UPDATED! OIA 2008 FILM REVIEWS

Mambaonline takes a look at some of the highlights of the 2008 Out In Africa Lesbian and Gay Film Festival, taking place in Joburg and Cape Town this September. More coming soon!

BREAKFAST WITH SCOT

Dir: Laurie Lynd • Canada • 2007 • 95min

This Canadian feature that attempts to tackle not only the issue of gay parenting, but also the prospect of raising a gay child is ultimately bogged down by weak humour and a saccharine ending that might cause diabetes in the average cinema-goer. Sam and Eric are a subdued gay couple whose lives are thrown into mild chaos when they are placed in charge of Scot, the young child of Sam’s delinquent brother, who has gone AWOL in South America. However, the couple’s closeted nature is highlighted by the fact that Scot is more camp than the two of them combined, arriving complete with feather boas and a love of musical theatre. The film basically ignores Sam, and focuses entirely on the growing relationship between Eric and Scot, which begins as humorous disdain for one another but eventually evolves (perhaps a little too quickly) into a father-son bond. Sam and Eric lack chemistry as a couple, and the film’s best performance comes from Scot (played by 12 year old Noah Bernett) who plays overtly gay without coming across as ridiculous.

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THE BUBBLE

Dir: Eytan Fox • Israel • 2006 • 114min

This love story between a Palestinian and an Israeli is truly one of the best films of the festival, focusing not only on their beautiful love affair, but also on the political conflicts that ultimately tear them apart. While the movie is certainly politically charged, with a subtle bias towards the Israeli side of the conflict, the film’s theme of the futility of war means that this political tilt is never obnoxious or suffocating. The film boasts superb acting from the attractive cast, and combined with the great soundtrack and artful cinematography, it’s a deeply emotional look at the lives and loves of the youth of Tel Aviv. Be warned, the ending is indeed quite a downer, and those looking for a happy conclusion to a story that takes place amidst the unstable political environment will be sorely disappointed.

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FOR THE BIBLE TELLS ME SO

Dir: Daniel Karslake • USA • 2007 • 100min

Homosexuality is a sin – or so a sector of fundamental Christians would have us believe. Take a journey with five gay Christian American families who discuss what homosexuality has meant to their family, and how familial love and acceptance has triumphed over the alienation and rejection endorsed by their churches. We found this film to be a rollercoaster of emotions, astoundingly thought provoking and sad that in this day and age a gay bishop must be ordained wearing a bullet-proof vest. Our own Archbishop Tutu features and preaches proudly in this movie. We loved it!

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OUT AT THE WEDDING

Dir: Lee Friedlander • USA • 2007 • 96min

When New Yorker Alex tries to avoid telling her Southern family that she is dating a Jewish African American man, a comedy of errors results in them coming to the conclusion that she is a lesbian. Together with her best friend, the gay Jonathon, Alex plays a humorous cat and mouse game with her family and friends as she tries to rectify matters without embarrassing anyone. Of course, her misguided approach only complicates everything. Out at the Wedding is one of those films that will appeal to a straight, lesbian and gay audience thanks to its broad comedy and poly-sexual characters – which probably explains why it was selected as the opening night film for the festival. The humour is often sharp and some of the leads do well, but there’s stilted pace to the editing which hampers the film and the performances. It also drags on by around 15 minutes that could easily have been cut and which would have tightened up the whole affair. Nevertheless, the opening night audience seemed to enjoy every moment. Out at the Wedding is a pleasant enough entertaining farce, but comes just short of being memorable.

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OUTING RILEY

Dir: Pete Jones • USA • 2004 • 87mins

A by-the-numbers ‘coming out’ film, Outing Riley is the painfully generic story of Bobby Riley, the youngest sibling of five, who is forced by his only sister to finally tell his three brothers about his gay lifestyle. Complicating matters is the close-knit family’s heavy Irish Catholic leanings, personified by a clergyman brother who cannot abide Bobby’s homosexuality. However, the film’s slow pace means that these conflicts only emerge about an hour into the movie, and all is solved in a set of very forced conversations between the siblings. The main problem with the film is that Bobby Riley (who, in a self-indulgent twist, happens to be played by the film’s director and writer, Pete Jones) is simply not charismatic enough to warrant our sympathy, and is completely outshone by the actors playing his siblings. However, even these above-average performances are not enough to drag the film out of its complete banality.

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(The sexy Nathan Fillion, of Firefly fame, plays one of Bobby’s more understanding siblings.)

THE QUEST FOR THE MISSING PIECE

Dir: Oded Lotan • Israel • 2007 • 52min

The search for identity takes a rather strange form in this low-key Israeli documentary which chronicles a man’s obsession with the ritual of circumcision. Feeling that the physical absence of a foreskin is the reason behind the incompleteness of his identity, Oded Lotan explores