Big Gay Picture Show

Taking a look at the world of film through gay eyes - news, reviews, trailers, gay film, queer cinema and more

Taking a look at the world of film through gay eyes - news, reviews, trailers, gay film, queer cinema & more

The Wound (Inxeba) (BFI Flare Review) – A gay relationship challenges a traditional manhood initiation ritual

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The Wound has proven intensely controversial in its native South Africa. Some among the country’s Xhosa people (including the ‘King’) objected to its portrayal of their manhood initiation ceremony, which they said was taboo to talk about (others said their objection was really about trying to quash the idea that there are gay Xhosa people). That resulted in the movie being banned. After a public outcry it was swiftly unbanned, but with a certificate that was usually reserved for pornography.

The film certainly isn’t porn, but the controversy has meant it’s remained in the public consciousness over there far longer than it probably would have otherwise. It’s one of the latest examples of the so-called Barbra Streisand effect, where calling attention to something in the hope of making it disappear has the unintended side effect of amplifying it, in this case internationally. That leaves the difficult job on the part of the reviewer of trying to extricate themselves from the cause celebre the movie has become from the movie itself – luckily in the case of The Wound the movie stands up on its own. [Read more…]

Akron (DVD Review) – Young gay love is challenged by a past death

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If you’re not American, you might be wondering whether ‘Akron’ is a foreign word, perhaps denoting passion, anger or desire. Well, it’s actually the name of the fifth-largest city in the US state of Ohio, which is where most of the film is set.

Benny (Matthew Frias) is a freshman at the University of Akron. He meets the sexy Christopher at a football game and the two start dating. Things go so well that they decide to spend Spring Break together in Florida, visiting Christopher’s mother, Carol. Once there, Benny discovers that his family and Christopher’s have a history, as many year’s before Carol ran over and killed Benny’s brother in a parking lot. [Read more…]

The Pass (Cinema Review)

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The Pass is one of those movies that really shouldn’t work. While it was acclaimed on stage, you would initially think that would be the only place it would succeed. It’s setup doesn’t immediately seem to lend itself to being opened up for cinema, as it by necessity it retains a very stark three-act structure, only has four speaking roles, and just three locations. However, despite that, it’s a really good film.

The movie opens in a Romanian hotel room, where two young footballers, Jason (Russell Tovey – who also originated the role on stage) and Ade (Arinzé Kene) are preparing for what could be a career-making game the next day. While they chat, bond, and perhaps subconsciously compete for status – both just in their underwear – they also slowly flirt towards something more intimate. There may be a lot of ‘lad’s talk’ about banging chicks and hot women, but that increasingly covers their true feelings. [Read more…]

I Promise You Anarchy (DVD Review)

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In Mexico City, Miguel and Johnny have started sleeping with one another. They’re both involved in a somewhat shady business where they’re paid to find people to donate blood that is used by drug gangs, or in their parlance, they’re looking for human ‘cows’ to be ‘milked’. As their relationship deepens – despite Johnny having a girlfriend and suggesting he just likes to have fun with people of either gender – the duo find themselves tempted when they’re offered a big payday by the gangsters to find 50 people to be ‘milked’.

As things start to spiral out of control and they realise their greed may have repercussions they never expected, events threaten to split them apart forever. [Read more…]

Confessions (DVD Review)

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Mark Bessenger directed one of the best gay-themed films we reviewed last year, The Last Straight Man, and now he’s back with something a little different and more unusual. Rather than being a straightforward movie with a single plot, it takes the forms of 10 ‘confessions’, where different men talk about all sorts of different issues and situations. In many respects it’s a series of short films, which vary from the creepy and unsettling to the comedic and somewhat surreal.

There’s a young man who has to find the bravery to tell his parents that he’s a puppet, despite the fact they think that puppets are disgusting and abnormal. We have a man who appears to have kidnapped someone and is holding him in his basement, who slowly undresses as he reveals what is going on and why. In another, a hot young guys talk about what he’s really looking for as he lies in the arms of another man just after the throes of passion have ended. And in perhaps the most interesting of all the vignettes, a man slowly shaves off his beard, with each look he tries on a new persona that allows him to explore the fact that despite being with a woman, he has strong desires for men. [Read more…]

Holiday (Feriado) (DVD Review)

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Set around the turn on the millennium in Ecuador, in Holiday the country is on the precipice of turmoil as corruption threatens to cause a chain reaction that will implode the banking system. Rich teenager Juampi (Juan Arregui) heads off for a holiday with his extended family, but soon finds the problems engulfing the country aren’t that far away.

When he sees a group of people taking the law into their own hands and beating a small-time criminal, he ends up escaping with the young man called Juano, who comes from a poor Andean family. Juampi is introduced to a world he’s never properly seen before, where small-time criminality is virtually the only way to eke out something more than mere existence, but amidst the poverty is real life. As their friendship develops, Juampi begins to have feelings for Juano, but there may be limits beyond which one of them won’t take this stab at first love. [Read more…]

Tangerine (Cinema Review)

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While many movies were hoping to get a blaze of publicity by debuting at this year’s Sundance Film Festival, the one that got the biggest boost was Tangerine. Few had heard of the movie before the fest, but it got huge amounts of buzz and won the Jury Prize, something it certainly deserved.

Sin-dee (Kitana Kiki Rodriguez) is just out of jail and meets up with her friend, Alexandra (Mya Taylor) to celebrate. Alexandra lets Sin-dee know some bad news – her boyfriend and pimp, Chester, has been sleeping with someone else while she was inside. The now furious Sin-dee sets off to find this woman, something that proves more difficult that you’d think.

Alexandra meanwhile is preparing for a performance she’s arranged at a club, but before that she needs some cash, which involves turning some tricks. [Read more…]

I Am The Queen (US DVD/VoD Review)

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Set in Chicago’s Humboldt Park neighbourhood, I Am The Queen follows three transgender contestants taking part in an annual drag/trans beauty pageant held for those of Puerto Rican heritage. To be honest though, the Beauty Pageant is more of a framing device for a look into the lives of Jolizza, Julissa and Bianca, three young transgender women and the difficulties they face.

The documentary reveals a complex picture, ensuring that it goes beyond the women themselves to see how their transition has affected their parents and family. It certainly doesn’t make things look easy, especially for women of their age, as their gender identity comes on top of the typical teenage/young adult emotions and confusion, which unsurprisingly ensures they don’t always make the best choices. Likewise, it’s a time when they need the support of their family the most, but that is a challenge for all of them to a greater or lesser extent. [Read more…]

You’re Killing Me (Outfest Review)

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You’re Killing Me sounds like a fun premise, perhaps for a short movie. Indeed, it starts off with what is essentially an entertaining short film. After game night with his friends, Andy (Matthew Wilkas) wants to finally have sex with his new boyfriend, Joe (Matthew McKelligon). However, Joe doesn’t want to, so in desperation Andy says he’ll do whatever kinky thing Joe wants to do. It turns out that what Joe really wants is to murder Andy – which is exactly what he proceeds to do.

However, after this fun beginning, You’re Killing Me has to find something to fill the next 80 minutes with, and that’s where the premise quickly starts running thin. [Read more…]

Boulevard (Cinema Review)

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After Robin Williams’ untimely death, it looked for a while like we might not see his final movie beyond festival and other limited screenings. Despite starring the much-loved actor, distributors seemed to be shying away from it. However now the movie has arrived and you can see why in the immediate aftermath of Williams’ demise distributors might have had pause, as in it Robin plays a quiet and melancholic character in a movie that has an air of sadness running right through it.

However, Williams is extremely good in the movie as Nolan, a middle-aged, married man living a dull, grey life with little joy and little to keep him going into his fast encroaching later life. Then he literally bumps into Leo (Roberto Aguire), a young rent boy working on the streets. While Nolan doesn’t want sex, something about the man lights something inside him and he starts to seek out Leo’s company and attempts to help him. [Read more…]