Consenting Adult (1985)

Young and shy college sophomore Jeff Lynd (Barry Tubb) discovers his attraction to men. After struggling with himself he comes out to his parents with details of his sexual preference. His mother Tess (Marlo Thomas) is shocked beyond belief but eventually listens to her son and tries to understand his feelings. She is convinced that Jeff can be "cured" through psychiatry. However his proud father Ken (Martin Sheen) is unable to accept his son for what he is--as much as he wants to. Recovering from a near-fatal stroke, he feels devastated and betrayed. Only Jeff's married sister Margie (Talia Balsam) approaches the situation with understanding. Ken dies, leaving behind a mother, her son, and his friend to work out the things Jeff and his Dad never had the courage to talk about.

This pre-AIDS TV drama about a gay young man who comes out to his parents is a restrained exploration of the controversial subject. It's a "message" movie filmed on location in Vancouver with too little focus on the gay son. Sheen and Thomas are the stars, and the mother is portrayed as the courageous one, noble enough to offer her hand in friendship, and reassuring when she calls at the end with happiness in her voice. "Consenting Adult" is adapted from the 1975 novel by Laura Z. Hobson, based on her experience with her son, and was first telecast on February 4, 1985. Laurence Rosenthal composed the music, John McGreevey wrote the script based on Hobson's novel, and Gilbert Cates directed.

Ordinary Sinner (2003)

Peter Onorati (Brendan Hines) is a divinity student who questions his calling to the priesthood and drops out of the Episcopal seminary after his failure in counseling a gay youth. He moves into a shack near the campus where his lifelong best friend Alex (Kris Park) is attending college and where Father Ed (A. Martinez), a young Mexican Episcopal priest, has his congregation in the small Vermont college town. Father Ed has been an adviser and friend to Peter for some time and questions Peter's decision to give up his calling. The entire movie is centered around Father Ed, who uses his pulpit to question the preaching of a radical Christian cell on campus that is promoting prejudice and the hatred of homosexuals. He says if the bible states to kill homosexuals, then the town should start with him. His outing eventually results in his death which is surrounded in mystery. We see the aftermath and are forced to confront our prejudices as the details slowly come to light. Peter is impressive as a man who stands up to wrong and attempts to bring justice in the end. This is a murder mystery and the victim is a cliff diver. The murderer takes a rowboat and makes hundreds of trips to pile many rocks in the lake for the victim to hit his head.

Filmed with flashbacks that only make sense as the film draws to a close, the point of the film is to show how things get out of hand with tragic results when someone gets a crazy idea in his head. Ordinary people can end up doing horrible things, hence the title "Ordinary Sinner." It's an intriguing coming-of-age drama with romance, action, and social commentary--a good story, with a flimsy plot not very well told dealing with spiritual faith, sexuality, and homophobia in a small town. The coming out scene of the priest is the best part of this low budget film. Brian Adler composed the music, William Mahone wrote the script, and John Henry Davis directed

Hollow Reed (1996)

Hannah Wyatt (Joely Richardson) is a single mother who lives with her 9 year-old son Oliver (Sam Bould) and her architect boyfriend Frank Donally (Jason Flemyng). Hannah was married to Dr. Martyn Wyatt (Martin Donovan), but their relationship ended when Martyn acknowledged his homosexuality and left her to move in with his lover, Tom Dixon (Ian Hart). Oliver has suffered several injuries in recent months, and one day Hannah comes home from work to discover that Frank has severely wounded Oliver's hand when he lashed out with violence over some minor misbehavior. Hannah kicks Frank out of the house. But he returns, begging forgiveness and promises he'll never hurt Oliver again. She takes him back. Oliver is neither cute and precocious, nor too obviously traumatised. Martyn learns of Frank's violence against his son, and he sues to have full custody of Oliver for the sake of the child's safety. However, Hannah is terrified of both losing her son and being left without a man in her life. She and Frank join forces in court against Martyn, using his homosexuality as their chief weapon against him and try to poison Oliver's mind with homophobia against his father.

This tense domestic drama about child abuse and anti-gay prejudice features a good script and good acting. It's a British film made for Channel Four TV that is complex, intelligent, and emotionally charged, with one of the most convincing trial scenes on film. The soundtrack features selections recorded for the film by Elvis Costello, Annie Lennox, and Paul Weller, with incidental music composed by Anne Dudley. Paula Milne wrote the script from Neville Bolt's story. Angela Pope directed.

Querelle (1982)

Handsome French sailor and prostitute Georges Querelle (Brad Davis) is under the command of Lt. Seblon (Franco Nero), who desires him from afar. After arriving in Brest on Le Vengeur, Querelle murders his drug-smuggling partner Vic (Dieter Schidor) and begins visiting a notorious brothel, La Feria. He discovers that his brother Robert (Hanno Pöschl) is the lover of the lady owner, Lysiane (Jeanne Moreau). The brothers meet with a bizarre greeting halfway between a hug and a fighting match. Lysiane's husband Gil Nono (also Hanno Pöschl) tends bar and manages La Feria's underhanded affairs with the assistance of his friend, the corrupt police captain Mario (Burkhard Driest). Querelle plays dice with Nono. If he wins, he is allowed to make love to Lysiane, if he loses, he has to make love with Nono. Querelle deliberately loses, and finds he has a taste for passive gay sex. He falls in love with fellow murderer Nono, who killed a man who publicly insulted his manhood. To keep Nono for himself, Querelle betrays him to the police. But by now Querelle has become vulnerable and soon he belongs to Seblon. Wanted by the police for both his own crime and Querelle's, Nono goes on the lam. Querelle soon finds his hideout, and a strong bond develops between the two murderers--a friendship that will lead Querelle to the greatest love, and the greatest treachery, of his life. Seblon is aware that Querelle murdered Vic, but chooses to protect him. Near the end of the film, Seblon reveals his love and concern to a drunken Querelle, and they kiss and embrace before returning to Le Vengeur.

Director Rainer Werner Fassbinder was in the process of editing "Querelle" when he died of a drug overdose in June 1982. It was his 36th film. Faithfully adapted from Jean Genet's 1947 novel, "Querelle de Brest", Fassbinder considered it his most important film. The documentary "The Wizard of Babylon" partly chronicles the production of "Querelle" and includes the last footage taken of Fassbinder before his death. Peer Raben comosed the music, and the screenplay derived from Genet was written by Burkhard Driest and Fassbinder. The movie is also known as "Querelle--a Pact with the Devil" and "Querelly--ein Pakt mit dem Teufel".

The Hanging Garden (1997)

25 year-old Sweet William (Chris Leavins), a once fat and self-hating teen, ran away from home at age 15. Basically his only other alternative was suicide. Ten years later he returns to attend his sister Rosemary's (Kerry Fox) wedding. He's happy with his new life, a well-adjusted gay man with a partner, steady work, and a trim body. Haunted by his past miserable adolescence, being back at home revives all of his awful memories: overeating because it's the one thing nobody can stop him from doing; being hit by his drunken and abusive father Whiskey Mac (Peter MacNeill); and his mother arranging for him to have sex with a woman while she sat in the next room. As a gay, obese teenager (played by Troy Veinotte), William was caught having sex with his bisexual friend Fletcher (Joel S. Keller) in the garden by his grandmother when he was 15. Rosemary is marrying Fletcher. In the movie, both the adult and teen-age William, hanging as a fresh corpse in the garden, interact. In the version of reality where William dies, his family members cannot shed their memories of his death, whereas in the other version William is haunted by memories of his father's abuse and is unable to reconcile with him. Also, a new family member Violet (Christine Dunsworth) is revealed to have been fathered by William, because William's mother Iris (Seana McKenna) took him to a prostitute in an attempt to "cure" his homosexuality. In the garden where he may or may not have made a tragic decision as a teen, past and present mingle, the eyes of statues move, and everything drips with rain. The story is a surrealistic mix of fantasy (he commits suicide) and reality (he leaves and starts a new life). William must take care of his drunken father and then help organize a search for his missing mother. Interestingly, Fletcher, who's rejection almost led to William's suicide, is now very attracted to the handsome and sexy former childhood friend.

This darkly comic melodrama is about Sweet William and his family, in which everyone is named after a plant. The film is convoluted, contrived, and confusing, but enjoyable and entertaining, with subtle acting performances. With the background of Celtic music combined with beautiful camera work, the image of a garden as the family and a flower as an individual is nicely done. John Roby composed the music, and Thom Fitzgerald wrote the script and directed.

Partners (1982)

After a series of murders in the LA gay community, straight police sergeant Benson (Ryan O'Neal) is assigned to the case. He is ordered to go undercover as half of a gay couple. The other partner is officer Kerwin (John Hurt), a mousy police clerk everyone in the department knows is gay, although he thinks he's closeted. Benson is horrified at the thought, while Kerwin is shy, apprehensive, and would prefer to work in the office. In order to be noticed they have to be flamboyant enough to attract attention which Benson finds disturbing. The couple adopt their homosexual disguises, which include a lavender Volkswagen, a lavender jogging outfit for Kerwin, and lots of tight-fitting jeans and tank tops for Benson. They set up housekeeping in an apartment house filled with gays. At first, Benson's slovenly ways annoy Kerwin, whose sexual orientation and prissy manners are a source of annoyance for Benson. The film derives much of its humor from Benson's discomfort with homosexuality and his stereotypical ideas of "gay behaviour". Benson must tolerate the passes of aging queens and play the role of hustler in an effort to obtain information. Kerwin instructs Benson in the tricks of the trade, much of which is foreign even to him. Most of the time he putters around their apartment, cooking gourmet meals, emptying ashtrays, and looking grief-stricken when Benson brings home a woman to sleep with. We are shown the evolution of Benson's attitudes toward Kerwin and gay people in general. As the pair close in on the murderer, Kerwin reveals himself to be a far more capable cop than Benson assumes him to be.

This movie was made long before the openness of the the gay community and may seem somewhat simplistic in the way it deals with the subject, but that is part of what makes it so funny. It is respectful of both sides, and allows us to see what stereotyping is capable of leading to. Film critic Rex Reed wrote in the New York Post: "Hollywood's latest crime against humanity in general and homosexuals in particular is a dumb creepshow called "Partners"--stupid, tasteless and homophobic, this sleazy, superficial film implies that gay cops can't be trusted to work with straight cops because they might fall in love with them." Georges Delerue composed the music, Francis Veber wrote the screenplay, and James Burrows directed.

Open Cam (2006)

Manny Yates (Andreau Thomas) is a handsome young artist, still recovering from a relationship that didn't work out. Maurice (Ben Green) is his best friend and occasional sex partner. Manny decides to concentrate on his paintings and limit his social life to his circle of other gay friends, plus nightly visits to "Open Cam", a popular Washington, D.C. gay website. The problem is the guys he hooks up with online later turn up dead, which puts Manny at the center of the investigation conducted by gay detective Hamilton (Amir Darvish), assigned by the police to work on gay cases. A serial killer is finding his victims online and posting snuff films to the website. As the number of victims climb, the detective moves in as "live bait" into Manny's apartment with him, hoping to draw the attention of the killer as well as protect Manny. They play their role so well that they actually become lovers for a time, allowing Hamilton to gauge the reaction of Manny's ex-lovers and friends, one of whom may be the killer. Dark, brooding, no-nonsense, sarcastic Hamilton is divorcing his wife and coming to terms with his gayness. Conrad (J. Mathew Miller) is a computer geek who tracks the email connections on the open cam site and eventually leads to the final climactic scene.

This sexy gay thriller takes viewers on a wild ride studded with grisly murders and hunky men. It has low production values, interesting dialogue, and actors who are not the best. Most viewers have much criticism for this film. Music is by Houston Bernard, Warren Cuccurullo, George Draguns, and Jerry Walterick. Robert Gason wrote the script and directed.

The Ritz (1976)

Cleveland sanitation company owner Gaetano Proclo (Jack Weston) is "married to the mob" because of his wife Vivian (Kaye Ballard). Unfortunately, his brother-in-law Carmine Vespucci (Jerry Stiller) hates him, and on his deathbed Carmine's father tells him to "get Proclo". Certain that Carmine is going to kill him, Proclo takes a cab and tells the driver to take him to the last place any one would ever look for him. Proclo ends up hiding out from the mob in the middle of a gay bath house, the Ritz. The rates are low, the decor is art deco, and the clientele are hilarious! Chris (F. Murray Abraham) is a screaming queen. Googie Gomez (Rita Moreno) is a no-talent lounge singer who wants to become a bath-house star like Bette Midler. He believes Proclo is a Broadway producer. Claude (Paul B. Price) is a "chubby chaser" who takes one look at Proclo and falls in love, then chases him all over the bath house. Patrons hide under beds, are thrown into swimming pools, impersonate the Andrews Sisters, and are pursued by unwanted lovers. Proclos' guides through the Ritz are gatekeeper Abe Lefkowitz (Dave King), Chris, and Go-Go-boys Tiger (John Everson) and Duff (Christopher J. Brown). Falsetto-voiced detective Michael Brick (Treat Williams) and his employer Carmine locate Proclo at the Ritz, as does his wife Vivian.

This very funny farce deals in stereotypes, but is never mean spirited, and the cast portray the eccentric characters hilariously. Filmed long before the AIDS crisis, "The Ritz" offers a comic look at gay bath houses and a way of life that no longer exist. Ken Thorne wrote the music. Terrence McNally wrote the screenplay from his own hit Broadway play. Jack Weston, Jerry Stiller, F. Murray Abraham, and Rita Moreno were in the original stage production. Richard Lester directed.

Pourquoi Pas! (1977)

A rundown suburban villa is home to three friends who live happily together. The trio who make up the ménage-à-trois in "Pourquoi Pas!" are occasionally seen in bed together, but their arrangement apparently has little to do with sex. The sight of these characters asleep as a group--peaceful and comfortable--suggests that they have a stable household. Fernand (Sami Frey) and Alexa (Christine Murillo) are fugitives from failed marriages. His ex-wife won't let Fernand see his children because of his bisexuality. Louis (Mario Gonzáles) is a young bisexual musician who couldn’t get along with his parents. Midway through the story, the film introduces pretty, naïve, and straitlaced Sylvie (Nicole Jamet), whom Fernand wants in the ménage. They have mundane chores to attend to, and much of the film's interest lies in the tiny details of their communal lifestyle. Fernand is the tidy one, the one in charge of getting the vacuum cleaner fixed. Alexa brings home the bacon with a job reading to a bedridden woman who likes to hear the same book over and over again. Louis' contribution is less apparent, and he's more two dimensional than the others. His character with a family history of madness is poorly explained. The strange ménage attracts the attentions of a police inspector (Michel Aumont), but he is also drawn into this world of mutual tolerance and free love, becoming their friend when his own wife leaves him and he has a midlife crisis. The happy community looks as if it might be falling apart when Fernand falls in love with a young middleclass woman.

Although it's slightly dated now, this entertaining and witty tongue-in-cheek film shows that nonconformity isn't what it used to be, and offers a few amusing glimpses of the bohemian world, or what's left of it. There are shades of Luis Buñuel in the way bourgeois attitudes are portrayed and made fun of, but the film is basically a conventional French comedy drama, the kind they don't make in Hollywood. The timing is not good, and the storyline is a little awkward, with subplots that are confusing tangents. Jean-Pierre Mas composed the music, and Coline Serreau wrote the script and directed. In French with English subtitles, the English title is "Why Not!".

Relax... It's Just Sex (1998)

A mixed group of lesbian, gay, and heterosexual friends who frequent a local bar try to accept each others lifestyles. However when the two gays, Vincey (Mitchell Anderson) and Javi Rogero (Eddie Garcia) are attacked, fight back, and ultimately rape one of their attackers, the group becomes strongly divided on their actions. Straight Tara Ricotto (Jennifer Tilly) is the den mother of the group, and tries to hold everyone together. She hosts a dinner party, and when she discusses the HIV-positive results of her lover's brother, others join in with their opinions on AIDS. Black artist Buzz (T. C. Carson), brought to the party as the date of Vincey, quickly becomes a twosome with Javi. Megan (Serena Scott Thomas) breaks up with her black lover Sarina Classer (Cynda Williams) after Megan reveals her affair with Sarina's cousin Jered Bartoziak (Billy Wirth). With lesbian, gay, and straight interactions throughout, the film's framework is reminiscent of Arthur Schnitzler's play "La Ronde" (1900), as characters speak directly to the camera and introduce other characters.

This poly-sexual, multi-racial romantic comedy revolves around the tangled relationships and love affairs of a group of close-knit friends. It's an interesting, intriguing, thought provoking, and disturbing emotional roller coaster ride that provides laughs and tears. It's not really about sex, but about the friendships that happen once in a lifetime. The movie takes story lines that are soap-opera clichés and transforms them with clever realistic dialogue and strong performances. Characters grow increasingly genuine, giving some of the twists in their lives an unexpected emotional impact. Lori L. Eschler composed the music, and the film was written and directed by P. J. Castellaneta.