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Outfest Los Angeles · 2022

Outfest Los Angeles 2022

Narrative features

Programme

28 films · 12 reviews

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All Kinds Of Love

A recently divorced gay man accidentally ends up sharing a home with a younger hip nerd who is as romantically challenged as he is, and sparks unexpectedly begin to fly.

(Country: US; Year: 2022; Director: David Lewis; Writer: David Lewis; Stars: Matthew Montgomery, Cody Duke, Steve Callahan, Nick Salamone, Molly O'Leary, Mark Nordike, Marval A Rex, Spike Mayer, Michael Dumas)

Le Beau Mec

The story of an athlete, hustler, stripper, and it-boy.

(Country: France; Year: 1979; Director: Wallace Potts)

Breaking The Ice

Review preview for Breaking The Ice

Stern takes her time letting us discover what really concerns her characters, their hard shells and vulnerable cores.

Anne-Katrin Titze · 4 out of 5
An Austrian woman escapes from the pressure of running her family’s vineyard by playing ice hockey. Then a new player arrives to challenge her rigid worldview, leading to a life-changing night on the streets of Vienna.

(Country: US; Year: 2022; Director: Clara Stern; Writer: Clara Stern; Stars: Alina Schaller, Judith Altenberger, Tobias Samuel Resch, Pia Hierzegger, Wolfgang Böck)

Full review See: Clara Stern in conversation on Breaking The Ice, Pia Hierzegger, Michael Haneke, and Jules Et Jim

By Hook Or By Crook

A recently bereaved small town crook heads for the big city where his life is transformed by a group of queer outsiders.

(Country: US; Year: 2002; Director: Silas Howard, Harry Dodge; Writer: Silas Howard, Harry Dodge; Stars: Silas Howard, Harry Dodge, Stanya Khan, Carina Gia)

Chrissy Judy

Review preview for Chrissy Judy

A torch song of a film.

Jennie Kermode · 4 out of 5
When a man leaves the city to be with his boyfriend, his unstable best friend, with whom he used to perform drag, struggles to cope alone.

(Country: US; Year: 2021; Director: Todd Flaherty; Writer: Todd Flaherty; Stars: Todd Flaherty, Wyatt Fenner, Joey Taranto, Kiyon Spencer, James Tison, João Santos, Nicole Spiezio)

Full review

Dos Estaciones

Review preview for Dos Estaciones

While the framing of cinematographer Gerardo Guerra has a steady calm, González uses every inch of it from side to side and top to bottom to such a consummate degree that even the subtitles have to make way at one point.

Amber Wilkinson · 4.5 out of 5
In the bucolic hills of Mexico's Jalisco highlands, iron-willed businesswoman Maria Garcia fights the impending collapse of her tequila factory.

(Country: Mexico; Year: 2022; Director: Juan Pablo González; Writer: Ilana Coleman, Ana Isabel Fernández, Juan Pablo González; Stars: Manuel Garcia-Rulfo, Teresa Sánchez, Tatín Vera, Rafaela Fuentes)

Full review See: Juan Pablo González on avoiding stereotypes and building character in Dos Estaciones , Juan Pablo González on the origins of Dos Estaciones and the move from fact to fiction

Estuaries

A queer Mizrahi musician with a past as an activist in Palestine whose partner has died in a car crash has to deal with the precarity of his immigration status on top of his bereavement, and turns to an artist for help.

(Country: US, Mexico; Year: 2022; Director: Lior Shamriz; Writer: Matt Polzin, Lior Shamriz; Stars: Lior Shamriz, Chelsea Rector, Emily Lucid, Peter Kalisch, Jordan Green, Atsuko Okatsuka, Helene Udy, Tal Meiri, Rebecka Jackson, Oscar Alvarez)

The First Fallen

New Year’s Eve, 1983. Suzano has returned from his studies in Paris to spend time with his sister and nephew. Rose, a trans performer, prepares for her latest show at a party. And Humberto, recently arrived in the city, documents it all on shaky camcorder. The future looks bright for them all. But eight months later, all three friends find themselves early victims of the AIDS epidemic.

(Country: Brazil; Year: 2021; Director: Rodrigo de Oliveira; Writer: Rodrigo de Oliveira; Stars: Johnny Massaro, Renata Carvalho, Vitor Camilo)

Girls Girls Girls (Girls, Girls, Girls, Girl Picture)

Review preview for Girls Girls Girls

The performances are all first class, with any one of the three leads capable of carrying a film on her own.

Jennie Kermode · 4.5 out of 5
Mimmi, Emma and Rönkkö are girls at the cusp of womanhood, trying to draw their own contours. In three consecutive Fridays two of them experience the earth-moving effects of falling in love, while the third goes on a quest to find something she’s never experienced before: pleasure.

(Country: Finland; Year: 2022; Director: Alli Haapasalo; Writer: Ilona Ahti, Daniela Hakulinen; Stars: Oona Airola, Mikko Kauppila, Elias Westerberg, Linnea Leino, Henrikki Haavisto, Fathi Ahmed, Jantsu Puumalainen, Oksana Lommi, Aamu Milonoff, Cécile Orblin, Yasmin Najjar, Amos Brotherus, Pablo Ounaskari, Pietu Wikström, Eleonoora Kauhanen)

Full review

God Save The Queens

Review preview for God Save The Queens

Through the medium of drag – and with plenty of wit and glamour to enjoy along the way – Danger highlights the unreasonable expectations placed on all feminine people.

Jennie Kermode · 3.5 out of 5
A quartet of drag queens meet on a group therapy retreat that will change their lives forever.

(Country: US; Year: 2022; Director: Jordan Danger; Writer: Jordan Danger; Stars: Joaquim de Almeida, Jordan Danger, Zack Gottsagen, Kimberley Crossman, Michelle Visage, Kelly Mantle, Alaska Thunderfuck, Luenell, Rachelle Carson-Begley, Thomas Ochoa, Jonathan Goldstein, Julie Goldman, Cecile Cubiló, Kelly Ann Barrett, Marco DelVecchio)

Full review See: Interview with Jordan Danger about God Save The Queens

Hypochondriac

Review preview for Hypochondriac

The struggle which follows is, in places, difficult to watch, especially for viewers who have been affected by such issues in their own lives, so Heimann sensibly leavens it with humour.

Jennie Kermode · 4 out of 5
When his bipolar mother walks back into his life, a young gay man is forced to contend with his family history of mental illness.

(Country: US; Year: 2022; Director: Addison Heimann; Writer: Addison Heimann; Stars: Zach Villa, Devon Graye, Madeline Zima, Yumarie Morales, Marlene Forte, Chris Doubek, Paget Brewster, Adam Busch, Michael Cassidy, Peter Mensah, Debra Wilson)

Full review See: Interview with Addison Heimann about Hypochondriac

Lonesome

A country lad running from a small-town scandal, finds himself down and out in big city Sydney, where he falls in with a similarly lonely stranger.

(Country: Australia; Year: 2022; Director: Craig Boreham; Writer: Craig Boreham; Stars: Josh Lavery, Daniel Gabriel, Anni Finsterer, Ian Roberts, Ally Morgan)

Mars One (Marte Um)

Review preview for Mars One

Essentially an old fashioned tale in which the pursuit of dreams needs to be balanced by learning to appreciate what one has.

Jennie Kermode · 3 out of 5
In Brazil, a lower-middle-class Black family of four tries to keep their spirits up and their dreams going in the months that follow the election of a right-wing president, a man who represents everything they are not.

(Country: Brazil; Year: 2022; Director: Gabriel Martins; Writer: Gabriel Martins; Stars: Rejane Faria, Carlos Francisco, Camilla Souza, Cícero Lucas)

Full review See: Interview with Gabriel Martins about Mars One

Maybe Someday

When her wife devastatingly asks for a separation in order to explore other options, Jay decides to pick up her life and move across the country to start anew. Halfway through the trip, she makes a pit stop to visit her high school best friend, a single mother raising a young daughter, but it's a gay man who might just have what it takes to help her reset her life.

(Country: US; Year: 2022; Director: Michelle Ehlen; Writer: Michelle Ehlen; Stars: Michelle Ehlen, Charlie Steers, Shaela Cook, Jeneen Robinson, Eliza Blair, Cameron Norman)

Moneyboys

Fei works illegally as a hustler in order to support his family, yet when he realises they are willing to accept his money but not his way of life, there is a major breakdown in their relations.

(Country: Austria, France, Belgium, Taiwan; Year: 2021; Director: Chen Yilin Bo; Writer: Chen Yilin Bo; Stars: Yufan Bai, Kai Ko, Zhexi Lin, Chloe Maayan)

My Emptiness And I (Mi Vacio Y Yo)

When an office worker is diagnosed with gender dysphoria, her life is transformed as she goes on a journey of self-discovery and discovers the things she really wants in life for the first time.

(Country: Spain; Year: 2022; Director: Adrián Silvestre)

Nightbreed: The Director's Cut

After he's framed in a string of gory murders, Boone decides to hide by sneaking into a forbidden subterranean realm to live among the monsters.

(Country: US; Year: 2014; Director: Clive Barker; Writer: Clive Barker; Stars: Craig Sheffer, David Cronenberg, Anne Bobby, Charles Haid, Hugh Quarshie, Hugh Ross, Doug Bradley, Catherine Chevalier, Malcolm Smith, Bob Sessions)

Peter Von Kant

Review preview for Peter Von Kant

Martyrdom and bad wishing, casual cruelty and sweet despair reign in this realm.

Anne-Katrin Titze · 3.5 out of 5
The life of famous film director Peter von Kant is turned upside down when he meets the handsome young Amir.

(Country: France; Year: 2022; Director: François Ozon; Writer: François Ozon; Stars: Denis Ménochet, Isabelle Adjani, Khalil Ben Gharbia, Hanna Schygulla, Stefan Crepon, Aminthe Audiard)

Full review

Phea

Phea is an aspiring singer-songwriter who feels stuck. Her music career has stalled, and her relationship with her girlfriend is on a precipice. When her girlfriend stops answering her calls, Phea investigates and is soon drawn into the orbit of a dangerous human trafficker.

(Country: UK; Year: 2021; Director: Rocky Palladino; Writer: Rocky Palladino; Stars: Sherika Sherard, Andrew Whipp, Iola Evans, Amelia Eve, Gabija Siurbyte, Katarina Andrejcova, Leo Ihenacho, Velibor Topic Emun Elliott)

Please Baby Please

Review preview for Please Baby Please

There are layers and layers of humour here, sometimes rooted in queer and theatrical traditions but mostly accessible regardless.

Jennie Kermode · 4 out of 5
Newlyweds Suse and Arthur become the dangerous obsession of a greaser gang that awakens a sleeping quandary into the couple's sexual identity.

(Country: US; Year: 2022; Director: Amanda Kramer; Writer: Amanda Kramer, Noel David Taylor; Stars: Demi Moore, Andrea Riseborough, Mary Lynn Rajskub, Karl Glusman, Harry Melling, Ryan Simpkins)

Full review

Punks

A romantic comedy about the professional, social, and intimate lives of four queer friends in West Hollywood on their never-ending search for Mr. Right.

(Country: US; Year: 2000; Director: Patrik-Ian Polk; Writer: Patrik-Ian Polk; Stars: Seth Gilliam, Rockmond Dunbar, Dwight Ewell, Renoly Santiago, Jazzmun, Loretta Devine, Rudolf Martin, Rodney Chester, Redd Savage, Shaun Earl, Vanessa Williams, Phina Oruche, Ron Kovechar, Jason Olive)

Shall I Compare You To A Summer's Day

A queer contemporary musical told in the form of a tale from One Thousand And One Nights.

(Country: Egypt, Lebanon, Germany; Year: 2022; Director: Mohammad Shawky Hassan; Writer: Mohammad Shawky Hassan; Stars: Ahmed Awadalla, Nadim Bahsoun, Hassan Dib, Ahmed El Gendy, Richard Gabriel Gersch)

Sublime

Review preview for Sublime

What really lights up the film is the chemistry between the boys and their wider circle of friends.

Jennie Kermode · 4.5 out of 5
A teenager in a rock band falls for his best friend, who is also one of his bandmates, while acting as his confidante and listening to his plans to impress girls.

(Country: Argentina; Year: 2022; Director: Mariano Biasin; Writer: Mariano Biasin; Stars: Martín Miller, Teo Inama Chiabrando, Azul Mazzeo)

Full review See: Interview with Mariano Biasin about Sublime

Three Headed Beast

The foundation of a bisexual couple's healthy open relationship starts to show its cracks.

(Country: US; Year: 2022; Director: Fernando Andrés, Tyler Rugh; Writer: Fernando Andrés, Tyler Rugh; Stars: Sarah J Bartholomew, Rachel DeRouen, Paul Grant, Dani Hurtado, Jacob Schatz, Zach McCardell, Cody Shook, Daniela Vidaurre)

Three Tidy Tigers Tied A Tie Tighter

Three friends in the working-class suburbs of São Paulo attempt to make their way in a world that’s been harshly affected by rampant capitalism and a pandemic.

(Country: Brazil; Year: 2022; Director: Gustavo Vinagre; Writer: Gustavo Vinagre; Stars: Jonata Vieira, Pedro Ribeiro, Gilda Nomacce, Carlos Esher, Julia Katharine, David Lobo, Everaldo Pontes, Ivana Wonder, Inês Brasil, Majeca Angelucci, Gabriel Stippe, Cida Moreira, Nilcéia Vicente, Lizette Negreiros, Filipe Rossato)

Unidentified Objects

Review preview for Unidentified Objects

A quirky yet moving character piece full of absurdist comedy, with an optimistic streak which is rare in cinema today.

Jennie Kermode · 4 out of 5
A lonely dwarf and his unstable, alien-obsessed neighbour are thrown together on an impossible road trip that will alter their strange friendship (and their sense of reality) forever.

(Country: US; Year: 2022; Director: Juan Felipe Zuleta; Writer: Leland Frankel, Juan Felipe Zuleta; Stars: Sarah Hay, Roberta Colindrez, Matthew Jeffers, Hamish Allan-Headly)

Full review See: Interview with Juan Felipe Zuleta, Matthew Jeffers and Sarah Hay about Unidentified Objects

Youtopia

A young woman recovering from a break-up inadvertently becomes the leader of a hipster millennial cult that engages with the multiverse and aliens. But then members of the cult start to disappear.

(Country: US; Year: 2021; Director: Scout Durwood; Writer: Scout Durwood; Stars: Scout Durwood, McKenzie Trent, Jes Rona, Katie Wee, Nikki McKenzie, Christine Lakin, Paul Palmeri, Christine Little)

You Can Live Forever

Review preview for You Can Live Forever

A delicate balance is achieved here between telling the girls’ story, exploring the role which Marike’s religion and culture play in her life, and critiquing aspects of the way she is expected to live.

Jennie Kermode · 4 out of 5
Two teenage girls begin a secret relationship in a strict Jehovah’s Witness community.

(Country: Canada; Year: 2022; Director: Mark Slutsky, Sarah Watts; Writer: Sarah Watts, Mark Slutsky; Stars: Anwen O'Driscoll, June Laporte, Liane Balaban, Antoine Yared, Hasani Freeman, Deragh Campbell, Catherine-Amélie Côté, Marc-Antoine Auger, Jude Ferris, Tim Campbell, Xavier Roberge, Lenni-Kim Lalande, HoJo Rose, Jordan Sawyer, Bentley Hughes)

Full review See: Interview with Mark Slutsky and Sarah Watts about You Can Live Forever