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NewFest · 2021

NewFest 2021

Narrative Features

Programme

22 films · 15 reviews

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All Boys Aren't Blue

A memoir exploring Black masculinity, queerness and gender identity.

(Year: 2021; Director: Nathan Hale Williams; Writer: George M Johnson; Stars: Bernard David Jones, Dyllon Burnside, Thomas Hobson, Jenifer Lewis)

Bliss (Glück)

Review preview for Bliss

Bliss is one of those films whose craft may not immediately be apparent to the average viewer, but it’s a beautifully constructed piece of work.

Jennie Kermode · 3.5 out of 5
Two sex workers meet in a Berlin brothel. In a place where the female body is a commodity, they experience moments of happiness.

(Country: Germany; Year: 2021; Director: Henrika Kull; Writer: Henrika Kull; Stars: Katharina Behrens, Malik Blumenthal, Jean-Luc Bubert, Eva Collé, Ian Hansen, Mike Hoffmann, Ottokar Lehrner, Maria Mägdefrau, Katharina Behrens, Malik Blumenthal, Jean-Luc Bubert, Eva Collé, Ian Hansen, Mike Hoffmann, Ottokar Lehrner)

Full review See: Interview with Henrika Kull about Bliss

Boy Meets Boy

Review preview for Boy Meets Boy

Frequent close-ups build on the chemistry between the actors to capture that feeling when one individual suddenly seems bigger and brighter and louder than everything else in the world.

Jennie Kermode · 4.5 out of 5
A brief encounter in a Berlin nightclub changes the course of two lives.

(Country: Germany; Year: 2021; Director: Daniel Sanchez Lopez; Writer: Daniel Sanchez Lopez, Hannah Renton; Stars: Matthew James Morrison, Alexandros Koutsoulis)

Full review

Celts (Kelti)

Belgrade in 1993. The pent-up tension of uncertain times is released at a children’s birthday party. While the kids celebrate in the living room dressed up as Ninja Turtles, the adults discuss, flirt, smoke and drink in the kitchen.

(Country: Serbia; Year: 2021; Director: Milica Tomovic; Writer: Tanja Sljivar, Milica Tomovic; Stars: Dubravka Kovjanic, Stefan Trifunovic, Nikola Rakocevic, Slaven Doslo, Jovana Gavrilovic, Milica Grujicic, Olga Odanovic, Nada Sargin, Jelena Djokic, Jovan Belobrkovic, Dubravka Kovjanic, Stefan Trifunovic, Nikola Rakocevic, Slaven Doslo, Jovana Gavrilovic)

Cut!

Review preview for Cut!

All the archetypes of giallo are here, just filtered through a queer lens.

Jennie Kermode · 3 out of 5
The director of a low-budget queer thriller tries to solve a violent murder mystery that threatens his set.

(Country: Spain; Year: 2021; Director: Marc Ferrer; Writer: Marc Ferrer; Stars: Silvia Alcaraz, Manuel Delgado, Kike Fernandez, Mark Ferrer, Eduardo Gión, Samantha Hudson)

Full review

Death And Bowling

Review preview for Death And Bowling

It never quite tips over into surrealism, but Kash lets events play out without too much explanation, plunging us into this world and then leaving us to find our own way.

Jennie Kermode · 3.5 out of 5
In a fictional meta-critique on trans representation, a transgender actor struggles with what it means to be seen after the beloved captain of his lesbian bowling league dies and a mysterious stranger shows up at the funeral.

(Country: US; Year: 2021; Director: Lyle Kash; Writer: Lyle Kash; Stars: Will Krisanda, Tracy Kowalski, Faith Bryan, Leontine White Foster, Denise Turkan)

Full review See: Interview with Lyle Kash about Death And Bowling

Firebird

A young private in the Soviet Air Force falls for a dashing fighter pilot, but their situation is dangerous and romantically complicated.

(Country: Estonia, UK; Year: 2021; Director: Peeter Rebane; Writer: Tom Prior, Peeter Rebane; Stars: Tom Prior, Nicholas Woodeson, Oleg Zagorodnii, Diana Pozharskaya, Kaspar Vellberg)

Firstness

Review preview for Firstness

The performances are relaxed and natural, the focus less on doing than on being.

Jennie Kermode · 3.5 out of 5
A maladjusted dad is trying to heal in an experimental therapy group called Infinite Beginnings. Meanwhile, his non-binary kid is getting close with an older man. Their relationship feels both dreamy and concerning-depending on who is watching.

(Country: US; Year: 2021; Director: Brielle Brilliant; Writer: Brielle Brilliant; Stars: Tim Kinsella, Spencer Jording, Caleb Cabrera)

Full review See: Interview with Brielle Brilliant about Firstness

The First Death Of Joana (A Primeira Morte De Joana)

Review preview for The First Death Of Joana

Bruno Polidoro’s cinematography gives the film an airy quality which enhances the sense of possibility even within Joana’s small world.

Jennie Kermode · 3.5 out of 5
Joana, 13, wants to find out why her great aunt died at 70 without ever having dated anyone - but she uncovers more secrets than she expected.

(Country: Brazil; Year: 2021; Director: Cristiane Oliveira; Writer: Gustavo Galvão, Sílvia Lourenço, Cristiane Oliveira; Stars: Letícia Kacperski, Isabela Bressane, Joana Vieira)

Full review

Homebody

Review preview for Homebody

A tender-hearted comedy with a deep understanding of what it feels like to be a child.

Jennie Kermode · 4 out of 5
Nine-year-old Johnny sends his spirit into his babysitter Melanie and gets to be a woman for a day.

(Country: US; Year: 2021; Director: Joseph Sackett; Writer: Joseph Sackett; Stars: Maria Dizzia, Colby Minifie, Tre Ryder)

Full review

Jump, Darling

A rookie drag queen, reeling from a break-up, escapes to the country, where he finds his grandmother in steep decline yet desperate to avoid the local nursing home.

(Country: Canada; Year: 2020; Director: Phil Connell; Writer: Phil Connell, Genevieve Scott; Stars: Cloris Leachman, Linda Kash, Jayne Eastwood, Andrew Bushell, Daniel Jun)

Leading Ladies

Review preview for Leading Ladies

Caudeli has a talent that goes beyond the mere provision of puzzles.

Jennie Kermode · 4 out of 5
A reflection on how different perspectives and memories affect one group of queer women.

(Country: Colombia; Year: 2021; Director: Ruth Caudeli; Stars: Diana Wiswell, Silvia Varón, Ana María Cuellar, Marcella Robledo, Ana María Otálora)

Full review

Love, Spells And All That (Ask, Buyu Vs)

After not having seen each other for 20 years, two women are reunited on the small Turkish island where, as teenagers, they first fell in love.

(Country: Turkey; Year: 2019; Director: Ümit Ünal; Writer: Ümit Ünal; Stars: Ece Dizdar, Selen Uçer, Aysenil Samlioglu)

Metamorphosis

Review preview for Metamorphosis

To demonstrate so clearly that an intersex body can be a source of pleasure and joy, in a context shaped not by pornographers but by intersex people themselves, is nothing short of revolutionary.

Jennie Kermode · 4.5 out of 5
An intersex boy comes of age and explores the ambiguities of his identity and desires.

(Country: Philippines; Year: 2019; Director: JE Tiglao; Writer: JE Tiglao, Boo Dabu; Stars: Gold Azeron, Iana Bernardez, Dylan Ray Talon)

Full review

My Best Part (Garcon Chiffon)

Jeremie, a young man at his breaking point, leaves Paris to return to his intrusive mother in Limosin.

(Country: France; Year: 2020; Director: Nicolas Maury; Writer: Maud Ameline, Sophie Fillières, Nicolas Maury; Stars: Nicolas Maury, Nathalie Baye, Arnaud Valois, Théo Christine, Laure Calamy)

The Novice

Review preview for The Novice

This is a stunning first feature.

Jennie Kermode · 4.5 out of 5
A queer college freshman who joins her university’s rowing team and undertakes an obsessive physical and psychological journey to make it to the top varsity boat, no matter the cost.

(Country: US; Year: 2021; Director: Lauren Hadaway; Writer: Lauren Hadaway; Stars: Isabelle Fuhrman, Amy Forsyth, Dilone Kate Drummond, Jonathan Cherry, Charlotte Ubben)

Full review See: Interview with Lauren Hadaway about The Novice

Poppy Field

Review preview for Poppy Field

Merricoffer's performance will keep you rivetted.

Jennie Kermode · 4.5 out of 5
The struggle of a closeted young genderme.

(Country: Romania; Year: 2020; Director: Eugen Jebeleanu; Writer: Ioana Moraru; Stars: Conrad Mericoffer, Alexandru Potocean, Radouan Leflahi, Cendana Trifan, Ionut Niculae, Alex Calin, Rolando Matsangos, George Pistereanu, Florin Caracala, Ela Ionescu, Mihaela Sirbu, Valentina Zaharia, Gabriel Rauta, Stefan Huluba, Bogdan Nechifor)

Full review See: Interview with Eugen Jebeleanu about Poppy Field

The Scary Of Sixty-First

Review preview for The Scary Of Sixty-First

Drifting through the angst-ridden conversations of a classic New York drama before morphing into something more like giallo, the film makes a positive asset of its low production values, which give it a sense of freshness and urgency.

Jennie Kermode · 3 out of 5
Two mismatched roommates discover and relive the murky secrets of their new Upper East Side apartment.

(Country: US; Year: 2021; Director: Dasha Nekrasova; Writer: Dasha Nekrasova, Madeline Quinn; Stars: Betsey Brown, Madeline Quinn, Dasha Nekrasova, Michael M. Bilandic, Aaron Dalla Villa, Jason Grisell, Stephen Gurewitz, Ruby McCollister, Mark H Rapaport)

Full review See: Interview with Mark Rapaport about The Scary Of Sixty-First

See You Then

Review preview for See You Then

It's a beautifully written script and the performances are top notch.

Jennie Kermode · 4.5 out of 5
A decade after abruptly breaking up with Naomi, Kris invites her to dinner to catch-up on their complicated lives, relationships, and Kris’ transition.

(Country: US; Year: 2021; Director: Mari Walker; Writer: Kristen Uno, Mari Walker; Stars: Pooya Mohseni, Lynn Chen, Nican Robinson, Danny Jacobs, Nikohl Boosheri)

Full review See: Interview with Mari Walker, Pooya Mohseni and Lynn Chen about See You Then

The Sixth Reel

A down-on-his-luck movie collector discovers a legendary lost film and becomes entangled in an outrageous adventure to deliver it to the right hands before it is lost forever

(Country: US; Year: 2021; Director: Carl Andress, Charles Busch; Writer: Carl Andress, Charles Busch; Stars: Charles Busch, Julie Halston, Doug Plaut, Tim Daly, Margaret Cho)

Sweetheart

Review preview for Sweetheart

A storyline that sometimes feels rushed or contrived is balanced here by a solid performance from Hartley and a tender one from Barlow.

Jennie Kermode · 3 out of 5
A socially awkward, environmentally conscious teenager is dragged to a coastal holiday park by her painfully family, where she becomes unexpectedly captivated by a chlorine smelling, sun-loving lifeguard.

(Country: UK; Year: 2021; Director: Marley Morrison; Writer: Marley Morrison; Stars: Nell Barlow, Sophia Di Martino, Ella-Rae Smith, Jo Hartley, Samuel Anderson, Steffan Cennydd)

Full review

Under My Skin

Review preview for Under My Skin

A sensitive and insightful tale with a lot of emotional resonance.

Jennie Kermode · 4.5 out of 5
Denny, a free spirit and artist falls for Ryan, a strait-laced lawyer. When Denny questions gender their love is tested.

(Country: Australia, US; Year: 2020; Director: David O'Donnell; Writer: David O'Donnell; Stars: Liv Hewson, Chloe Freeman, Lex Ryan, Bobbi Salvör Menuez, Alex Russell, Alexis Denisof)

Full review