Via Appia (1990)

Via Appia is the nickname of a Rio district where male prostitutes hang out. There German flight attendant Frank (Peter Senner) hires Mario (Luiz Kleber), a young hustler for a one night stand. Before Mario departs the next morning, he leaves a message scrawled in soap on the bathroom mirror: "Welcome to the AIDS club" before stealing Frank's camera and disappearing. The HIV-infected former Lufthansa steward hooks up with a filmmaker who thinks it's a good idea to film Frank's return to Brazil in search of this guy. We get to see the mean streets of Brazil, the boys who earn their living there, and the sex tourists who prey upon them as they are in turn preyed upon. Probably the most interesting aspects of the film involve a savvy Brazilian boy of the streets who attaches himself to the filming party and joins the search. The film crew looks for Mario, and Frank with his director and the fast talking hustler José (Guilherme di Padua) try to find Mario--who always seems to have just left whenever they arrive.

This is an interesting documentary based on the misfortunes of a gay flight attendant who likes to vacation in Brazil. The documentary is somewhat slow at certain points but it is all in context and helps to portray Frank's desperation. There is a lot of nudity and tends to show the stereotypical gay persona of man as sexual predator, but over-all the insight into the hidden side of Brazilian culture and the thought-provoking subject matter make it worthwhile. The film is no longer as topical as when it was first made because the mystery surrounding the disease has been reduced. Charly Schöppner composed the original music, and Jochen Hick wrote the screenplay and directed. Filmed in German and Portuguese with English subtitles.

Coffee Date (2006)

Straight-laced Todd (Jonathan Bray) arrives at a cafe for a blind date with Kelly (Wilson Cruz), whom he expects to be a girl. When Kelly turns out to be a hunky gay man, Todd discovers that he has been the victim of a prank by his brother Barry (Jonathan Silverman), who had placed an ad for his romance-starved straight brother on an internet "M4M" message board. Todd's mundane world is quickly turned inside out and he finds out that he has a lot of interests in common with his new gay friend. They decide to get revenge on Barry by pretending they are actually now a gay couple.

When Todd brings Kelly home, he sneaks out the window so Barry believes Todd spent the night with a man. It works too well, since Barry won't believe that Todd isn't really gay, and moves out of Todd's apartment. The joke soon goes further than they expected when Todd's family and friends all believe him to be gay. Everybody including his mother try to thrust him towards this new romantic endeavor. Todd continues to go with Kelly, and occasionally his friends, to see a movie, have a drink or coffee, and when the office gossip monger Clayton (Jason Stuart) sees Todd with a group of gay men, he "outs" him to everyone else at work, who accept and embrace the revelation. Despite his repeated attempts to prove otherwise, Todd soon finds himself doubting his own sexuality, and feelings toward Kelly.

"Coffee Date" is a fast-paced light hearted comedy filled with sexual shenanigans of a misguided kind. It handles the simplistic slapstick plot with realism, warmth and humor, showing the boundaries of friendship, sex and human compassion. The Village Voice calls it, "A warmhearted tale carried by genuine affection and a charming cast." It's great to see two of the top gay actors play gay characters in a gay film. In addition to acting in the film, Deborah Gibson (Melissa) wrote and performed the closing credits song. Originally a 2001 short film by writer/director Stewart Wade, it was expanded into a feature and played at various film festivals. Eban Schletter composed the original music, and Stewart Wade wrote the screenplay and directed.