By Gary M. Kramer–
The Mill Valley Film Festival runs October 3–13 at various locations. This year’s program features a dozen features, documentaries, and shorts that are by, for, and about the LGBTQ community, including early chances to see Luca Guadagnino’s Queer and Pedro Almodóvar’s The Room Next Door. Here is a rundown of six features and four shorts screening at this year’s fest.
The vibrant trans narco musical Emilia Pérez is an operatic story of love, violence, and the power of women. A propulsive audacious experience, director Jacques Audiard’s film has Rita Moro Castro (Zoe Saldana), a lawyer in Mexico City, hired by the drug kingpin Manitas Del Monte (trans actress Karla Sofia Gascón in a dual role), to help him get a sex change. Four years later, Manitas, now Emilia Pérez, wants Rita to help her get her wife Jessi (Selena Gomez) and kids back. It’s a risky prospect because Jessi and their children are unaware of Emilia’s identity. Moreover, both Jessi and Emilia Pérez develop romantic feelings for other people. As a battle between Emilia and Jessi ensues, with Rita caught in the middle, Emilia Pérez builds to its explosive finale. The musical numbers, which include one about vaginoplasty, are fabulous and Saldana is sensational. While it may not be for all tastes, Emilia Pérez is just like its title character: unique, bold, and uncompromising. Audiard’s film is sensational in every regard. See it on the big screen before it hits Netflix.
Billy Preston: That’s the Way God Planned It is a loving tribute to the late, great, gay (and largely closeted) musician who had remarkable career highs and some very low personal moments. Director Paris Barclay emphasizes the former, showcasing Preston’s astonishing music prowess. As a youth, he played in his church and performed in gospel groups before going on tour at age 16 with Little Richard. He performed with Ray Charles and the Beatles. But the wealth and fame he achieved was eroded as he succumbed to drug and alcohol addiction. He was arrested multiple times for various crimes and eventually was incarcerated. Barclay’s documentary features Preston’s friends—Ringo Starr and Eric Clapton, among them—recalling their interactions with this musical genius who had difficulty reconciling his sexuality and his religion. The performance clips are electrifying, which only magnifies the tragedy of the troubles Preston experienced.
Bird is writer/director Andrea Arnold’s moody, intense drama about Bailey (Nykiya Adams), a wise beyond her years 12-year-old. (Her mother claims she was “born looking for trouble.”) Angry that her father Bug (Barry Keoghan) is getting re-married, and combatant towards her mom Payton’s (Jasmine Jobson) abusive boyfriend (James Nelson-Joyce), Bailey befriends a skirt-wearing stranger named Bird (Franz Rogowski), who may be a savant. The bond that develops between Bailey and Bird is kind of a chosen family; they each grapple with their awkward personal situations, which forms the film’s emotional core. Bird unfolds largely through Bailey’s eyes thanks to Andrea’s intimate, handheld camerawork. While the moments of magical realism amid the characters’ hardscrabble lives may be too precious—and the film is not explicitly queer—Bird does provide a palpable sensory experience.
Griffin Nafly (Everett Blunck), the teenage protagonist of the heartfelt coming-of-age comedy Griffin in Summer, obsesses over staging his latest dramatic production to equity standards. However, Griffin’s aspirations are met with a distraction in the form of Brad (Owen Teague), a bad boy handyman whose loud music breaks Griffin’s concentration. But when Griffin learns that Brad is a failed New York City performance artist, he soon obsesses over the decade-older hunk, plying him with whiskey, as well as texting and meeting him regularly. Brad is oblivious to Griffin’s obvious crush, but he agrees to appear in Griffin’s play—a drama about buying into the idea of love only to discover that it is a black hole of betrayal and despair. Soon, life imitates art and Griffin must confront his desires head-on. Writer/director Nicholas Colia’s sensitive film features both cringe-inducing moments and scenes of deadpan comedy, along with a pitch-perfect performance from Blunck and a sly supporting turn from Teague.
Out gay writer/director Pedro Freire’s debut feature Malu is an impassioned character study set in 1990s Rio. The headstrong Malu (Yara de Novaes), a once successful actress, hopes to open a theater and cultural center. Malu lives with her mother, Lili (Juliana Carneiro de Cunha), who does not appreciate Malu smoking weed, or hanging out with the queer Tibira (Átila Bee). Lili tries to get the local priest to “help” Malu, but that intervention ends in a fight where both mother and daughter injure each other. When Malu’s adult daughter, Joana (Carol Duarte), arrives from São Paulo, Malu must navigate another fraught familial relationship. A health issue soon shifts the dynamic between the women. Freire’s film, inspired by his own mother, is like its titular character—tough and tender in equal measure, and de Novaes’ performance is compelling.
The True Story of Tamara de Lempicka, by Bay Area filmmaker Julie Rubio, is a hagiographic documentary that recounts the life and times of the titular bisexual art deco artist. Underappreciated in her lifetime, when her portraits of female nudes were groundbreaking, her work is now highly valued by collectors including Barbra Streisand, Madonna, and others. Rubio shows how de Lempicka reinvented herself as this aristocratic, Jewish, and female artist who was oppressed by patriarchal, social, religious, and political forces throughout the 20th century. Alas, her relationship with Suzy Solidor, who modeled for de Lempicka, is only briefly mentioned. The numerous paintings on display are marvelous, and the series of talking heads—which include San Francisco’s Paula Birbaum and Dr. Furio Rinaldi—make a case for de Lempicka’s importance, Unfortunately, director Rubio does the artist’s fascinating life a disservice by making repetitive if salient points, especially about her being treated unfairly in the art world because she was a woman.
There are some worthwhile LGBTQ shorts screening at the Mill Valley Film Festival.
Mother is a terrific observational documentary featuring Malia Spanyol, who bemoans the absence of lesbian bars in San Francisco (they all closed). She soon opens Mother, a queer bar. As she manages everything from the tricky plumbing to the straight men who can upset the vibe, to hosting a “prom” theme night, Malia’s efforts are laudatory. Mother chronicles the development of a much-needed space for the lesbian queer community, and this short will make anyone who sees it want to visit.
Out of the Dark: Cal Calamia is an inspiring and hopeful biographical portrait of the transman Cal Calamia, who grew up as a young girl and felt “that everything about me was wrong.” Through photos, videos, and a poignant voiceover, Cal recounts his story, which involves depression and anxiety, and how running proved to be lifesaving for him. This short, heartfelt doc emphasizes that transpeople can thrive when they are able to be themselves.
Sixteen is an excellent drama about Yumi (Anel Marat), a religious teen whose friend Helen (Miyu Roberts) unexpectedly outs her. Yumi is suddenly adrift, uncertain about what Helen said, and confronted by her pastor (Seong Park), who told her parents. As Yumi is directed to a support group, she first wants to talk with Helen, who may be ignoring her. Sixteen is a modest but satisfying drama that speaks to the fear some teenagers have around being gay, as well as how Yumi finds a way to recover her sense of self after experiencing powerlessness.
Something Borrowed, Something Pink is a smart short about acceptance as Natalie (Samora La Pérdida), a trans woman, attends both the bachelor party for her best friend, Max (Tristao Darius Azor), as well as the bachelorette party hosted by Max’s fiancé, Jillian (Yadira Guevara). The two very different gatherings help Natalie establish her place in the couple’s lives as the dynamics of love and friendship evolve. The film shifts from a fun space to something more poignant and thoughtful as Natalie tries to bridge the gap between her and Jillian. Moreover, writer/director Nadia Johnson’s short is well-acted and stylishly filmed.
© 2024 Gary M. Kramer
Gary M. Kramer is the author of “Independent Queer Cinema: Reviews and Interviews,” and the co-editor of “Directory of World Cinema: Argentina.” He teaches Short Attention Span Cinema at the Bryn Mawr Film Institute and is the moderator for Cinema Salon, a weekly film discussion group. Follow him on Twitter @garymkramer
Film
Published on October 3, 2024
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