Fresa y Chocolate

In 1979 Havana, David (Vladimir Cruz) is a student and hard-core Communist whose personal life is in something of a slump. His girlfriend left him to marry another man, then he meets Diego (Jorge Perrugoria), a flamboyant gay eating strawberry ice cream, even though it's one of the rare days when chocolate is available. David is not impressed with Diego's criticism of Castro's regime, especially the government's persecution of gays, but he accepts his invitation to visit his apartment. David realizes that Diego has seduction on his mind, but this is outweighed by the fact that Diego's flat has forbidden things such as Time Magazine, American record albums, and Johnny Walker Red scotch. Miguel (Francisco Gatorno), David's friend, is convinced that Diego is a dangerous dissident and urges David to spy on him and pass along his findings to the government. But David enjoys spending time with Diego and also likes Nancy (Mirta Ibarra), Diego's sexy neighbor. This is a story of friendship and love between two men that overcomes prejudice and intolerance.

In 1993, "Fresa y Chocolate" swept the awards at the Havana Film Festival. The film won the top overall prize (the Coral), the Popular Choice prize, Best Director, Best Actor, and the International Critics' Award, among others. It's from the short story "The Wolf, the Forest and the New Man" by sceenwriter Senel Paz. José María Vitier composed the original music, and Juan Carlos Tabío directed. The English title is "Strawberry & Chocolate". In Spanish with English subtitles.

Amnésie: L'énigme James Brighton (2005)

Gay American James Brighton (Dusan Dukic) is found naked and amnesiac in a vacant parking lot in Montreal in 1998. He knows his name, but the only thing he's sure of is that he's gay. Based on a true story, the film's first half covers Brighton's months in Montreal trying to rediscover who he is. Volunteers from S.O.S Gay organize a media campaign to help him recover his forgotten past. After three months no one has claimed him. Then his Tennessee family find him when his brother, a Pentecostal minister, recognizes him on TV. Except his name isn't James Brighton, it's Matthew Honeycutt. He is arrested for committing fraud by faking his amnesia, but many are uncertain about the truth of his claims. A year later a student in criminology named Sylvie (Karyne Lemieux) begins to study it, only to discover that her own identity is becoming elusive. The second half of the movie picks up the pace, focusing on Brighton's adjustment to life in Tennessee and director Denis Langlois' disturbing fictional explanation about what led to Brighton's traumatic memory loss. Slow-paced and probably better suited to the small-screen, "Amnesia" is a reminder of the ravages of homophobia. John Lunn composed the original music, and Chris Lang wrote the screenplay. The English title is "The James Brighton Enigma". In Québecois, French, and English with variable subtitles.