been attempted many a time. For writer/director Alejandro Andrade, his feature Fine Young Men finds an enthralling way to newly frame that conceit through the eyes of internalized homophobia and chilling privilege. This unflinching drama plainly examines its closeted lead character in all … Continue reading SBIFF 2025: Fine Young Men
Sundance 2025: Sauna
★★★ As our lead, Johan (Magnus Juhl Andersen), steps into a seedy and mysterious gay sauna right in the opening scene, the aptly-titled Sauna wastes no time emphasizing the importance of its locale. Based on the novel by Mads Ananda Lodahl, it would be remiss to leave out that there are some heavy themes, and … Continue reading Sundance 2025: Sauna
PSIFF 2025: A Nice Indian Boy
★★★★ Director Roshan Sethi's debut feature film, 7 Days—also a collaboration with lead star Karan Soni—was notable for using 2020's worldwide pandemic as a launching point for its rom-com trappings. A Nice Indian Boy fully embraces queer romantic comedy territory, establishing Sethi as a reliable force in this eternal subgenre. With Soni at the center, … Continue reading PSIFF 2025: A Nice Indian Boy
Film Review: Elton John: Never Too Late
★★★★ Cramming the illustrious career of Elton John into a documentary that spans under two hours in length may seem a fool's errand, but directors R.J. Cutler and David Furnish are more than up for the task. Leading up to Elton's final performance in America—where it all started for him at Dodger Stadium—the acclaimed musician … Continue reading Film Review: Elton John: Never Too Late
NewFest 2024 Wrap-Up
Bringing with it a new crop of exciting LGBTQIA+ titles, 2024's NewFest is officially in full swing in the most exciting of ways. Check out our full coverage of the festival after the jump! Films BABY Full review at the link. DUINO Full review at the link. LADY LIKE Full review at the link. LILIES … Continue reading NewFest 2024 Wrap-Up
NewFest 2024: Lady Like
★★★★ Winning over hearts from around the globe during season 14 of mainline RuPaul's Drag Race, Lady Camden "served it to you like a lady" during her run on the series. But how did she get to that point in her career, and what kinds of challenges go into the actual preparing stage of being … Continue reading NewFest 2024: Lady Like
NewFest 2024: Baby
★★★★ It remains frequently astonishing how vital different viewpoints of the queer experience have become across various forms of media. Portuguese-language Baby presents an unvarnished peek into the tumultuous life of a barely-legal gay teenager in Brazil. Where are people supposed to go after being released from a juvenile detention facility when their parents ghost … Continue reading NewFest 2024: Baby
NewFest 2024: Duino
★★★★ An inherent beauty exists in unrequited love. The idea of something that, for whatever reason, cannot happen between two people takes shape in many forms. Rarely has it been depicted in a manner that captures the delicate pain of unresolved emotions. What would happen if the opportunity presented itself, decades later, to maybe see … Continue reading NewFest 2024: Duino
NewFest 2024: Lilies Not for Me
★★★★★ Shining the light on various injustices throughout queer history feels more important now than ever before. Based on historical events, Lilies Not for Me takes us back to the 1920s, where finding a cure for the ailment of homosexuality became a Nobel Prize-winning effort. It would not be until the 1970s much later when … Continue reading NewFest 2024: Lilies Not for Me