BFI Flare: Warnings from History

 Willem and Frieda is a gripping watch as Stephen Fry wanders present-day Amsterdam, like an absent-minded professor intoning lessons. The city looks lovely, with its lapping canals and twinkling lights. But the story he tells is of an extraordinary band of rebels who defied the occupying Nazis via forgery and sabotage. 

The titular heroes were two creative types, struggling artist Willem Arondeus and cellist Frieda Belinfante. Both were openly gay and when called, they stepped up and became part of a forgery circle producing legal documents to allow Jews and other hunted citizens to escape. 

The climax is an attack on the Population Registry, to sabotage the Nazis matching up the forgeries with the genuine documents. This would make a brilliant film in its own right. One can only admire the guts and determination to take a stand. The attack was on 27 March 1943, so a recent anniversary. One hopes there is at least a plaque commemorating it. 

The short doc Golden Voice brings us another astonishing story, of a trans man who met his wife  when both were working as forced labour under the Khmer Rouge in 1979. The story-telling is poor, a mix of badly recorded interviews and random shots of people wandering fields, but underneath is a tale of fortitude and self confidence. 

BFI Flare: Sting in the Tail

Next up are two features that are ostensibly comedies but end up being a bit more than expected. Jess Plus None starts with a woman masturbating and ends with her at the side of the road making a decision about her future. In between Jess attends the wedding of her best friend and all hell breaks loose. Most of the action takes place on a campsite, the second film I've seen at the festival (Big Boys) to do so. Although the film is set up to see Jess confronting her ex, Sam, at the wedding, it veers off in an unexpected direction which is refreshing. The titular character does a lot of cringey things, some of them unpleasant, and it's not as funny as one might expect, but I like the way it brings uncertainty and spirituality into the mix.

Egghead and Twinkie

I spent several days watching Egghead and Twinkie, as I found it overly busy and needlessly gimmicky, but that is apparently in tune with its Generation Z aesthetic--lots of flashing animation and bright colours. At its heart it is about a friendship that is tested over a roadtrip spanning several days with the two title characters revealing secrets that test their relationship. The best character is the boba girl they meet in a diner as the film jumps back and forth in time and the duo get in and out of scrapes as they make their trip. It felt a bit glib but I enjoyed the performances and the message. It's a welcome change to see friendship foregrounded over romance and with a bit of comedy thrown in, to boot.

BFI Flare: Drifting

Drifter

The festival finishes today but I may yet review some more films after that. For today I shall cover last night's closing night film, Drifter, from Germany. While the first shot is an explicit one of a hand job, the rest of the film is a bit coy although there is an abundance of sexuality on show. Moritz, newly arrived in Berlin, has no particular plans other than with his boyfriend, who quickly drops him. Thereafter the main character wanders from scene to scene, being picked up and invited in by all and sundry. He is curiously passive, a blank canvas to be painted on over and over, as everyone seems to be attracted by his slim build, smooth skin and bland features. 

I wondered at the message of the film, as he never  seems fully immersed in anything and adopts whatever masks his peers are wearing. There is an extraordinary scene set in the wet room of a club and the performers all throw themselves into the action, but it feels a bit meh by the end. 

Of the many shorts I have watched, I was especially taken by Oisín, an Irish film centring on a single mum and her young son who is autistic. Shot in a style that makes you question reality, it is a very affecting family portrait as well as an unexpected girl meets girl story with a charismatic performance by Sarah Jane Seymour as the next door neighbour full of intentions. 

Also worth a look is I Was Never Really Here, as two young men form an attachment under the shadow of immigration decisions. It's beautifully shot on actual film!

Kitchen Sink Fantasy

Kitchen Sink Fantasy is a quirky sci fi comedy bursting with colour, as a shapeshifter goes on a quest, abetted by a Fairy Godmum. 

Life in Love: Cinthia & Robyn is either a doc or a very realist fiction film featuring a couple celebrating a birthday with the added complication that the birthday girl is an introvert. I enjoyed seeing their interactions with another couple wandering the streets. I did wonder why they broke into a property to smash cutlery but OK. 

BFI Flare: Crowdpleaser

I am still working my way slowly through the online offerings for this year's Flare, but I want to say how amazing it felt to attend in person for the first time since 2019. I had one short screening but to settle into the plush seats and see something on the big screen for the first time since January 2020 was lit. Will review that one later on. 

But Polarized is probably something that would look good on the big screen, with its wide open vistas showing acres of lush Canadian farm country. Shamim Sarif's drama follows her other films in foregrounding forbidden love, in this instance between white farmer Lisa and her employer, Palestinean emigre Dalia, who is engaged to a man. Oh, No!

No spoilers but hmmm. I wonder if they get together? The first 20 minutes are rather painful in cramming in the exposition but once it gets going, the film maintains interest as the two women grapple with their difficult families and try to be true to themselves. Kudos to the two leads Holly Deveaux and Maxine Denis for their chemistry and Deveaux also sings quite well. The ending is a bit rushed and unsatisfying but there is drama aplenty in this small town....

Home

Among the shorts viewed was Home, which I found intriguing but hard to hear in places. I was less enamoured of The Dads, which seemed oddly pleased with itself as the fathers of various LGBT kids gathered for a fishing trip to share their feelings. It seemed perfunctory and superficial to me. Grace and Sophie was amusing in its depiction of the awkward morning after, but the camerawork was all over the place with its oddly shifting focus and it distracted from the story. 

And then there's A Different Place which puts two women in one hotel room for a totally unbelievable chat about honesty before they go back to their respective lives after a night of passion. A whole other kind of crowd pleasing.

BFI Flare: Difficult Age

If the last post looked at films exploring the golden years, this one looks at films covering the teen years, that oh so difficult time of confusion, soaring hormones and parental disapproval. 

Big Boys

The US indie comedy Big Boys takes us on a camping trip with 14-year-old Jamie, his older brother, their older cousin and her hunky boyfriend Dan. Dan will prove pivotal in this, just saying. Jamie is a big lad with a high pitched voice and a very horny older brother who goads him into unfortunate escapades like stealing liquor and chatting up girls he is not really interested in. There is a lot of cringe in this film, as we watch Jamie try to be what everyone else wants him to be while secretly nurturing a crush on Dan. The film takes its time and I found myself losing patience with it several times, but the last 20 minutes are quite good and the film lingers in the mind. 

The South Korean drama XX + XY is a curiosity, a BL-inspired series that has been compressed into a film, with iffy results. The lead character, Jay, is intersex and just starting at a new school, accompanied by best friend Sera. Jay attracts the attentions of Wooram who does not know Jay's gender status and is confused when he finds himself falling for someone he thinks is a boy. In better hands this could be a whimsical comedy or serious drama, but in fact it's a bit of a mess. The lead has no chemistry with any of the possible romantic partners and a sub plot involving blackmail and humiliation is quite creepy. The ending suggests a sequel, which possibly means a season two in Korea. Maybe it works better on the small screen. 

BFI Flare: Grey Power

Jewelle: a Just Vision

The word legacy is thrown around a lot in Jewelle: A Just Vision, which I find interesting, as the writer Jewelle Gomez is still with us at 74, still working and still fighting. I am sure she would like to be appreciated now and not just in future, so it's good that Madeleine Lim made this doc. I well remember Gomez from my time in SF and her book The Gilda Stories remains a touchstone for black lesbian literature. 

Watching the doc, I found out a lot about her early life in Boston, her family origins and her interactions with a whole bunch of circles in NYC, SF and beyond. I hope a new generation discovers her now when they can still see her in action. 

The short G Flat, starring Richard Wilson, showcases a rather sadder older life, as a man struggles to adapt to his reduced circumstances and finds brief comfort in the shape of a sex worker. 

Another short, Where Do All the Old Gays Go?, looks at a range of older LGBT folk in Ireland although I was surprised to find no bisexuals among them. The lesbian couple were total couple's goals, however. 

Afterparty is a bit of a puzzle, as a man played by David Hoyle gets into a bath and is joined by party people one assumes are from his past. 

BFI Flare: 5 Films for Freedom 2023

 Hurrah! Flare is back. In fact, I should have been attending the immersive experience today but transport strikes put paid to that. I hope to get back to the festival but for now will be reviewing online material. 

So, this year's edition of 5 Films for Freedom includes dramas from Guyana, Nigeria, Cyprus and Northern Ireland, plus a comedy from South Korea. Here are my picks. 

Butch Up! ( dir Yu-Jin Lee) features a lovelorn singer who splits from her band and winds up in a new one. I found the end song quite catchy and the lyrics are filthy! Good fun. 

Buffer Zone (dir Savvas Stavrou) starts off quite solemnly, bursts into high camp with a duet across a border zone, and ends solemnly again. It's a great premise for a musical, as two soldiers gaze at each other and express repressed desires through song. 

All I Know (dir Obinna Robert Onyeri) is the best of the bunch, an intense drama in which revealing what you know about your missing friend could put him in worse danger. It feels like a proof of concept for a longer film but the ending lets it down.