Friday, June 24, 2022, 3:45pm Castro
+Streaming
- Monsieur le Butch 👍
- My Mother’s Girlfriend (Mazhya Aaichi Girlfriend/माझ्या आईची Girlfriend) 👍
- Neuzeit (Boom and Bloom) 👍
- Blunt 💝
- Rosa 💝
- 無地自容 (无地自容) (Wúdìzìróng) (Frozen Out) 🫤
“Monsieur le Butch” narrative, dir. Jude Dry, 2022, USA, 12m. 👍
Honorable Mention: Jury award, Best Narrative Short
Jude, a 30-something butch-of-center trans/non-binary person, unexpectedly
moves back in with their mother at the height of the Covid quarantine. Mom has
strong opinions, and doesn’t get the whole “trans thing.” The two talk as Jude
gives Mom a back-yard haircut. The drama is scripted, but the Jude and their
mother are played by the filmmaker and their real-life mother, who
occasionally interjects comments about the script. Jude is wrestling with the
difference between understanding and acceptance, and also planning to open a
hair salon after Lockdown. Well done, highly recommended.
“My Mother’s Girlfriend (Mazhya Aaichi Girlfriend/माझ्या आईची
Girlfriend)” narrative, dir. Arun Fulara, 2021, India, 15m., in Marathi & Hindi w/
full English subtitles 👍
(Note: the title in Devanagari script is in Marathi.)
A divorced dad goes hiking in the mountains with his gay son, who just broke
up with someone, but dad didn’t even know the son was dating. They’ve been out
of one another’s lives for some time, but work to rebuild a connection. Well
done, highly recommended.
•
IMDb page
• Instagram: @Stef.anius
• Trailer •
“Blunt” narrative, dir. Hisonni Johnson (Hisonni Mustafa), 2021, USA, 20m. 💝
Kate and Aiden (Destiny Faith Nelson, pictured) decide it’s time to talk to
Kate’s parents. Kate takes Henry and Aiden takes Diana. Kate confronts her dad
about having used the N-word in reference to Aiden, which Aiden overheard on
the phone. Meanwhile, Aiden has dinner with Diana, talking about what she
expects of someone to be in a relationship with Kate, and Aiden suggests they share a bit of cannabis to diffuse the tension. The conversations confront a lot of issues of racism and homophobia, but with enough humor to keep the tête-à-tête flowing. Exquisitely well written, performed, and produced, definitely a must see.
“Rosa” narrative, dir. Ferran Navarro-Beltrán, 2022, Spain, 13m., in Spanish with
full English subtitles 💝
Rosa goes to a public swimming pool to talk to one of the lifeguards, Rosa’s daughter whom she hasn’t seen since she transitioned. It’s the daughter’s 18th birthday, but she is reluctant to engage. Rosa patiently keeps the door open, allowing the two to begin the process of restoring and reframing their relationship. Direct and heartfelt, but subtle and sweet, must see.
“無地自容 (无地自容) (Wúdìzìróng) (Frozen Out)” spoken word, dir. Hao Zhou, 2021, USA/China, 5m., in Chinese with full
English subtitles 🫤
Framed as a letter home to a sister in rural China (although I only got that tidbit from the program notes) an émigré in Iowa (ditto) walks through a frozen landscape and muses about same-sex love, leaving home, and family. It was very well produced, but without any context to understand what is being said. The narrator even remarks that “you” (the audience and the sister) know almost nothing of their story. Tepidly recommended.
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