No Se Lo Digas a Nadie (1999)

This film is based on the autobiographical novel of gay Peruvian talk show host Jaime Bayly. Joaquin Camino (Santiago Magill), a young man from the upper class of Lima, deals with problems concerning his sexual identity as a child, then as a teenager pressured by his macho father Luis Felipe (Hernan Romero), then as an independent lazy pot-smoking college student, and later as a cocaine addict in Lima and Miami. The movie is a complex character study about the duality of most gay young men in Peruvian society, how they feel about casual sex, and their search for sexual identity in a country intolerant of open homosexuality. It shows the absence of a gay subculture in an honest and bittersweet story about the painful "coming-out" process. This unconventional film starts at the beginning and ends at the end with an ironic surprise, appropriately incomplete and somewhat ambiguous. It is well written and acted, with good production values and a great soundtrack. Giovanna Pollarolo wrote the screenplay from Joime Bayly's novel, and Francisco J. Lombardi directed. Dialogue is in Spanish and the English title is "Don't Tell Anyone".

The Boys of Cellblock Q (1992)

Timmy (Andrew Addams) is a cute convict in Australia's Sunnyvale Labor Farm, where all the prisoners are gay. The film's concept seems to be a gay spoof of the the 1950's women in prison B movies. Without the presence of women, the muscular prisoners indulge in regular steamy shower time trysts with one another, make full use out of the jail's supply of priests, turn the eyes of several handsome policemen, and help a young convict learn the ins and outs of the prison community. There are cop fantasies, and a slobbering priest who enjoys conducting in-depth strip searches of the hunky young inmates. The film seems like the intro to a hot porno flick, but nothing happens--it's like porn with the sex edited out.

This movie is so very bad it's good, or so bad it's funny. It's low budget, with terrible acting, poor lighting, bad sets, a horrible script, and viewers' comments like, "By far the worst movie I have ever seen. It looks like it was filmed in someone's garage." Another: "The storyline is simply corny and the cast is so pathetic. It is like a stage play gone bad with only one type of setting." The DVD has a photo gallery option that has almost nothing to do with this film. Out of 75 or so shots, only a half dozen come from the film--the rest are of naked men, probably from other videos. One reviewer wrote, " This video is a great, hot, 'boys in prison' spoof." Shaun Guerin composed the original music, and Ralph Lucas wrote the screenplay adapted from John C. Wall's stage play "Cellblock Q". Alan Daniels directed.

Tongues Untied (1991)

Director Marlon T. Riggs’s controversial classic documentary chronicles the black gay experience. The stories show homophobia and racism: a man refused entry to a gay bar because of his color; a college student left bleeding on the sidewalk after a gay-bashing; and the loneliness and isolation of a drag queen. Some also affirm the black gay male experience: protest marches, smoky bars, “snap divas,” humorous musicology, and vogue dancing. Poet Essex Hemphill recites his poetry as the film moves forward with Riggs telling his own story of growing up. A socio-political experiment to show the marginalized gay blacks, the movie shocks as it denounces popular stereotypes and takes a slap at conformity. It ends with obituaries to AIDS victims and footage of the civil rights movement alongside of black men marching in a Gay Pride parade. A short film with a runtime of 55 minutes, the DVD has special features: a 1991 interview with Riggs, other interviews, and 7 minutes of deleted scenes and outtakes·

Le Hasard Fait Bien Les Choses (2005)

Jean-Pierre (Jean-Claude Brialy) is a Swiss professor, writer, and married man, and therefore he is a good candidate to take in a troubled teen. Switzerland has a law that every citizen can be assigned a live-in foster child. But when the court appoints him the guardian of 16 year-old Antoine (Julien Bravo), all hell breaks loose in Jean-Pierre's private life, which he has been secretly sharing with his Cuban lover and masseur, Armando (Antonio Interlandi). Jean-Pierre asks his long absent wife Alice (Sabine Haudepin) to help convince the judge that his is not a proper home for Antoine. He married 10 years ago in a "marriage of convenience" to satisfy his mother and to give Alice Swiss citizenship. He is forced to deal with his depressed wife, his hysterical boyfriend, an endearing "son", blackmail from the father of Antoine's girlfriend, a near fistfight with his wife's jealous ex-boyfriend, and the authorities hot on his tail.

This film is beautifully photographed, charming, comical, the cast is superb, and it gives hope that things will improve for gay people. It is a tender story that looks at the different ways in which love manifests itself, and the conflicts older gay men face in attempting to manage professional lives with personal lives. Sylvette Frydman composed the music score, Thierry Malet wrote the screenplay, and Lorenzo Gabriele directed. The language is in French with English subtitles. The English title is "As Luck Would Have It".

Man of the Year (1995)

This film is a fictionalized account of gay Dirk Shafer's reign as Playgirl magazine's 1992 "Man of the Year". It's a mockumentary, a combination of semi-documentary, drama, and comedy that includes real people as well as actors. Aspiring film-maker and male model Shafer leaves Oklahoma to pursue his dream of fame and fortune in Hollywood. After a series of degrading film jobs, he sends his photograph to Playgirl magazine and is delighted to become a sex symbol for millions of women as "Man of the Year". His gayness is kept secret from the magazine editors, fans and chat-show hosts he encounters as Playgirl's pin-up.

The camera follows him around in documentary style, showing that the entire sex industry is built upon appearances, fantasy and illusions. His lover Mike Miller (Michael Ornstein) was initially enthusiastic at the deception, while family and friends only later discovered the truth. Win-A-Date recipient Angela Lucassey (Mary Stein) travels to New York to enjoy a night on the town with her dream companion, and the theme is Dirk should be true to himself and his boyfriend, because masking his sexuality in this way only causes stress. Peitor Angell, Barry Stich, and Eric Vetro composed the original music. Dirk Shafer wrote, directed and starred in this ironic and interesting movie.

Drift (2000)

Ryan T. Lee (Reggie Lee) is a gay Asian screenwriter from Canada working illegally in L.A. On the eve of Ryan's third anniversary with boyfriend Joel (Greyson Dane), the struggling writer meets Leo (Jonathon Roessler), a college student and aspiring novelist, at his agent's (Jerry Lentz) trendy party. Though he loves Joel, Ryan feels stifled by the relationship's stability and believes Joel doesn't appreciate his artistic temperament. Ryan confides in his straight friends, Carrie (Desi del Valle) and Matt (Sebastien Guy), then breaks up with Joel to pursue a relationship with Leo. Joel, who's less flighty than Ryan, makes an effort to remain friendly with his ex. When Ryan leaves the party, he enters three different possibilities: he and Leo fall in love, they have a one night stand, and Leo doesn't like Ryan. In any love triangle, someone winds up hurt, and in each scenario Ryan is faced with the fragility of human emotions and the dangers in searching for a soul mate.

The "what if?" gimmick makes the film unique. It's a low budget erotic relationship drama, quirky, edgy, a bit cheesy, and often funny, but sometimes sad. This film is compelling, tightly edited, and the steamy sex scenes are believable because of the realism of the emotions portrayed. But what point is Lee trying to make? Perhaps the tentative nature of the title is the key. The film is set in a town where many are in a state of flux, not really settling down after making a commitment, and forever looking for the perfect partner. Steven Pranoto composed the music, and Quentin Lee wrote the screenplay and directed.

Head On (1998)

Nineteen-year-old Ari (Alex Dimitriades) walks out of a Greek wedding in Melbourne. He is young, handsome, unemployed, bisexual, and alienated. The movie follows him and his friends through 24 hours of excess, from a family party to a Greek nightclub, then to a gay nightclub where he meets up with Sean (Julian Garner), a dreamy college friend of his brother's who may offer a loving alternative to self-destructive excess. His father Dimitri (Tony Nikolakopoulos) calls him an animal and his mother Sophia (Eugenia Fragos) pleads with him not to leave home. Ari despises his once-beloved parents, former radical activists, for becoming traditional. His closest friend Johnny (Paul Capsis) is open about his cross-dressing, defiantly dressing up as his own dead mother, but Ari can’t face the consequences that would follow coming out. Instead he seeks short-term pleasure in drugs and anonymous sex in seedy alleys and public toilets. When Ari and Johnny are arrested and brutalized by a pair of cops, however, the chance for redemption seems very remote. The film does not have a happy ending.

This Australian movie directed by Ana Kokkinos is based on the acclaimed novel "Loaded" by Christos Tsiolkas. The film gained notoriety upon its release for its sexual explicitness, including a highly graphic male masturbation scene performed by Dimitriades, who is good looking, but a bit too old to play a teen-ager. Ollie Olsen composed the music. Ana Kokkinos and Mira Robertson wrote the screenplay derived from Christos Tsiolkas' book.

C.R.A.Z.Y. (2005)

Zac Beaulieu (Marc-Andre Grondin) is a kid who thinks he has the coolest dad (Michel Côté as Gervais) on the block. Mom Laurianne (Danielle Proulx) dotes on Zac, thinking he has healing gifts from God. "C.R.A.Z.Y." tells the story of a young man dealing with his emerging homosexual feelings while growing up with four brothers and a conservative father in 1960s and '70s Quebec. The title is derived from the first letter in the names of the five brothers: Christian, Raymond, Antoine, Zachary and Yvan, and also refers to their father's love of Patsy Cline's hit song "Crazy", written by Willie Nelson. When Zak's gayness emerges, his homophobic father becomes angry and distant, then eventually loves him for who he really is.

Yet another gay coming of age movie, this time from Quebec, Canada, where "C.R.A.Z.Y." was a huge award-winning box office hit. The movie is not easy to categorize. It's a drama, but also a flashback comedy. One of the film's themes is the waning influence of the Roman Catholic Church in Quebec society during the "Quiet Revolution". Period music is an important element of the movie, and a good portion of the film's budget was spent on rights for songs by Patsy Cline, Pink Floyd, the Rolling Stones, as well as David Bowie's "Space Oddity" and many others. The Charles Aznavour song "Emmenez Moi" is repeated over and over in the film, often sung by the father. He also sings another Aznavour song, "Hier Encore", as part of Zac's 20th birthday celebrations. Original music is by David Bowie. The film was directed and co-written (with Franחois Boulay) by Jean-Marc Vallיe. The language is French, and DVDs are available with and without English subtitles.

Food of Love (2003)

Adapted from David Leavitt's 1998 novel "The Page Turner", this film is the story of a love affair between an 18-year-old man and his much older mentor. Paul (Kevin Bishop) is a music student working as an assistant for a classical pianist, Richard Kennington (Paul Rhys). The two meet first in San Francisco, then in Barcelona and begin a relationship, but they must contend with Paul's neurotic mother Pamela (Juliet Stevenson) and Richard's boyfriend and manager Mansourian (Allan Corduner). Richard flees to New York, and when he meets Paul again, he is a Julliard student, promiscuous and in an affair with yet another middle-aged man. The movie has first and second acts, but no conclusion. Act I is the development of the relationship between Paul and Richard. Act II is about Paul's move to NYC, where he becomes a disillusioned jerk. No Act III. When the story begins to reach a climax, it ends with no resolution of any plot threads. The final scenes seem empty.

"Food of Love" is complex, interesting, polished, with occasional insights into the lies we believe and tell to others. The sad thing is that none of the characters really learn anything about themselves. They simply discover that people lie and life sucks. And the idea that a young sensitive gay pianist might be happy in the romantic clutches of leering, ugly, bald, and smug men who are in their fifties stretches credibility. This Spanish/German film is well-done on a low budget, with beautiful music, and some good acting. Charles Cases composed the music, and Ventura Pons wrote the screenplay and directed.

In the Flesh (1997)

Oliver (Dane Ritter), a 21 year-old clean-cut student, is living a double life. His upper-class family sees a decent young man, but they know nothing of his night life as a gay hustler. Suspected of murder, he turns to his lover Philip Kirsch (Ed Corbin)--a closeted undercover narc probing the drug traffickers involved in the homicide. Soon Philip becomes Oliver's reluctant alibi for the murder charge. Kirsch risks his job for Oliver, insisting he is innocent of the crime. He follows Oliver around like a lost puppy, searching his medical files, and inviting him to live in his house until he finds a place of his own. Soon the hustler becomes the hustled when he becomes the target of a murderer. What remains is the two attempting to stay alive amid corruption and greed in a seedy suburb of Atlanta. One of Philip's cop buddies plays a role in the film's finale, in a contrived twist.

It's a thriller/love story with interesting characters, from the attractive leads to the suspicious bartender, rent boys, and an older cop who has seen it all. Although low budget with some wooden acting, the character development is good and the film is quite appealing. However, some viewers describe it as cheesy, emotionless, predictable, with hackneyed plot twists and weak writing. We get to see a gratuitous sex scene between a male and female, but no gay sex. Eddie Horst composed the music, and Ben Taylor wrote the screenplay and directed.