Film

A “STEAMY” LOVE STORY The Danish drama Sauna explores identity, discomfort, and an unexpected bond Not everybody likes surprises, and life throws enough curveballs that sometimes it’s nice to know what you’re getting into — especially when the information is readily available. In the film Sauna, a cis gay guy named Johan opens his humble…

A SUMMER CAMP CRUSH, A RELIGION DECISION & A FREE BAGEL A modern Jewish rom-com sprinkled with neuroses, nostalgia, and plenty of chutzpah He’s 30 years old and single, without a steady permanent job, so naturally Leo Kadner’s parents push, prod, and pester him about finding a better job and a nice Jewish girl to…

A TRIBE, A DIATRIBE, MOVING AWAY & MOVING ON Say what you will about the ties that bind. If those ties were literally ropes, some of them would stay strong and some would fray or break. Arguably, time does not heal all wounds; some hurts fester and foster resentment for years. Prodigal sons may have…

ATTRACTION, INTERACTION, & REACTION IN INDIA They cook, they eat, they pray, they sleep, they ride motorcycles, they text, they wash, warn, and worry. Most of these actions by the people in We Are Faheem & Karun, set in India, are mundane day-to-day doings without much scintillating accompanying dialogue — “Let’s go and eat kabobs….

STRANGERS IN THE NIGHT: TALKING, WALKING, TALKING SOME MORE “A guy walks into a bar…” That action is the first line in a long line of jokes, and it is what happens early on in A Night Like This, but its serious look at sadness is no joke. It takes place at Christmastime, although the…

GAY LOVE, PRIVACY, MYSTERY, NUDITY, AND COWS Those who prefer fast-moving plots, in a confusion-free zone so that it’s always clear what’s going on in the story and in the characters’ heads won’t have only good things to say about Only Good Things, even if they feel drawn in by the film’s drawn-out story centering…

SOMETHING WITH SILLINESS, SERIOUSNESS, SASS, SCHEMING, AND SEX TALK In real life, being patient with impatient, impulsive teenagers who are also snarky, sneaky, disagreeable and disrespectful can age and enrage adults. However, fictional versions of such young folks and their follies and frenzies can be funny and/or dramatically involving. Many movies, novels, plays, and TV…

LOTS O’ LOVERBOYS Eight – count ‘em – eight short films are grouped together for If You Wanna Be My Loverboy, one of several packages in the NewFest offerings of themed sets. Each set will be screened only once, with virtual showings through October 21. This collection, at NYC’s School for Visual Arts on October…

SHORT, NOT ALWAYS SWEET: SOMETHING FOR ALMOST EVERYONE Two Black Boys in Paradise starts with its titular twosome in a boat, going gently down the stream, merrily. They’re naked; it’s full-frontal nudity for these thin fellows and later in the film there is a sweet, discreet but definite moment when they get into positions for…

THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO CARL BEAN Directors Daniel Junge and Sam Pollard have given the world a much needed uplift in the guise of their fascinating new documentary on the life of Archbishop Carl Bean named, I Was Born This Way. But why is the title reminiscent of Lady Gaga’s mega-hit, “Born This Way?” Because…

Adolescence and added adversity, with heart in the hardships As a film title, a quote from a poem, a line of dialogue, a life philosophy, or even a song lyric, If You Are Afraid You Put Your Heart in Your Mouth and Smile is quite a mouthful. And it’s actually ALL the aforementioned things. Working…

THE BUTLER DOES IT How would you describe the qualities of an ideal butler? He is discreet, dedicated, calm, controlled, self-effacing, efficient — someone who’s ready, willing, and able to humbly respond to the employer’s every need, from serving tea to maybe serving as a confidant. In the charming film Mr. Blake at Your Service…

AN OPERA HAUNTED BY THE PRESENT I’m not here to teach a music history class, but a little background goes a long way when it comes to Ai Weiwei’s Turandot, especially if opera isn’t your thing or if you are new to the work of artist and activist Ai Weiwei (pronounced “eye way-way”). That said,…

Amidst the terror of the Holocaust, could Bau: Artist at War actually be the feel-good movie of the year? I attended the world-premiere screening of Bau: Artist at War on Sunday—and I feel compelled to share it with you. Directed by Sean McNamara and written by Deborah Smerecnik, Ron Bass, and Sonia Kifferstein (with Joseph…

HIGH SCHOOL HIGHS, AND LOWS AND WOES If you didn’t already learn or experience that the social elements of going to high school can be hell – with the insecurity of trying for maturity, the cliques of cool kids, the miseries of misfits, being bullied, and purposefully pursuing popularity –  the movies are here to…