This collection of five shorts on lesbian themes is a curious beast, wildly variable in tone and quality.
The first one, CCTV (Iran) feels like a proof of concept, setting up a scenario in which two schoolgirls are summoned from class to explain themselves for an unnamed transgression. It seems like it's going to explore their relationship or perhaps their plan to escape punishment but does neither.
SHE’S A FRIEND [UNA AMIGA] (Spain) is much longer, depicting a couple arriving for some type of holiday in a cabin and then being interrupted by the brother of one of them. It becomes quite the melodrama but it is never clear why there is such drama in this family.
The next two are definitely the best. QUEEN SIZE (France) is very cleverly written and shot, showing two disparate women dragging a mattress across Paris and getting to know each other a best. The two actors have good chemistry and one wants to see what happens once the film ends.
A LADY’S RITUAL (Germany) is the longest, at 30 mins, and is an oddity, a costume drama that also has elements of eco-politics that seem more modern. There is quite good use of costume and it has humour, as well.
The final film, JOEY’S HEART (New Zealand), I found quite confusing. The opening is a delight as the titular Joey expertly multi-tasks, attending a video call while also, uh, performing other actions. From there it is a bit downhill, never capturing the earlier vigour. It feels like it jumps around in time as characters appear and disappear from Joey's love life, while she complains about being single. For me it does not go anywhere and it is not clear how it fits in with the theme of open secrets.
So, a mixed bag.
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