Loggerheads (2005)

Mark Austin (Kip Padue), a soft-spoken drifter in his 20s, travels to a small coastal town near Wilmington, North Carolina in order to save the endangered Loggerhead turtles that nest on the beach in the summer. Mark's journey brings us into contact with three other characters, each at the crossroads of their lives. George (Michael Kelly) is a local motel owner who has avoided dealing with his emotions. Grace Bellamy (Bonnie Hunt), a middle-aged airport car-rental agent recovering from a breakdown, has returned to her hometown in the mountains near Asheville to stay with her mother Sheridan (Michael Learned). Plagued by the desire to fill an emotional void, Grace embarks on a search for the child (Mark) she secretly gave up for adoption when she was a teenager. Elizabeth Austin (Tess Harper) has lived a fishbowl existence as the wife of minister Robert (Chris Sarandon) for 25 years in the small town of Eden. The Austins are the adoptive parents of Mark, but he ran away when they punished him for kissing a boy. Neighbor Rachel (Robin Weigert) says she knows his whereabouts, perhaps allowing for a chance of reconciliation for Elizabeth.

George, who is mourning the loss of a male partner who drowned, offers free lodging to Mark, who confesses that he is HIV-positive. Marc and George develop a romantic bond that is haunted by the tragedy of their pasts. As they become closer, Mark's spirit hovers over the lives of Elizabeth and Grace. Caught between maternal love and religious dogma, Elizabeth misses her only son terribly. She can't accept the fact that her son is gone, yet his homosexuality sits too uncomfortably with her husband. When two men and a little boy move into the house across the street, Elizabeth speculates that their new neighbors might be same sex lovers with an adopted son. Grace feels incomplete and has years of pent-up shame. She aches to reconnect with her long-lost son, and must fend off the judgment of her mother who would prefer her to forget it all and just move on.

Inspired by a true story, and set in three different geographical regions of North Carolina, the movie unfolds in three carefully layered separate storylines. The tale involves adoption, conservative Christianity, homosexuality, AIDS, intolerance, and the different layers of maternal guilt and grief. The script jumps around but eventually comes together in a kind-hearted melancholy way. It's slow, and the final ten minutes leads to a denouement that never takes place. It ends with unanswered questions. Filmed on location primarily in Wilmington, North Carolina in May, 2004. Mark Geary wrote the original score as well as two songs for the film. Tim Kirkman wrote the screenplay from Caitlin Dixon's story, and also directed.

Madagascar Skin (1995)

Surrounded by muscle boys at the gay disco, Harry (John Hannah) is alone. The large birthmark on his face sees to that. In the dark room he enjoys the touch of other men but once the lights come on, he is alone again. Depressed to the point of madness, Harry contemplates suicide. He drives to England's north shore and breaks down, both physically and mentally. One day, while walking along the beach he comes across an overturned bucket. When he kicks it he discovers that beneath it is a head! Buried to his neck and comatose is Flint (Bernard Hill), a strange enigmatic man whom Harry nurses back to health. Flint has felt the pains of time and lives on the beach eating spiders and mice. He is heterosexual and the two are wary of each other to begin with. But they set up house together in a little clay cottage by the sea. Flint is older and crusty and his background is mysterious. Harry is attracted to Flint but is in fear of rejection. Slowly mutual affection rules and the way it happens is both touching and believable. They realize that they are outcasts in an unfeeling society. There always remains the threat of outside forces ripping apart their idealistic life. These two men begin an odd yet rewarding relationship that proves that all of us can find someone we can trust, need, and love. The movie focuses on how their relationship is transformed from distrust, through respect, and ultimately to attraction.

Harry has a birthmark in the shape of Madagascar across much of the left side of his face, hence the title. The photography is beautiful, the plot is good, and the acting is well done. But it tends to be artsy, using a lot of symbolism and stilted dialogue. Sarah Hopkins, Thurlow Lieurance, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, and Patrick Prins composed the songs on the soundtrack. Chris Newby wrote the screenplay and directed.

A Man of No Importance (1994)

Alfie Byrne (Albert Finney) is a middle-aged bus conductor in Dublin in 1963. He is gay, but firmly closeted, and his sister Lily (Brenda Fricker) is always trying to find him "the right girl". His hero and role model is Oscar Wilde, and his hobby is putting on amateur theatre productions in the local church hall. Alfie has directed "The Importance of Being Ernest" using bus passengers as the cast, and it was a flop. He wears Wilde's trademark green carnation while riding an emerald-green double-decker bus. The passengers on his bus route are treated to daily excerpts from Oscar Wilde. We follow him as he struggles with temptation, friendship, disapproval, and the conservative world of Ireland in the early 1960s.

One day he spots a beautiful young woman named Adele Rice (Tara Fitzgerald) who inspires him to attempt to stage "Salome" with her as the title character. Wilde's play causes outrage from the more conservative members of the community, who attempt to stop Alfie. Rather than giving in, Alfie chooses to be true to himself, a decision that forces him to face his true feelings towards his young handsome co-worker Robbie Fay (Rufus Sewell), who dislikes his flowery language. Alfie calls him Bosie, the pet name Wilde used for his lover, Lord Alfred Douglas. "I'm going to find out who this Bosie is," Robbie says warily, but he never asks. Alfie becomes unhappy when Lily tries to match him with Adele. Meanwhile, the local butcher Ivor J. Carney (Michael Gambon), along with Lily, try to stop the production of "Salome". Alfie is rebuffed by the church and encouraged by the ghost of Wilde. Coming out results in initial disaster--a brutal gay bashing which is nothing compared with complete exposure to family, friends and co-workers.

This charming and witty film with a shaky plot has a great cast, and a wonderful performance by Finney. The movie shows pain and bigotry, but it also has comedy. Especially funny are the scenes in which Alfie tries to make actors out of bus passengers. The slow pace allows for plenty of character development, and the soundtrack features Eartha Kitt's version of "Let's Fall in Love". Original music was composed by Julian Nott, Barry Devlin wrote the screenplay, and Suri Krishnamma directed.

Mr. Smith Gets a Hustler (2003)

Set in a bar in the meat-packing district of NYC, this drama is about a group of male prostitutes managed by creepy pimp Mr. Lapp (Benjamin Hendrickson). One of his boys is Bobby (Alex Feldman), a handsome athletic 18-year-old who supports himself and his alcoholic mother Doreen (Anna Thompson) by hustling businessmen. Mr. Smith (Larry Pine) is a married banker who engages Bobby's "services". But Mr. Smith isn't like other johns. He's a repeat customer who spends $600 a night with Bobby, asking him about his hopes and dreams, but seems oblivious to Bobby's physical attractiveness and more interested in conversation than sex. This makes Bobby suspect there's more to Mr. Smith than he lets on. Bobby isn't the only one kept under the thumb of his sleazy, drug-dealing pimp. Abe (J. D. Williams), a new boy arrives on the scene, driven by the desperation of a debt that must be repaid. One day, a sinister customer comes sniffing around asking the new hustler questions about Mr. Smith. It isn't long before an amazing past is revealed, and the lives of both Bobby and Mr. Smith are changed forever. Bobby's world is shattered by Mr. Smith's secret: he is a former bank vice-president on the run after bilking a customer out of money, and he's in New York to try and reconcile with his son Bobby.

If you can't figure out who Mr. Smith is ten minutes into the movie you need to get out more often. Ian McCrudden's direction is spare in style and rich in character development, and the rough-edged production design and cinematography suit the story perfectly. The acting performances are fine, and Mathew Swan's script has good dialogue. Original music is by Tom Paul and Jesse Selengut.

P.S. Your Cat is Dead (2002)

On New Year's Eve, unemployed LA actor and writer Jimmy Zoole (Steve Guttenberg) is having a terrible night. His girlfriend Kate (Cynthia Watros) has just left him, his latest play has been cancelled after only one performance, and he has just learned that his cat has died in an animal clinic. Then Zoole discovers burglar Eddie Tesoro (Lombardo Boyar) hiding under his bed and decides to teach him a lesson. Zoole ties him to the kitchen counter, and drunk on power tortures and torments the gay Mexican burglar for the next 24 hours. He learns Tesoro had broken in a few times before, stealing his manuscripts and other things. Tesoro fights back with clever words and the two argue during a claustrophobic evening. Trapped together in a standoff, what initially begins as a game of cat-and-mouse becomes a strange experience, as the two different men bond over their situation and their shared struggles. Their relationship takes on a homosexual dimension when Tesoro tells him he is gay and Zoole interviews him about his love life, supposedly "to get material for a novel". Zoole, who was earlier shown as being in mourning for a male friend, begins to question his own sexuality. He gets revenge on his girlfriend when she shows up at his apartment with her date, only to find him chatting with a young bare-butted male tied to his sink. Eventually, Zoole and Tesoro come to terms with each other and the last scene hints at a deep friendship.

This witty, bizarrely twisted black comedy is based on the novel and play by James Kirkwood, Jr., who also helped write the screenplay. Eddie is named Vito in some earlier versions. Director Steve Guttenberg combined the play and the novel into a movie, which he co-wrote with comedian Jeff Korn, starring himself as Jimmy Zoole.

Sunday Bloody Sunday (1971)

Daniel Hirsh (Peter Finch), a gay Jewish doctor, and Alex Greville (Glenda Jackson), a divorced middle-aged recruitment consulant, share the same answering service. They also share the same lover, because both are both having affairs with the same male sculptor, Bob Elkin (Murray Head). He is much younger, bisexual, and quite self-absorbed. Not only are Hirsh and Greville aware that Elkin is seeing the other but they actually know each other as well. Despite this, they put up with the situation through fear of losing Elkin, who switches freely between them. For Greville, the relationship is part of the growing disillusionment with her life, failed marriage and difficult childhood. For Hirsh, it is an escape from his repressed Jewish upbringing. He is not concerned or obsessed with his homosexuality. Both realise their situation is temporary, and when Elkin decides to leave the country, they both come face to face for the first time, at the very end. Despite their competitive situation and love for Elkin, both know that it is time to move on.

This drama about the bisexual love triangle between three characters navigating the changing mores of the early 1970s sexual revolution straddles the line between character study and social commentary. Considered groundbreaking for its frank depiction of homosexuality, including one of the first onscreen same sex kisses, the film's nonjudgmental approach to its characters' loneliness is shaped by Penelope Gilliatt's screenplay, John Schlesinger's direction, and the excellent performances of its two leads. Ron Geesin composed the original music. Schlesinger's film highlights some facts about how people's attitudes to relationships and each other have changed over just two generations.

The Night Larry Kramer Kissed Me (2002)

This is a concert film of David Drake's one man stage show about growing up gay in the 1990s. Those who missed his off-Broadway smash hit that opened in 1992 can now see the very talented Drake in his largely autobiographical performance piece. From his opening monologue describing the impact playwright Larry Kramer's "The Normal Heart" had on him, to his amusing story of "Why I Go to the Gym," Drake gives a brilliant multi-character performance, playing many gay characters through the show: from an innocent child, to a lovestruck teenager, to a happy man in a long term relationship. The ease with which he abruptly switches roles is startling, honest, and impressive. He plays the range of characters not only to make a statement, but to also include us in the piece as well. Sketch after sketch, you come to accept his perspective, as he speaks about politically and emotionally charged issues. The play concludes with a rather warm-hearted look at a decade into the future, which Drake envisions as fantastic. David Drake's second one-man play is a riveting, artsy, gutsy, and wonderful piece of writing and acting, sparingly enriched by sound and visuals. The DVD includes two older endings that show how our lives have changed since the play was first produced. Written as a message of hope and performed by David Drake. Directed by Tim Kirkman and filmed at the Baltimore Theatre Project.

No One Sleeps (2000)

Stefan Hein (Tom Wlaschiha) is a doctoral student from a German university who visits San Francisco to make a presentation at a university. He explains an old idea, originally adopted by his father (Ed Burke), that AIDS was created around 1978 when the US government tested varieties of sheep viruses on prisoners in return for releasing the prisoners earlier than expected. Although the reception to his presentation is impolite, Stefan is determined to spend some time in SF to see if he can find any more evidence to substantiate the theory. At the university, Stefan makes three acquaintances: friendly graduate student Sascha (Michael Lovaglia), neurologist Dr. Richard Burroghs (Richard Conti), and enigmatic bearded hunk Jeffrey Russo (Jim Thalman). A serial killer is haunting the gay bars of the city and killing HIV positive long-term survivors, and he paints the bodies of his victims with a red cross. One dead body shows up in a Presidio fortification, and Stefan's research leads him to a club kid, whose entrance is as a corpse. At both deaths, witnesses heard music from Puccini's last grand opera, "Turandot".

Homicide Detective Louise Tolliver (Irit Levi), the SFPD officer in charge of the investigation joins Stefan to investigate. Connections gradually appear between the characters. Some people hum tunes from "Turandot" and one character is on the board of the San Francisco Opera, which is currently performing the work. Stefan is very determined to meet a promising but dangerous character who works as a waiter. Is it love, lust, or research? The FBI is unusually interested in the situation. Stefan discovers that Burroughs is probably in possession of secret government lists and his influence is not confined to SF. But by this time Stefan is the hunted, just as Louise Tolliver begins to focus her investigation on him. There is a climax with an incomplete resolution.

"No One Sleeps" is an erotic thriller set against the backdrop of an AIDS conspiracy fantasy. It was filmed in English, but was produced by a German production company with a primarily German crew. The movie combines suspense, tension, drama, and romance with mediocre writing, direction, and acting. James Hardway composed the music, and the script was witten by Michael Nelson Finn, Jochen Hick, Irit Levi, and Arthur Martin. Jochen Hick directed.

Rope (1948)

Brandon Shaw (John Dall) and Philip Morgan (Farley Granger) are two young men who share a New York apartment. They consider themselves intellectually superior to their friend David Kentley (Dick Hogan) and decide to murder him as an intellectual challenge. Together they strangle David with a rope, stuff his body into an antique chest, and throw a dinner party serving their guests from the tabletop of the man's grave. In attendance are: Mr. Henry Kentley (Cedric Hardwicke) and Mrs. Anita Atwater (Constance Collier), the victim's father and aunt; Kenneth Turner (Christopher Tremain), the victim's rival for the hand of Janet Walker (Joan Chandler), David's fiancée, who also attends; Mrs. Wilson (Edith Evanson), the servant; and Rupert Cadell (James Stewart), the murderers' former teacher. Brandon's feelings of superiority swell to reckless levels throughout the evening as he makes a game out of dropping his guests hints about the crime. Meanwhile, Phillip grows increasingly afraid and guilt-ridden as Rupert inches ever closer to discovering why David hasn't yet arrived at the party. As Brandon becomes increasingly more daring, Rupert begins to suspect.

Alfred Hitchcock's version of the Leopold/Loeb murder case features two obviously gay characters played by two gay actors (John Dall and Farley Granger) and was written by gay playwright Arthur Laurents. It is Hitchcock's first Technicolor film and has been largely ignored since its release. But it's a nail-biter with homosexual overtones. They don't call him the "Master of Suspense" for nothing. David Buttolph composed the music. "Rope" is based on the play of the same name by Patrick Hamilton, which was based on a real murder case in 1924. Hitchcock wanted it as close to a stage play as possible, and the entire movie has only nine breaks, taking place in real time and being edited so as to appear as a single continuous shot through the use of long takes. The real genius in "Rope" comes from the acting and direction.

Trembling before G-d (2001)

Shot in six countries, this documentary shatters assumptions about faith, sexuality, and religious fundamentalism in Judaism. It took the director six years to get enough people to speak out on film about the topic. Some of them are out of the closet, but a number of them are not. Built around personal stories of Hasidic and Orthodox Jews who are gay or lesbian, the film portrays a group of people who face a dilemma--how to reconcile their Judaism with the Biblical prohibitions that forbid homosexuality. The advice given to homosexual men by their rabbis is to overcome their "affliction". Strict interpretation of biblical texts holds that certain types of sexual intercourse are an abomination. Therfore, homosexual men are encouraged to marry women despite their sexual orientation. As the film unfolds, we meet a range of complex individuals, some closeted, some out: from the world's first openly gay Orthodox rabbi, to closeted, married Hasidic gays and lesbians, to those abandoned by religious families, to Orthodox lesbian high-school sweethearts. Many have been rejected, yet with irony, humor and resilience, they love, care, struggle, and question their old traditions. Ultimately, they are forced to question how they can pursue truth and faith in their lives, while upholding the struggle to belong. Some remain sympathetic to their faith, but some have all but abandoned it.

Israel is a 58-year-old New Yorker who decided he couldn't be gay and Orthodox, and turned his back on his religion, though not before his family forced him into electroshock therapy to try to "cure" him. Rabbi Steven Greenberg is the first openly gay Orthodox rabbi, and discusses parents' reactions to their children coming out, as well as traditional interpretations of the prohibitions on homosexual acts in the Torah. Shlomo Ashkenazy is a gay psychotherapist who has run a confidential support group for Orthodox gay men for nearly 20 years. Mark is the English son of an ultra-Orthodox rabbi. Coming out at 15, he was expelled from seven yeshivas for homosexual activity before becoming a drag queen, and is now dying of AIDS-related illness.

Directed by Sandi Simcha Dubowski, the documentary features a soundtrack by John Zorn. There is no narration, and the film may be considered to be an example of cinéma vérité. The title refers to the word Haredi (חֲרֵדִי‎), which can be interpreted as "one who trembles" in awe of God, and the spelling of the word "G-d" in the film's title reflects the Jewish practice of avoiding writing the name of God. The DVD has the usual commentary and theatrical trailers, plus one disc devoted to special features. It explains the medieval rite of atonement for homosexual acts, and a panel of prominent rabbis discuss their thoughts on the issues raised by the film.