NewFest Film Festival: Day 2

This is me reviewing the films I've seen at this year's NewFest LGBTQ Film Festival. Click here for my other reviews of the festival.

LOS FUERTES (dir. Omar Zúñiga Hidalgo)

Amidst the breathtaking and almost other-worldly landscape of Chile and its coast, LOS FUERTES (Strong Ones) tells a story about two men who meet and fall in love for a brief moment in time before continuing on to their own respectively journeys in life like two gay ships passing each other in the night. It's not a groundbreaking film by any means as countless of other movies in this genre have trodded this very same path, but it almost doesn't matter because you're completely enchanted by the leads played by Samuel González and Antonio Altamirano the same way their characters are to one another. Suffice to say, they're both gorgeous (Altamirano in particularly gives off a Louis Garrell vibe) and their chemistry is off the charts. What I found most fascinating is the film's deftness in giving both men a story beyond their love story which enrichens the characters and their relationship. There's also a lovely thread about trying to achieve independence (the war reenactments, escaping estranged family, starting a business), which grounds the movie and gives you hope in the end.

BREAKING FAST (dir. Mike Mosallam)

This movie made me so hungry with its various displays of food and cooking. It also made me hungry for more films like this i.e. romcoms featuring different kinds of people, in this case a gay Muslim man played by the beautiful (and out and proud actor) Haaz Sleiman. BREAKING FAST centers around Mo played by Sleiman, a devout Muslim doctor who is newly single after the film's prologue, having a difficult time moving on from and reconciling certain aspects of his life. He meets Kal (short for Kal-El aka Superman which also leads to the most adorkable running gag in the film), a working actor with an interesting background that gives him a unique perspective on Sleiman's faith and culture. It's a romcom so expect a lot of sweetness (Chekov's gospel choir, I won't say more), but where this movie goes beyond are the not-so-sweet parts. It puts in the work in discussing what it means to be gay and a practicing Muslim and doesn't settle for clear-cut answers or solutions. More impressive is the movie's treatment of the "gay best friend" Sam, perfectly played by Amin El Gamal. Sassy and armed with the best one-liners, Sam plays Mo's friend and foil, himself Muslim but not as devout. The film uses Sam's different perspectives on faith, masculinity, sexuality, and life in general not just as a counterpoint to Mo's but as valid interpretations worthy of discussion. Watch this movie and feel satisfied afterwards.

SHORT FILM PROGRAM: FREE TO BE ME

After yesterday's foray to beautiful boys, I thought I'd check out what the girls are up to... and then I accidentally clicked on a different program instead which was specifically curated for queer high-school audiences featuring young filmmakers making debuts. It was a happy accident as it provided a glimpse into the future.

My favorite film was the longest clocking in at 26 minutes. SHÉÁR AVORY: TO BE CONTINUED gives us an all-too-brief glimpse of a real life 17-year-old navigating being young and needing support. The shortest film, AND THEN SHE KISSED ME, is essentially a 2-minute music video which I immediately wanted expanded into a full feature. ALL OF THE SIGNS, a short film about two friends trying to guess if a crush is gay or not, is delightfully low-budget in style, but gets high marks in story and humor. Finally, EGGHEAD & TWINKIE and WERE YOU GAY IN HIGH SCHOOL both make interesting use of flashback to tell their stories. Check out the full list of shorts from this program here.

I wonder what Day 3 will bring. Stay tuned and feel free to friend me on Letterboxd if you wish.