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Outfest Los Angeles · 2019

Outfest Los Angeles 2019

Narrative Features

Programme

26 films · 16 reviews

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An Almost Ordinary Summer

Unbeknownst to their respective families, wealthy Tony is engaged to marry blue-collar Carlo. When these grandfathers set up a seaside vacation for their families to learn about their betrothal, sparks fly on both sides.

(Country: Italy; Year: 2019; Director: Simone Godano; Stars: Alessandro Gassmann, Fabrizio Bentivoglio, Filippo Scicchitano, Jamine Trinca)

Brief Story From The Green Planet

Review preview for Brief Story From The Green Planet

Whatever you expected to happen is not about to do so.

Jane Fae · 3 out of 5
When Tania finds out that her grandma has spent her final years in the caring company of a cute purple alien, she embarks on a journey through small-town Argentina with two close friends to deliver the creature back to its origins.

(Country: Argentina, Germany, Brazil, Spain; Year: 2019; Director: Santiago Loza; Writer: Santiago Loza)

Full review

Carmen And Lola

(Country: Spain; Year: 2018; Director: Arantxa Echevarria; Writer: Arantxa Echevarria; Stars: Moreno Borja, Rafaela León, Zaira Morales, Rosy Rodriguez, Carolina Yuste, Moreno Borja, Rafaela León, Zaira Morales, Rosy Rodriguez, Carolina Yuste)

Cubby

Review preview for Cubby

Everything hinges on Blane's performance. Open and emotional and in-your-face as it is, there's more depth there than first meets the eye.

Jennie Kermode · 3 out of 5
Resorting to babysitting for an elite Brooklyn family, an awkward young man discovers hope and self-discipline through his friendship with a lonely six-year-old, and the adult superhero Leather-Man who is conjured from a psychedelic cupcake.

(Country: US; Year: 2019; Director: Mark Blane, Ben Mankoff; Writer: Mark Blane, Ben Mankoff; Stars: Mark Blane, Patricia Richardson, Jeanine Serralles, Peter Y. Kim, Lucy DeVito, Joseph Seuffert, Matthew Shear)

Full review

The Daughters Of Fire (Las Hijas Del Fuego)

Three women meet by chance at the end of the world and set out on a polyamorous journey which will change them to the extent of returning them to their native city as different people.

(Country: Argentina; Year: 2018; Director: Albertina Carri; Stars: Disturbia Rocío, Mijal Katzowicz, Violeta Valiente, Rana Rzonscinsky, Canela M., Ivanna Colonna Olsen, Mar Morales, Carla Morales Ríos, Cristina Banegas, Érica Rivas)

A Dog Barking At The Moon

Review preview for A Dog Barking At The Moon

Lisa Zi Xiang's astutely written début uses the familiar formula of a multi-generation family saga as a launchpad for thematic and structural experiment.

Jennie Kermode · 4 out of 5
A Chinese family saga, told in different periods of time, commencing with the wife’s discovery of her husband’s homosexuality.

(Country: China, Spain; Year: 2019; Director: Lisa Zi Xiang; Writer: Lisa Zi Xiang; Stars: Naren Hua, Nan Ji, Naren Hua, Nan Ji)

Full review

End Of The Century

An Argentinian man from New York and a Spanish man from Berlin hook up by chance while in Barcelona. What seems like a one-night encounter between two strangers becomes an epic, decades-spanning relationship.

(Country: Argentina; Year: 2019; Director: Lucio Castro)

Fireflies (Luciernagas)

An Iranian refugee stranded in Veracruz begins to connect with a construction worker.

(Country: 2018; Year: 2019; Director: Bani Khoshnoudi; Stars: Arash Marandi, Edwarda Gurrola, Eligio Meléndez, Luis Alberti)

From Zero To I Love You

Review preview for From Zero To I Love You

Spearman draws his characters well, putting relatively little focus on the romance - which the actors convey just fine in the space they have - and instead exploring the way each of them is affected as a person.

Jennie Kermode · 3.5 out of 5
When Peter bumps into handsome businessman Jack in a gay bar, they begin a passionate relationship, in spite of Jack being married. Peter keeps ending up with married men and realises that if his life is ever going to get better, something needs to change.

(Country: US; Year: 2019; Director: Doug Spearman; Writer: Doug Spearman; Stars: Darryl Stephens, Scott Bailey, Keili Lefkovitz)

Full review

The Garden Left Behind

Review preview for The Garden Left Behind

With beautifully drawn relationships and a fine central performance, The Garden Left Behind takes frequently politicised subject matter and reminds us of the human side of it.

Jennie Kermode · 4 out of 5
A story about the relationship between a young trans woman and her grandmother as they navigate transition and struggle to build a life for themselves as undocumented immigrants in New York City.

(Country: US; Year: 2019; Director: Flavio Alves; Writer: Flavio Alves, John Rotondo; Stars: Michael Madsen, Edward Asner, Carlie Guevara)

Full review See: Interview with Flavio Alves about The Garden Left Behind, part two , Interview with Flavio Alves about The Garden Left Behind, part one

Good Kisser

Review preview for Good Kisser

Exploring the dynamics of intellectual attraction as well as physicality, Carlton uses the microcosm of the threesome to consider the different things that people look for in relationships.

Jennie Kermode · 3.5 out of 5
The different expectations brought to a threesome by each half of a couple and the woman they meet lead to unexpected problems.

(Country: US; Year: 2019; Director: Wendy Jo Carlton; Writer: Wendy Jo Carlton; Stars: Rachel Paulson, Kari Alison Hodge, Julia Eringer, Courtney McCullough, Carter Rodriquez)

Full review See: Interview with Wendy Jo Carlton about Good Kisser

The Ground Beneath My Feet (Der Boden unter den Füssen)

A high-powered business consultant finds her life starting to unravel after her older sister, who has a mental illness, comes back into her life.

(Country: Austria; Year: 2019; Director: Marie Kreutzer; Writer: Marie Kreutzer; Stars: Valerie Pachner, Pia Hierzegger, Mavie Hörbiger, Michelle Barthel, Marc Benjamin, Dominic Marcus Singer, Meo Wulf, Axel Sichrovsky, Bernd Birkhahn, Axel Wandtke, Martina Eitner-Acheampong, Susann Uplegger, Lilly Marie Tschörtner, Florian Reiners, Regina Fritsch)

José

Review preview for José

Although the story is slight, Cheng treats the subject matter with care, allowing a slow but certain heat to build between José and Luis.

Amber Wilkinson · 3 out of 5
A working class gay young man faces tough choices after he falls for a builder.

(Country: Guatemala, US; Year: 2018; Director: Li Cheng; Writer: Li Cheng, George F. Roberson; Stars: Enrique Salanic, Manolo Herrera, Ana Cecilia Mota, Jhakelyn Waleska Gonzalez Gonzalez, Esteban Lopez Ramirez, Cesar Lorenzo Yojcom Candido, Juan Andres Molina Cardona, Alba Irene Lemus, Carlos Humberto Fuentes Maldonado, Jennifer Cecilia Amoia Mota, Evelyn Celinda Bautista Torres, Jashua Belvino Argueta Mejia, Valeria Maribel Xutuc Reyes, Mytian Ticas, Rony Andres Saavedra)

Full review

Jules Of Light And Dark

Girlfriends Maya and Jules total their car after a night of backwoods raving. They’re rescued from the wreckage by Freddy, a divorced oil worker whose stoic facade crumbles as he begins to confront his repressed desires through conversations with Maya.

(Country: US; Year: 2018; Director: Daniel Laabs; Stars: Betsy Holt, Robert Longstreet, Tallie Medel)

Label Me

Review preview for Label Me

Director Kai Kreuser handles it in a delicate, non-judgemental way.

Jennie Kermode · 4 out of 5
A Syrian gay-for-pay hustler seeking asylum in Cologne meets his match in Lars: a kind, affluent professional.

(Year: 2019; Director: Kai Kreuser; Writer: Kai Kreuser; Stars: Nikolaus Benda, Renato Schuch)

Full review

Mother's Little Helpers

A photographer's adult children gather around her bed during the last hours of her life.

(Country: US; Year: 2019; Director: Kestrin Pantera; Stars: Breeda Wool, Cool Benson, David Giuntoli, Kestrin Pantera, Melanie Hutsell, Mike Rose, Milana Vayntrub, Sam Littlefield)

Riot Girls

In an alternate 1995, a mysterious disease has wiped out all of the adults. In this new age, two gangs are pitted against each other in a brutal war for territory, resources and survival.

(Country: Canada; Year: 2019; Director: Jovanka Vuckovic; Writer: Katherine Collins; Stars: Madison Iseman, Paloma Kwiatkowski, Munro Chambers, Carson MacCormac, Atticus Mitchell, Jenny Raven, Jordana Blake)

Saint Frances

Review preview for Saint Frances

As the sunny days pass and Bridget finds herself sinking into the job of caring for Frances more than she imagined, the warmth trickles into the corners of the film leaving cynicism no place to lurk.

Amber Wilkinson · 4.5 out of 5
After an accidental pregnancy turned abortion, a deadbeat nanny finds an unlikely friendship with the six-year old she's charged with protecting

(Country: US; Year: 2019; Director: Alex Thompson; Writer: Kelly O'Sullivan; Stars: Kelly O'Sullivan, Jim True-Frost, Francis Guinan, Mary Beth Fisher, Max Lipchitz)

Full review

Second Star On The Right (Segunda Estrella A La Derecha)

Review preview for Second Star On The Right

Varón brings depth to a character who could easily have been annoying.

Jennie Kermode · 3.5 out of 5
Unexpected unemployment and a friend's wedding force a thirtysomething woman to confront her dissatisfaction with her life.

(Year: 2019; Director: Ruth Caudeli; Writer: Ruth Caudeli, Silvia Varón; Stars: Silvia Varón, Ximena Rodríguez, Alejandra Lara, Tatiana Rentería, Diana Wiswell, Andrés Jiménez, Lorena Castellanos, Justin Vahala Gina Medina)

Full review

Sell By

Review preview for Sell By

There's a comedy of misunderstanding underlying all this as well as more overt comedy as the friends banter with one another and are forced to deal with some of the consequences of their hypocrisy.

Jennie Kermode · 2.5 out of 5
A couple find their relationship coming under strain while dealing with career issues and the tangled lives of their friends.

(Country: US; Year: 2019; Director: Mike Doyle; Writer: Mike Doyle; Stars: Michelle Buteau, Scott Evans, Augustus Prew, Zoe Chao, Colin Donnell, Patricia Clarkson, John Doman)

Full review

Sequin In A Blue Room

Review preview for Sequin In A Blue Room

Sequin in A Blue Room is a reminder of Nineties angst media and queer celebration, within the dark corners of adolescence.

Stephanie Brown · 5 out of 5
When a teenager's thrill-seeking leads to a memorable encounter at an anonymous sex party, he resolves to track down the mystery guy - even if he has to rely on a menacing former hook-up to help him.

(Country: Australia; Year: 2019; Director: Samuel Van Grinsven; Writer: Samuel Van Grinsven; Stars: Anthony Brandon Wong, Conor Leach, Jeremy Lindsay Taylor, Samuel Barrie) , Official site

Full review

The Shiny Shrimps (Les Crevettes Pailletes)

Review preview for The Shiny Shrimps

What the film does well is to quickly set aside the simple conflict stemming from Matthias' prejudice and make room for other kinds of character development.

Jennie Kermode · 3.5 out of 5
When a champion Olympic swimmer utters a homophobic slur on national television, he is forced to become the reluctant coach of the Shiny Shrimps, a flamboyant and outrageous water polo team in training for the Gay Games in Croatia.

(Country: France; Year: 2019; Director: Cédric le Gallo, Maxime Govare; Writer: Romain Choay, Maxime Govare, Cédric Le Gallo; Stars: Alban Lenoir, David Baiot, Felix Martinez, Geofrey Couët, Michaël Abiteboul, Nicolas Gob, Pierre Samuel, Roland Menou, Romain Brau, Romain Lancry)

Full review

To The Stars

Review preview for To The Stars

Director Martha Stephens uses a palette full of soft browns and pastels designed to evoke nostalgia but shows us plenty of cruelty just under the surface.

Jennie Kermode · 3 out of 5
Under small town scrutiny, a withdrawn farmer’s daughter forges an intimate friendship with a worldly but reckless new girl in 1960s Oklahoma.

(Country: US; Year: 2019; Director: Martha Stephens; Writer: Shannon Bradley-Colleary; Stars: Kara Hayward, Malin Akerman, Shea Whigham, Jordana Spiro, Liana Liberato, Madisen Beaty, Adelaide Clemens, Tony Hale, Lucas Jade Zumann, J.D. Evermore, Natalie Canerday, Tina Parker, Farah White, Quinn Gasaway, Sophi Bairley)

Full review

Tremors (Temblores)

Review preview for Tremors

Bustamante employs physical earthquakes as well, with a similar subtlety that he goes on to use the myth of La Llorona in his follow up film

Amber Wilkinson · 3.5 out of 5
The coming out of an evangelical father shatters his family, his community and uncovers a profoundly repressive society.

(Country: Guatemala, France, Luxembourg; Year: 2019; Director: Jayro Bustamante; Writer: Jayro Bustamante; Stars: Juan Pablo Olyslager, Mauricio Armas, Diane Bathen, María Telón, Pedro Javier Silva Lira)

Full review

Tu Me Manques

Review preview for Tu Me Manques

Rodrigo Bellott, who adapted the film from his own play, employs multiple layers of fiction to explore themes around loss, rejection, redemption and that deep human longing to understand what's going on inside the minds of those we love.

Jennie Kermode · 4 out of 5
Following his son Gabriel’s death, Jorge travels from conservative Bolivia to New York City to confront Gabriel’s boyfriend Sebastian. While the two battle over Jorge’s inability to accept his son, Sebastian channels his grief into a bold new play in honour of his lost love.

(Country: Bolivia, US; Year: 2019; Director: Rodrigo Bello; Writer: Rodrigo Bello; Stars: Fernando Barbosa, Oscar Martinez, Rossy de Palma)

Full review

Vita & Virginia

A dramatisation of the romance between Virginia Woolf and Baroness Vita Sackville-West .

(Country: Ireland, UK; Year: 2018; Director: Chanya Button; Stars: Elizabeth Debicki, Gemma Arterton)