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On this page - FLEETING GLANCES: | |||||
Reviews by Rich Cline | See also: SHADOWS FILM FESTIVAL | Last update 1.Jun.22 | |||||
The Male Gaze: Fleeting Glances Reviews by Rich Cline | |||||
![]() release UK 3.Jun.22 22/UK NQV 1h48 |
![]() Seven short films make up this collection, each of them zeroing in on a boy or young man who is struggling to cope with his internal desires. Some are only just discovering who they really are and what they are looking for, while others have been hiding so long they barely know themselves. Each clip is quite dark and intense, including one documentary, and all of them are punchy dramas that leave space for audience members to see ourselves on the screen and discover our own meaning. | ||||
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The First Time La Prima Volta ![]()
It begins in a park, where two guys (Franceschini and Rubinelli) are casually watching each other from a distance, while other people mill around them oblivious. As they show subtle signs of attraction, one of them gets up to leavem and the other follows. In a private space, there's a kiss and a clumsy fumble. And one asks, "Is this your first time?" Clearly, these two young men have very different expectations here. One is shy and hopeful, the other more insistent and impatient, not in the mood to deal with someone so inexperienced. This of course leaves both of them unsatisfied. The film is sharply photographed and nicely underplayed by actors who quickly manage to create strong characters and a real sense of connection. The film is a bit vague, ending on an unresolved note that echoes their frustration. | ||||
![]() with Yishai Aminoff, Omri Danino 19/Israel 7m |
Kiss Me ![]()
It opens as Adam is brushing his teeth before his hookup arrives. In anticipation, he answers the door in his underpants. And Shay says, "I told you to wait for me naked." Clearly their expectations aren't aligned from the start, but they get to it anyway. Shay moves quickly, while Adam wants to make a connection. Of course, this leads to a tense conversation. The title reflects the simple barrier between these two men, and the fragility both are feeling. Doov shoots the film viscerally in closeup, deliberately avoiding showing much of anything that goes on between these two men. He cleverly uses silence in awkward pauses, and keeps dialog to a minimum to reveal each guy's self-image issues and internal conflicts. In the end, it's perhaps a bit preachy about the emptiness of online hookups and the hopelessness of finding true love in a painfully straight-acting world. | ||||
![]() anim Ala Edine Jelassi with Nidhal Zidi 22/Tunisia 10m |
Nidhal ![]()
In Tunisia, Nidhal worked at a radio station and specialised in making programmes for queer listeners. But his work was met with harsh homophobia, including from his family. One harrowing clip shows him in a televised debate with an imam who calls for all gay men to be put to death. As a practicing Muslim, he knows that his sexuality has nothing to do with religion or spirituality. But this opens him to criticism and threats, and after being sacked and blacklisted, he flees the country. While he appears on-screen in clips shot in Amsterdam, Nidhal's story is illustrated with eye-catching line drawings that artfully recreate his experiences. In his work, Nidahl is determined to undermine racism and homophobia in the Muslim world, stressing the need for privacy laws and decriminalising homosexuality. And while he still faces abuse, mainly from Arabs, it's wonderful to see him able to be himself now, living a full life with the same rights as everyone else in the Netherlands while refusing to stop making a difference back home. | ||||
![]() with Merrick Rillstone, Matthew Arbuckle, Paul Glover, Tama Jarman, Geoff Houtman, Arthur Ranford, Tammy Lee, Darby Mckessar 16/NZ 15m |
Sparrow ![]()
Jim (Rillstone) is a sensitive 10-year-old who believes he can fly and wears a pair of wings everywhere he goes. His father (Glover) tries to get him to man-up like his boxer grandfather (Arbuckle), who died in the war. Viciously bullied at school for being different, Jim is looking through his grandfather's things when he discovers a long-buried family secret. Inspired by this, Jim finds a way to stand up to the mean boys. Writer-director Ings narrates the story with snippets of poetic text that appear fleetingly on-screen as Jim watches the waves on a beach or explores the woods. His grandfather's story plays out like archival footage, old slides come to life revealing a big story about queer love and death on the battlefield, leading to an unexpected presence. It's all very swirly and evocative, perhaps a bit elusive but also very moving. | ||||
![]() scr Brittany Worthington with Shonagh Smith, Alan Nguyen, Dustin Smith, Lisa Ashby, Sophie Knifton, Emily Weitekamp, Chloe Krause, Eman Esfandi 19/US 20m |
I Am Mackenzie ![]()
In backwoods Texas, androgynous teen Mackenzie (Smith) can't understand why his dad (Smith) is trying to get back with his angry ex Kathy (Ashby). So Mac runs off and goes skating with his friend August (Nguyen). After August tries to get the attention of some girls, Mac suggests that they leave. And when they're alone, they have an unexpected romantic encounter that unsettles both of them. While other kids call Mac "she", August sees him as a partner in crime. So it's shocking to see August's opinion shift when Mac tries on Kathy's gold sequinned dress. And of course this new sexualised connection proves very complicated for both of them. While the film feels deliberate in its provocations, it's also a powerful reminder that teens are on a journey to discover themselves, who they are and what their deeper desires mean. | ||||
![]() scr Lorenzo Caproni, Martina Maranelli with Antonio De Matteo, Sandro Giordano, Alessia Berardi, Enrico Vandini, Lily Rachel, Gabriele Caliari, Alessio De Santa, Martina Maranelli 10/Italy 23m |
The Place Between Us Il Posto Fra di Noi ![]()
At their home in the woods, Matteo bugs his partner Giorgio by watching him incessantly through a videocamera. But does he really see him? Tonight Giorgio's artsy friends are visiting from the city for lunch. While they discuss their friends and chat about films, Matteo doesn't know what to say. Frustrated at being unable to join the conversation, Matteo gives up and goes inside. So Giorgio goes to find him. The dialog bristles with real life, bouncing from topic to topic with improv-style authenticity, played with relaxed ease by the cast. The attraction between Matteo and Giorgio is powerful from the start, subtly acted by De Matteo and Giordano, complicated with underlying feelings that will feel familiar to anyone who has been in a relationship. Director Caproni's approach begins to feel fatalistic and vague, but the film leaves us with plenty to think about. | ||||
![]() scr Denoal Rouaud, Thomas Pujol with Sofian Khammes, Jordi Gimeno, Naidra Ayadi, Victoire Du Bois, Malik Issolah, Alexandra Placzek, Nathalie Richard, Chad Chenouga 18/France 20m |
By the End of the Night Que la Nuit Sachève ![]()
At 30, Karim (Khammes) is an executive driver whose private life has fallen apart, so he throws himself into his work. His latest client is foreign painter Alex (Gimeno), who invites him to his show. Karem is startled by Alex's homoerotic artwork and the gender-bending crowd in the gallery. But he's also intrigued by a spark of attraction he felt with Alex when they first met. Then Alex invites him to a raucous gay rave, where he instinctually reacts badly to a man who flirts with him.
The film keeps to Karim's point of view as he slowly, almost reluctantly begins to face things he has been hiding his whole life, even from himself. Khammes is excellent as a man who is persistently nudged out of his shell by Gimeno's sensitive, likeable Alex. Running hot and cold, Karim has no idea how to live as himself. But he is learning that he needs to try. And with some family support, he might get there one day.
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![]() See also: SHADOWS FILM FESTIVAL © 2022 by Rich Cline, Shadows
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