In 1993, a certain fledgling film
festival presented 18 programs of film and video relating to the lesbian, gay,
bisexual, and transgender experience. Now in its lucky 13th year, the 2005
installment of ImageOut has ballooned to feature 41 film and video programs
over 10 days, October 7 to 16, at three majestic theaters, as well as a number
of important community outreach programs.
The ImageMaker Award makes its first
appearance in 2005, with inaugural honors going to playwright-leading lady
extraordinaire Charles Busch. As in years past, a bevy of artists, including
director Brian Sloan (WTC View) and
actor Daniel Letterle (The Mostly
Unfabulous Social Life of Ethan Green) will be on hand to introduce the
screenings of their work. And then there’s the parties…
This year, ImageOut has created a
program for those who would otherwise be unable to afford tickets to the
festival screenings. As part of the ImageOutreach initiative, donations will
subsidize tickets for lower-income people for whom movies are a luxury but who
would still benefit from the empowering insight provided by the festival.
ImageOutreach also includes the sign language interpretation services offered
by ImageOut, as well as the community co-sponsorships for certain films. And
for the eighth year, the Youth Project Committee has selected six films that
will be free to those under 21. Those films include the German comedy Guys and Balls and the splendid
documentaries Left Lane and Gay Sex in the 70s.
The first recipient of ImageOut’s
ImageMaker Award, designed “to recognize a unique individual’s courageous
artistic vision and overall contribution to the arts through his or her life
and work,” is Charles Busch. Last seen at the festival starring in the 2003
ImageOut closer Die, Mommie, Die!,
Busch will attend this year’s festival in support of The Lady in Question in Charles Busch, a documentary about the
award-winning writer, director, actor, and drag mega-star by filmmakers John
Catania and Charles Ignacio, who will also be in attendance.
The teenage years are the traditional
time for rebellion, although from its infancy, ImageOut came out swinging.
Screwball farce, poignant dramas, clever shorts, and thought-provoking
documentaries: This year’s festival has everything a body could want, and while
I wasn’t able to get a look at each and every film, I was able to make a very
healthy dent in the 2005 lineup. So in honor of ImageOut’s 13th birthday, here
are 13 highlights of this year’s festival… as well as one film that should be
avoided.
P.S. If you see any of the dedicated
festival volunteers, make sure you stop and thank them. They are a hard-working
horde.
The Mostly Unfabulous Social Life of Ethan Green
Friday, October 7, Little Theatre,
9:30 p.m.
Opening Night film
Screening guests: stars Daniel Letterle and Diego Serrano
When the title cards inform you that
“Ethan is a man unlucky in love,” then go on to advise, “Don’t feel sorry for
him. It’s his own damn fault,” you should get ready for an irreverent spin
through the world of Ethan Green. It’s a chaotic place that features a
gay-wedding planner mom, a recently uncloseted baseball player, an ex-boyfriend
landlord, and a couple that dispenses wisdom in matching muumuus and chapeaux.
Based on Eric Orner’s comic strip, The Mostly Unfabulous Social Life of Ethan
Green basically watches all hell break loose as Ethan (Daniel Letterle)
attempts to thwart the sale of the house in which he lives. It’s too soon to
move in with the boyfriend, so a narcissistic 19-year-old with a big crush on
Ethan sets him up with a train wreck of a real estate agent who hasn’t made a
sale in three years. Misunderstandings, revelations, and hilarity all ensue.
Family
Ties‘ Meredith Baxter plays Ethan’s enlightened mother who quotes the late
ODB and issues chirpy dinner invitations that include “And bring your new fuck
buddy,” but Letterle steals the show with his silly and sympathetic performance
as a guy who’s always trying, even if he’s not always succeeding. And when
words reading “The End” pop up on the screen, don’t believe it.
Gay Sex in the 70s
Saturday, October 8, Little Theatre, 12 p.m.
Free to anyone under 21
Director Joseph Lovett’s Gay Sex in the 70s brings together
archival footage, engaging interviews, plus a parade of remarkable photographs
to document the period in New York City from the 1969 Stonewall Riots to the
onset of the AIDS epidemic in 1981. For gay men, it was a time of overwhelming
liberation, and NYC became what one photographer calls “a constant cruising
opportunity.”
Doorways, bushes, abandoned
buildings, truck beds — in almost every dark corner of the city there were
two guys (at minimum) getting it on. Interviewees fondly recall the anonymous
thrills to be had at discos and bathhouses — except when you realized you
were furtively groping a friend — as well as days and nights on Fire Island,
described as “if God’s only son had been a homosexual landscaper.” All agree,
however, the easy action wasn’t necessarily about sex but about not being
alone.
Then a strange cancer began to
surface among gay men, and since many revelers considered condoms to be a wet
blanket on all the excitement, the isolated incidences of AIDS became a
full-blown epidemic. Gay Sex in the 70s demonstrates how the 12 energizing years beforehand, however, had enabled men
who had previously been ostracized and sometimes even institutionalized to come
out, and the unifying battle to save dying friends gave them the strength to
stay out.
little man
Saturday, October 8, Cinema Theater, 7 p.m.
Filmmaker Nicole Conn and
philanthropist Gwen Baba decided to have a baby with a surrogate, and their son
Nicholas was born at just 25 weeks, weighing less than a pound. Conn, who had
been documenting the whole process, continued to wield the camera as the
preemie spent over five months in the hospital while she, along with some very
dedicated professionals, worked tirelessly to keep him alive.
Conn and Baba knew early in the
pregnancy that there would be problems but had different opinions about whether
to soldier on, just the first of the opposing views that would wreak havoc on
their relationship. The film begins with a warning that it “contains graphic
medical material,” and the more squeamish out there, as well as those who can’t
bear to watch kids in peril, may want to forego this one.
little
man will probably cause you to reach one of two conclusions: You’ll either
marvel at the devotion and resolve of these brave women or fume at the ego and
selfishness that force this tiny boy to wake up every day and fight for his
life. It’s possible you may feel both ways, but in reality, Conn and Baba are
neither heroes nor monsters. They’re mothers.
Adam & Steve
Saturday, October 8, Little Theatre, 10 p.m.
An ImageOut Spotlight Feature
Craig Chester’s (Swoon) filmmaking debut is a slapstick romantic comedy with a
massive, generous heart. As if writing and directing weren’t enough, Chester
also stars as the lovable yet neurotic Adam, a birdwatching guide on the verge
of 40 who hits it off with a successful shrink named Steve (Malcolm Gets from Caroline in the City), only to learn
that they have met before…
Back in 1987, Adam and gal pal Rhonda
(Parker Posey) were hanging around Danceteria in full Goth mode when Adam
caught the eye of a Dazzle Dancer. After a couple of bumps Adam went home with
the buff golden god, where both men learned that naked flexing plus
laxative-laced cocaine equals paralyzing mortification.
The film details the charming
evolution of Adam and Steve’s relationship as well as the repercussions of
Steve’s inability to let go of the past. Can they solve their problems with
open, honest communication? How about a two-step dance-off, or maybe a tender
rendition of “I Must Have Done Something Good” from The Sound of Music?
Chester is a living doll as well as a
nifty physical comedian, a trait shared by the actors playing Adam’s “kind of
cursed” family, including Julie Hagerty (best known for Airplane!) as Adam’s chipper mom (“Any boyfriend of Adam’s is a
boyfriend of mine!”). The enjoyable cast also includes Saturday Night Live‘s Chris Kattan as Steve’s knuckle-dragging yet
protective hetero roommate.
And while the film’s best line comes
courtesy of Rhonda, who complains that “Oprah has made it impossible for me to
have a close relationship with anyone besides Oprah,” the sweetest line is from
Steve: “Happiness is accepting life on life’s terms.” Or maybe it was Adam who
said it — I can’t remember. I do recall, however, the wide smile on my face.
Butterfly
Sunday, October 9, Cinema Theater, 7 p.m.
In Cantonese with English subtitles
Every once in a while our hearts are
set aflutter by someone we meet — not necessarily because of who they are but
who they remind us of. The Asian import Butterfly tells the tale of a married teacher whose entanglement with a young musician
causes her to reminisce about lost love and question her most important
decisions.
Flavia thought her future was set —
rewarding career, loving husband, adorable baby. Then she meets the beautiful
Yip, and her attraction to the younger woman evokes memories of Flavia’s
childhood sweetheart. Fifteen years previous, Flavia fell in love with
schoolmate Jin, a relationship that would have a profound effect on both
parties. Filmmaker Yan Yan Mak juxtaposes the burgeoning connection between Flavia
and Yip against the Flavia-Jin liaison, and as we learn how Jin coped with the
breakup, we also get an idea of how Flavia’s husband might handle the end of
his marriage.
Stunning photography and equally
stunning women are the highlights of Butterfly,
and the film’s gauzy eroticism can be credited to what you don’t see. I
especially appreciated the realistic portrayal of Flavia’s decent husband, a
man trying to understand the changes in his troubled wife but unwilling to
sacrifice his own contentment for the woman he claims to love.
Venus of Mars
Monday, October 10, Little Theatre, 7 p.m.
Some relationships can’t weather the
gaining of a few pounds, or even a change in hairstyle. How would you react if
the person you married announced a desire to switch genders? Venus of Mars, one of the more
interesting love stories you’re likely to come across, introduces us to Lynette
and her spouse Venus, who was once her husband Steve.
Lynette is an English professor,
while Venus fronts a Minnesota glam band called All the Pretty Horses.
Filmmaker Emily Goldberg films the couple during their everyday life and
explores how a marriage could possibly endure what most would consider an utter
deal breaker. Lynette identifies money as a bigger stress in their lives than
gender, though she’s none too happy with the fact that Venus looks better in
her clothes than she does.
And Venus confesses that although she
would love to go beyond hormones to total sex reassignment, she hasn’t out of
respect for her straight wife. Up until that point I had been in awe of
Lynette’s unconditional dedication, but then I began to rethink who might be
making the greater sacrifice to sustain a marriage that has recently entered
its third unusual yet apparently successful decade.
Based on a True Story
Thursday, October 13, Little Theatre, 5:30 p.m.
That Gay 70s series
In this immensely entertaining
documentary, Dutch filmmaker Walter Stokman sets out to learn the truth about
John Wojtowicz, the man whose botched 1972 holdup of a Brooklyn bank became the
topic of the Sidney Lumet classic Dog Day
Afternoon. Wojtowicz needed money to fund his suicidal lover’s sex-change
operation, and the subsequent crime devolved into a 14-hour hostage situation
that left his young accomplice dead.
Interviews with former hostages,
police, and especially Wojtowicz’s gracious ex-wife Carmen paint a picture of a
nice boy from the neighborhood who got in way over his head. Carmen was still
married to Wojtowicz when she learned he had also fallen in love with and
somehow married Ernie Aaron, a lanky man who lived as a woman. (“What hurted
the most,” Carmen laments, “is he got married in his Army uniform.”)
Once Stokman catches up with
Wojtowicz himself, however, he learns that the seemingly friendly ex-con still
believes he’s in a position to make demands. Wojtowicz wants no less than
$18,000 to appear in the film, and Stokman effectively uses what becomes a
series of increasingly strange phone calls between filmmaker and subject to
illustrate the frustrating delusion of a man who inspired a story in which the
truth is “so strange it becomes superfiction.”
Stupid Boy
Friday, October 14, Cinema Theater, 6 p.m.
In French with English subtitles
Loic is a handsome, doe-eyed young
man who inspects chocolate by day and cruises online by night. When he’s not
hooking up with random men he crashes at his friend Marie’s flat, though we
sense they share more than just a casual past. Stupid Boy watches as Loic begins to understand his place in the
world, but not until a tragic event leads to some overdue epiphanies.
Director Lionel Baier shot Stupid Boy on handheld digital video,
which adds a sense of immediacy and intimacy to the story. What’s odd, however,
is that he incorporates himself into the film from time to time as Loic’s new
friend Lionel… while still behind the camera. This occasional shift in
perspective takes some getting used to, but it’s a compelling method of
storytelling.
Actors will tell you that more than
half of acting is reacting, and neither Natacha Koutchoumov as the loyal Marie nor Pierre Chatagny as the
misguided Loic make any false moves under the camera’s unflinching stare. But
the most terrifying part was the notion that some kid moping at his job might
mean sub-par chocolate could find its way to store shelves. Don’t I already
have enough to worry about?
Left Lane
Saturday, October 15, Dryden Theatre, 12 p.m.
Fighting For Our Rights series
Screening guest: director-producer Samantha Farinella
Free for anyone under 21
The right-wing organization Concerned
Women of America named activist poet Alix Olson one of the 10 most dangerous
women in the country. Olson refers to herself as a “lesbian feminist atheist
socialist.” After seeing Samantha Farinella’s inspiring documentary Left Lane, it’s also safe to describe
Olson as a smart, charismatic, and gifted artist whose stage presence brings to
mind a stand-up comedian at a revival meeting orating in the cadence of Ani
Difranco.
Left
Lane chronicles a year on the road with Olson as filmed by Farinella,
Olson’s tour manager. The camera follows her from festival to festival as she
unleashes her words on wildly appreciative audiences and watches while she
drives, does her laundry, and collaborates on the musical accompaniment
provided by the talented women who occasionally join her on stage. We also get
to meet Olson’s nurturing family, in particular her beloved grandma, a
firecracker named Dottie who is proud of Olson’s choices.
And while I’ve never been able to
form an opinion on spoken word — it seems humble yet arrogant, intimate yet
impersonal — I was terribly impressed by the passionate and informed Olson.
She’s doing what she can about injustice in this country, even if her weapon of
choice is slightly unconventional: “Instead of taking your anger to your fist,
you take it to your pen and create a piece of art.”
Cote d’Azur
Saturday, October 15, Dryden Theatre, 7 p.m.
In French with English subtitles
French sex farce is nearly a genre
unto itself, with plots convoluted enough to make Rube Goldberg wonder, “How’d
they do that?” The key is not letting the execution overshadow the heart, and
filmmakers Olivier Ducastel and Jacques Martineau are able to find the balance
between complexity and compassion in the rollicking romp Cote d’Azur.
Marc and his impossibly hot wife
Beatrix are unwinding at their gobsmacking summer home on the French Riviera
with beautiful daughter Laura and beautifuler son Charly. Laura splits for
Portugal with a biker, and Charly’s friend Martin arrives for a visit. Beatrix
tries to convince her husband that Charly and Martin are a couple, but Marc’s
in denial thanks to hang-ups of his own. He also doesn’t realize his wife’s unctuous
boyfriend is lurking about and slurping down the Mediterranean’s entire supply
of aphrodisiacs.
Then the local plumber (played by
Jean-Marc Barr, a Lars Von Trier regular and the sexiest bald man this side of
Ed Harris) gets in on the action, which you’re welcome to interpret any way you
wish. And the finale is pure fromage — a giddy capper to time spent with a fun-loving bunch that does a whole lot
of masturbating.
Loggerheads
Saturday, October 15, Dryden Theatre, 9:30 p.m.
They say that comedy is tougher than
drama, but in the touching Loggerheads,
Bonnie Hunt serves notice that it’s all cake for her. In one of a trio of
stories set in three different North Carolina locations, she plays a woman
still tormented by a long-ago decision to give her baby up for adoption. The
title refers to both the turtles that return to the beach to lay their eggs as
well as the point at which various characters in the film find themselves.
Forty-something Grace (Hunt) resides
with her mother (Michael Learned, The
Waltons) in Asheville, and the two women remain at odds over the child
Grace never got to know. Beth (Tess Harper) lives in Eden and worries about the
son who left home after coming out to her and his minister father. And in Kure
Beach, hotel owner George (Michael Kelly) befriends a young man named Mark (Kip
Pardue) who has traveled there to observe the turtles while avoiding thoughts
of his troubled past and bleak future.
The deftly edited film has its way
with time, though all becomes clear as the threads of the ostensibly unrelated
stories slowly weave together. And in his first feature, writer-director Tim
Kirkman refrains from the obvious emotional money shots to make his subtle
points about family and tolerance.
The Journey
Saturday, October 15, Cinema Theater, 7 p.m.
Fighting For Our Rights series
In Malayalam with English subtitles
When Rajan asks for Kiran’s help in
wooing her best friend Delilah, he doesn’t realize that the words used in the
love letters she writes for him contain her own secret feelings. And when
Delilah professes an attraction to the letter writer, Kiran feels empowered
enough to declare her love. But there’s no automatic happily-ever-after for
lesbians in rural India.
First-time director Ligy J.
Pullappally takes what is known to be a taboo subject in her home country and
handles it with grace and command. The
Journey doesn’t contain any overt sexuality, and the stirring images help
suggest the harsh beauty of a sometimes stifling culture where tradition and
honor take precedence over personal happiness.
The former Chicago attorney returned
to Kerala, the southern Indian village of her birth, to make the film after
learning of true-life tales involving young women ending their lives after
being outted. That’s not to say The
Journey is a downer — it’s ultimately an affirming view of love and
acceptance… if not by others, than at least by yourself.
Mysterious Skin
Sunday, October 16, Dryden Theatre, 7 p.m.
Closing Night film, followed by gala reception
Filmmaker Gregg Araki has been at it
a long time, and movies like The Living
End, Doom Generation, and Splendor suggest that he’s got the
skills to make a truly great film one of these days. Unfortunately, Mysterious Skin isn’t that film, though
it does have its redeeming qualities: Most notably the riveting lead work of
Joseph Gordon-Levitt (the kid from Third
Rock from the Sun) and Brady Corbet as two Midwestern teenagers whose
shared childhood agony has led them in opposite directions.
Laid-back Neil (Gordon-Levitt) lives
with his mom (Elisabeth Shue) and kicks around with friends during the downtime
from his self-employment, hustling older men at the park. Brian (Corbet) is an
introvert who believes that he was abducted by aliens as a child now that some
fuzzy memories have begun to surface. Neil and Brian once played on the same
baseball team but haven’t had any contact since that fateful summer, and as
Brian’s recollection becomes clearer he feels the need to reconnect with Neil.
The fact that I had no idea in which
direction the story would go is further evidence of Araki’s talent as a
filmmaker. His visuals are dependably eye-popping, and he usually gets decent
performances from all of his actors. But Araki’s fondness for the outlandish
leads me to think he doesn’t actually care, which in turn makes it difficult
for me to do so. And I really want to.
And The After-School Special Award Goes To…
Wednesday, October 12, Little Theatre, 9:30 p.m.
Fighting For Our Rights series
Festival selections are rarely seen
beyond the film festival circuit, and I generally tend to cut these low-budget
labors of love greater slack than I would a mainstream release. I also have
faith that festival programmers know what their audience wants or needs to see.
Having said that, I’m reluctant to have to say this: Hate Crime is an irresponsible, repellent piece of filmmaking that
should insult and anger anyone who sees it, be they gay, non-gay, Christian,
non-Christian, teachers, chefs, accountants, pirates….
Hate
Crime begins as the story of Robbie and Trey, a Texas couple trying to
agree on the details of their upcoming commitment ceremony. All is well until a
Bible-thumping homophobe moves in next door and witnesses a kiss between his
new neighbors. Tensions escalate until the titular offense, and the rest of the
film is a fairly pedestrian whodunit, complete with apathetic cops and
intricately planned revenge.
Artistically speaking, the characters
are no more than offensive stereotypes, the plot twists are visible from space,
and the screenplay has all the subtlety of an after-school special projected
onto a charging rhino. I certainly understand the viewpoint that the filmmakers
were trying to convey, but sending the ultimate message that two appalling
wrongs make a right is absolutely reckless. Hate crimes are bad enough, but
vigilante “justice” also has no place in civilized society.
The schedule
All
films are at the Little Theatre (240 East Avenue) unless noted otherwise. Other
venues are the Dryden Theatre in the George Eastman House, 900 East Avenue, and
the Cinema Theater, 957 South Clinton Avenue.
Friday, October 7
The Favor, 7 p.m. $12-$15 (ticket includes party)
The Mostly Unfabulous Social Life of Ethan Green, 9:30 p.m., $12-$15 (ticket includes party), with guests Daniel Letterle and Diego Serrano, SOLD OUT
Saturday, October 8
Gay Sex in the 70s, 12 p.m., $5-$6, free under 21
Women in Love, 2 p.m., $5-$6
The Ski Trip, 4 p.m., $5-$6, with guest Maurice Jamal
The Lady in Question in Charles Busch, 7 p.m., $8-$9, with guest Charles Busch
little man, Cinema Theater, 7 p.m., $8-$9
Floored by Love, Cinema Theater, 9:30 p.m., $8-$9
Adam & Steve, 10 p.m., $10-$11, SOLD OUT
Sunday, October 9
Flower City Flicks, shorts program, 12 p.m., $5-$6
Keep Not Silent, 2:30 p.m. $5-$6, free for under 21
Inadvertently Innocent, shorts program, 4:30 p.m., $5-$6, free under 21
WTC View, 7 p.m., $8-$9, with guests Brian Sloan and Nick Potenzieri
Butterfly, Cinema Theater, 7 p.m., $8-$9
A Year Without Love, 9:30 p.m., $8-$9
Show Me, Cinema Theater, 9:30 p.m., $8-$9
Monday, October 10
I Look Up to the Sky Now, 5:15 p.m., $5-$6, free under 21
Venus of Mars, 7 p.m., $8-$9
Cycles of Porn, 9:30 p.m., $8-$9, 18+ only
Tuesday, October 11
100% Woman, 5:30 p.m., $5-$6
Guys and Balls, Dryden Theatre, 5:30 p.m., $5-$6, free under 21
Reel World Dykes, shorts program, 7:30 p.m., $8-$9
Saturday Night at the Baths, Dryden Theatre, 8 p.m., $8-$9, followed by panel discussion
The D Word, 9:45 p.m., $8-$9
Wednesday, October 12
When I’m 64, 5:30 p.m., $5-$6
The Aggressives, 7:30 p.m., $8-$9
Hate Crime, 9:30 p.m., $8-$9
Thursday, October 13
Based on a True Story, 5:30 p.m., $5-$6
Desperate Homos, shorts program, 7:30 p.m., $8-$9
Summer Storm, 9:30 p.m., $8-$9
Friday, October 14
Stupid Boy, Cinema Theater, 6 p.m., $8-$9
Beautiful Women, Cinema Theater, 8 p.m., $8-$9
Three Dancing Slaves, 10 p.m., $8-$9
Saturday, October 15
Left Lane, Dryden Theatre, 12 p.m., $5-$6, free under 21, with guest Samantha Farinella
That Man: Peter Berlin, Dryden Theatre, 2:30 p.m., $5-$6, with guest Charles Lum
Unveiled, Dryden Theatre, 4:30 p.m., $10-$11
Cote d’Azur, Dryden Theatre, 7 p.m., $8-$9
The Journey, Cinema Theater, 7 p.m., $8-$9
Loggerheads, Dryden Theatre, 9:30 p.m., $8-$9
Saving Face, Cinema Theater, 9:30 p.m., $8-$9
Sunday, October 16
Mysterious Skin, Dryden Theatre, 7 p.m., $25-$30 (ticket includes closing night gala)
Rush tickets for sold-out programs may be available at the
box office just before show time. For more information on the festival
including ticket availability and prices, contact the ImageOut office,
271-2640, www.imageout.org.
ImageArt
With all the buzz of the ImageOut
film festival to distract you, you may not have noticed another part of the
festivities.
ImageArt and ImagePoetry (the poetry
reading was held in September) offer two additional forms of expression to
complement the film and video festival. But festival-goers often have to seek
them out — they’re not as well known as their older, flashier sibling. David
Hoffend, chair of ImageArt 2005, says that in the past it’s been hard to find
an appropriate venue for the show. They needed a place where the doors would be
open to the public during regular hours and the work wouldn’t be censored. This
year, the artists have found a happy home at Rochester Art Supply.
See the exhibit in its entirety
through October 16 at 150 West Main Street. Hours are Monday through Friday
8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., Saturday 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Information: www.imageout.org
This article appears in Oct 5-11, 2005.
