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The Persian Version (2023)
One of the Top Queer Films of 2023
A wonderful film that is moving and smart and funny and really just has so much heart. Maryam Keshavarz is an exceptionally talented writer-director and it's amazing how this script (based on her own life - including the key plot of a lesbian/bisexual filmmaker who sleeps with a man and gets pregnant and decides to have the baby) moves along so beautifully to paint a complex familial mother-daughter portrait which is also wonderfully cinematic, energetic and entertaining. Particularly strong performances from Layla Mohammadi as Keshavarz's alter-ego lead character Leila and from Niousha Noor as her mother Shireen (also an amazing turn from unknown newcomer Kamand Shafieisabet as young Shireen). The ambitious scope of the narrative - culturally, historically, politically - is truly impressive and it is not surprising the film won the Waldo Salt Screenwriting Award on its premiere at the Sundance Film Festival.
Adam (2019)
What a beautiful film
This is a complex, original, sophisticated and beautifully made film by a transman director and a cis lesbian writer that has so much to contribute to dialogue in the queer community in this particular moment when we all need to be having nuanced conversations rather than reactionary shut-downs. While the plot sounds problematic on its surface - a straight cis male teen ends up having a relationship with a lesbian who believes he is a transman - the film is very clearly offering up commentary on all kinds of issues and themes within the queer community and it is neither transphobic nor lesbophobic. It is really so unfortunate to see such a vicious campaign being waged against it by people who have not actually seen the film.
Red Noses (1932)
Notable appearance of Zasu Pitts in drag
Have not seen this in a long time but my memory is that it is not as funny as it could be. Thelma Todd and Zasu Pitts go to a Turkish bath where they endure various craziness including being attacked by two women with vibrators. In the end, having lost their clothes, they escape together arm in arm with Thelma in a sheet and Zasu wearing a man's suit.
Three Lives (1971)
A pioneering example of feminist filmmaking
This combination of cinema verite and old school avant-garde techniques is a pioneering example of feminist filmmaking. Three women speak about their lives, their histories and their struggles as women at a time when the Women's Liberation movement had just begun.
Though at times a bit slow-moving Three Lives is a precious document of a moment in time, an era not so long ago when women's lives were very different than they are today. The first US feature length film to be entirely created by women, Three Lives presents the stories of three women: Over a montage of New York City streets Mallory Millet-Jones talks about her marriage and the experience of leaving her husband to have her own life; Lillian Shreve reminisces about her first love, her parents and the expectations for a young woman coming of age during WWII. And Robin Mide raps about her crazy life as a nice Jewish girl from Queens who grows up to be a hippie lesbian performance artist.
Julie (1956)
High melodrama with great Bay Area locations
Louis Jordan plays the psychotic pianist who murders former stewardess Doris Day's first husband, marries her and then stalks her from Monterey to San Francisco after she leaves him all leading up to an outrageous gun battle in the cockpit of Flight #36.
A crisp thriller with some great Bay Area locations.
Hard to believe, but Julie nabbed an Academy Award nomination for Best (if melodramatic) Screenplay.
Watch it and be amazed.
Independently made by Doris Day's Arwin Productions and released by MGM.
Rispondetemi (1992)
A stunningly beautiful and poignant short film
From Lea Pool (Lost & Delirious) comes this aching brink of death drama that tells the story of a lifetime in fifteen breathtaking cinematic minutes. This is one of my favorite lesbian shorts of all time, it is stunningly beautiful and poignant.
As the paramedics pry her hand apart from her dead lover's grip a woman's life flashes before her eyes. Racing to the hospital the stunning skies and rooftops of Montreal from the back of the ambulance are inter-cut with the most exquisitely cinematic memories.
Beautifully shot and edited, this film walks through all of the Lea Pool's classic themes and then some.
Rosebud (1991)
One of my favorite lesbian shorts of all time
This is such a wonderful little film. It is extremely well-produced and I recall being so thrilled to see it back in the early '90s when there were far fewer lesbian images in cinema. I have to say that the other user comment here, from the "red blooded" guy who goes on and on about the lesbian sex, is a bit yucky. And I must add that, as a red-blooded lesbian myself, this is a terrific lesbian film that lesbians will enjoy especially because they are the audience for whom it was made -- yes, it premiered at the London Lesbian & Gay Film Festival before going on to win scads of awards at gay film festivals across the world. I, too, hope it will be released on DVD some time very soon.
Deathwatch (1965)
Overwrought prison drama, homoerotic and yet...
This film is certainly of historic interest but it is a relentlessly overwrought, stagey theatrical (it IS from a Genet play) prison cell melodrama which ultimately wears thin while revolving around the violent interactions between three clichéd characters. Paul Mazursky's pock-marked, effeminate Maurice is as stereotypical as they come and, in typical 1960s fashion for gay characters, has to die in the end. Leonard Nimoy stretches his acting chops a bit as the jewel thief, but it is Michael Forest as the volatile, tattooed, muscle-bound (and so poetically named) murderer, Greeneyes, who steals the show. The homoeroticism of the story is not fully exploited (would love to see a contemporary remake, well maybe love is too strong a word), there are tantalizing homo moments but they are thwarted by the continual return to discussion of Greeneyes' "woman."
Crisply shot, nicely edited and with some interesting cinematic moments (arty subjective camera-work and double exposures).
Green Stalk (2003)
a nearly wordless tale of longing
This beautifully constructed tale of unfulfilled longing has a quirky urban sensibility oddly reminiscent of Stranger Than Paradise.
A New York City video store clerk pines over one of her female customers. And tracks her down.
She steals her shirt from a laundromat and masturbates with it, buys a jade plant that the woman touched, watches the videos the woman returns. Stands outside looking up at the window of the woman's apartment.
Stalking or true love? Hard to say but this film makes unhealthy obsession look truly romantic.
Bad Day at Black Rock (1955)
What Weldon Kees said back in 1955
I was recently privileged to hear an archived broadcast of a KPFA radio show called "Behind The Movie Camera" from Februry 9, 1955. "Behind The Movie Camera" was a film review program featuring Michael Grieg and the poet/painter/cult icon Weldon Kees (and occasionally the young Pauline Kael as a special guest). This particular program was primarily dedicated to trashing all the current Hollywood fare of the time, with special emphasis on how much they hated Lowell Thomas and This Is Cinerama.
But Kees concludes with a glowing recommendation for Bad Day At Black Rock as follows:
"I have never liked anything I've seen in widescreen. And the other day I saw John Sturgess's new picture with Spencer Tracy, Bad Day at Black Rock, which is a very, very well-made picture. The sets are excellent. There are some fine performances. The screen is really used, and filled up. The placement of people
It's frequently said of this program that we don't like movies. But I can heartily recommend, up until the last ten minutes, Bad Day at Black Rock. It is an excellent picture and by all means, see it. I recommend it highly."
For the Love of Dolly (2006)
Smart, entertaining and surprisingly poignant
I got to see For The Love of Dolly at Outfest last month and really loved it. The film offers a super in-depth look at five of Dolly Parton's most enthusiastic and passionate fans. A developmentally disabled young man whose Dolly-obsession is positively inspiring; a pair of straight women who have bonded over their love of Dolly; and a gay couple whose house is packed to the rafters with Dollybilia.
What's most amazing about the film is that although we get the sense that these fans are practically over-the-top (like near-wacko) in their fanaticism, the filmmakers are so respectful of them that we as viewers are able to experience how meaningful their connection to Dolly really is, rather than just dismiss them as nuts. The fans are amazing in their vulnerability and how much they reveal of themselves, and the film ultimately conveys a real sense of dignity to what could have been just a humiliating showcase.
A really wonderful film, even for non-Dolly fans!
Kazetachi no gogo (1980)
beautifully bleak
This beautifully bleak account of a Tokyo daycare worker's obsession with her roommate captures the bittersweet pain of unrequited love.
Natsuko's co-worker Etsuko asks her how she feels about men. "Not for me," she says, "I won't degrade myself." Based on an actual newspaper story, Afternoon Breezes presents Natsuko's repressed lesbianism as a crush which evolves into an obsession with her roommate Mitsu. With lots of real-time sequences and a remarkably complex use of sound the film has surprisingly little dialogue, conveying meaning through a wonderfully simple use of action and objects.
Definitely not a "positive" lesbian portrayal, and yet immensely pleasurable as a really well-made film and as an intense portrait of a desperate crush on a straight girl!
By Hook or by Crook (2001)
A wonderfully innovative butch buddy movie!
By Hook or By Crook is a tremendously innovative film from a pair of immensely smart and talented filmmakers, Harry Dodge and Silas Howard. They manage to tell an original story in a distinctive cinematic style, and it's beautifully shot by Ann T. Rosetti, and wonderfully written -- truly poetic.
The lead characters are true heroes and serve as a rare kind of role model/inspiration for butch dykes and trannies everywhere. This film has so much energy, so much poignant passion and scruffy San Francisco heart to it. I can't recommend it highly enough!
The best butch buddy movie of all time!
Thirteen Women (1932)
fascinating use of racism as plot motivator
It's a true over the top melodrama and it's not really surprising that it didn't do well at the box office. The most amazing thing is that you don't get the full impact of the plot until the very end when Myrna Loy as the strangely exotic Ursula Georgi explains to the ivory white Irene Dunne how she had wanted so badly to pass as white at the finishing school they attended, and that the reason she took her revenge was because they had rejected her as a half-caste.
"Do you know what it means to be a half-breed, a half-caste, in a world ruled by whites?" Myrna Loy hisses. "I spent six years slaving to make enough money to put me through finishing school, to make the world accept me as white. But you, and the others, wouldn't let me cross the color line."
"But we were young," whimpers Irene Dunne. "Maybe we were cruel. But you can't use that to justify murder!"
"I can," says Myrna calmly as she slowly moves closer towards Irene to hypnotize her (this bit also looks a LOT like the lesbian seduction scene in Dracula's Daughter).
This was one of many, many such roles for Myrna Loy who played everything from Latina to Chinese in her early Hollywood career.
Primrose Path (1940)
wonderful rarity
This one is a real treat. Lots of great exteriors. The location shooting was either done down by Santa Monica along the coast or else they actually went to Salinas (the setting is obviously meant to be Salinas with the canning industry and reference to the Portuguese workers and proximity to San Francisco). It's very atmospheric. And the theme is indeed rather shocking for 1940 (the mother running around with this other guy while her self-loathing alcoholic husband drinks himself nearly to death - and of course, she has to die in the end which isn't exactly a spoiler since this is a production code era Hollywood movie). Lots of great dialogue and wild characters. Joel McCrea's part is pretty typical but Ginger Rogers gets some tremendous lines and the supporting cast is surprisingly strong.
Prom Queen: The Marc Hall Story (2004)
a heroic portrait of gay teen activism
This uplifting comedy-drama is based on the true story of Marc Hall, the Canadian gay teen who sued the Catholic Church for not letting him bring his boyfriend to his High School Prom. Like a homo-positive "Afterschool Special," Prom Queen has a terrific cast which includes openly gay "Kids In The Hall" comedian Scott Thompson and rising star Aaron Ashmore as the blue-eyed, blue-haired rebel who boldly confronts the homophobic school board, and ultimately takes on the Catholic Church. This heartfelt story inspires and entertains as it offers up a heroic portrait of gay teen activism and portrays the true courage of his straight friends and family as they rally together to send Marc and his boyfriend to the prom.
Times Square (1980)
Times Square: The Cult Classic
Allan Moyle's 1980 teenage girl rock 'n roll adventure, Times Square, developed status as a lesbian cult film with showings at lesbian and gay film festivals in New York and San Francisco in the early and mid 1980s and continues to be a queer favorite today.
Long-standing rumors about lesbian content removed from Times Square have provided ample fodder for lesbian readings of the teen girl buddy movie. Indeed, a look at Jacob Brackman's original unpublished script of May, 1979 (on file at the University of Southern California Script Library) reveals many erotically charged scenes between the protagonists, Nicky (Robin Johnson) and Pammy (Trini Alvarado). Some of these scenes were removed from the script prior to shooting, some of them were shot and then excised from the final cut of the film. A fragment of one such excised scene appears in the film's preview trailer-it is a one-second, barely perceivable, clip of Nicky and Pammy playing together in the river.
The basic plot of the film is conveyed in its publicity blurb: "In the heart of Times Square, a poor girl becomes famous, a rich girl becomes courageous, and both become friends." Pammy is the quiet and sheltered daughter of a prominent politician, Nicky is a streetwise troublemaker. Admitted to a hospital for the same psychiatric tests, the girls share a room and get to know each other. They escape from the hospital, create a home for themselves in a dockside warehouse and live their lives together against the gritty urban backdrop of Times Square. There's tons of erotic tension between the girls, and, most importantly-they love each other and they're not interested in boys. As their romance begins, Pammy's first feelings for Nicky are expressed in a poem she writes in her journal (which Nicky steals): "your ribs are my ladder Nicky, I'm so amazed, I'm so amazed."
In their poetry, music and other idiosyncratic forms of artistic self-expression, the girls perform for each other, and together, throughout the film. Each gives loving support to the other in their artistic pursuits as they encourage one another to grow and develop self-confidence.
While there's no explicit lesbian content in the film, the romantic tone of Nicky and Pammy's interactions is undeniable. The original script had several scenes and plot elements that developed the sexual tension between Nicky and Pammy, including a scene of their first meeting in the hospital, in which they have to undress in front of each other; two scenes where they take off their shirts and play together in their underwear in the river (the clip of which remains in the film's trailer); a wrestling scene; a scene of the first night that they sleep (sleep, not f***) together and a scene of Pammy dancing topless at the Cleo Club. Most of the scenes removed from the script/film are scenes involving erotic tension or physical contact between the girls.
Times Square is also one of the most remarkable rock 'n roll soundtrack movies ever made (artists include Patti Smith Group, Pretenders, Talking Heads and Roxy Music), and the soundtrack often provides romantic commentary on the developing relationship between the girls. "You Can't Hurry Love" accompanies their escape from the hospital, and when Johnny (Tim Curry) the disc jockey learns that "you two sweethearts have a favorite song" he plays it for them. The song is dike-rocker Suzi Quatro's "Rock Hard." In their own music, the girls range from the personal to the political. "Damn Dog" features Nicky's plea to Pammy, "I can lick your face/I can bite it too/My teeth got rabies/Gonna give 'em to you/I'm a damn dog." While their performance of "Sleaze Sister Voodoo," decries the hypocrisy and prejudice of the establishment as they proclaim some really great lines that are prohibited by this website.
Although the removal of so much material from the original script gives the film a fragmented feel and sometimes sloppy continuity, the bond between the girls is always clear, and always has some lesbian resonance to it. As such, Times Square is a marvelous experience not only for lesbian youth, but for any girl who's ever had a crush on a girl or who's wanted to see girls on film without boys in the middle.
Trailers Schmailers (1997)
crash course in Jewish film history
As curator of this collection of Jewish-interest movie trailers I just had to post something in response to the previous post. The program is meant as an entertaining sampling of some of the many, many Jewish-themed films that have been made over the years. For most audiences it is both a walk down memory lane, and also a glimpse at lesser-known films that are of interest to Jewish viewers. There are several rarities including Moishe Oysher's 1956 film, Singing in the Dark and the rarely seen comedy, The Mad Adventures of "Rabbi" Jacob. In many ways it is really a starting point for discussion as it offers an entertaining crash course in Jewish film history -- covering various realms of interest, from Holocaust films to Barbara Streisand.
Family Values (2002)
An innovative and fresh short doc
This fresh and innovative short doc offers a quirky portrait of an American family with traditional "family values." Becky and Donna are a nice lesbian couple with a house in the suburbs, who run an unusual family business -- cleaning up death scenes. Director Eva Saks takes us into their world with a great sense of style and humor that makes this one of the most enjoyable short documentaries in recent memory. Family Values played at the Sundance Film festival, won a student Academy Award, and was the juried Grand Prize Winner of the Second Annual PlanetOut.com Short Movie Awards.
Desserts (1999)
A Sweet Treat
I saw this short at the 1999 Sundance Film Festival. Sundance has a reputation for showcasing great shorts and this one was terrific. If I were giving the awards -- but of course I forgot to fill out my audience ballots -- the Best Short award would have gone to Jeff Stark for this brilliant three-minute masterpiece of comic horror (starring Ewan MacGregor). This exquisite tidbit caused an immense unified gasp of shocked laughter at its first screening. I can't tell you the punchline except to say, "Beware of stray chocolate eclairs on the beach."