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Ako Naman Muna (English Version) - Angela Ken

Promise the sun will shine again Say you’ll be here until then

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SHE! COSPLAYED! THE! TALL! LADY!

Yekaterina Lisina 👀💦

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LGBTQ+ Movies I Watched Recently (Part 2)

Happiest Season (2020) dir. Clea DuVall

Short Summary: Abby plans on proposing to Harper when they visit Harper’s family for the holidays. Her plans get derailed when she learns that Harper hasn’t come out to her family yet.

Why you should watch it: Not gonna lie, Mackenzie Davis drew me to this movie; I’ve been in love with her ever since San Junipero came out. Add Kristen Stewart, Aubrey Plaza and Dan Levy to the mix and I’m sold. If you want a sapphic romance with a happy ending, this one’s for you. 

Été 85 (2020) dir.  François Ozon

Short Summary: Alexis recounts his six-week love affair with David during the summer of ‘85. 

Why you should watch it: If you love 80s aesthetic and music, you definitely should watch this. The movie made me nostalgic of that decade and I wasn’t even alive back then! It’s a whirlwind summer romance reminiscent of Call Me by Your Name but with a more devastating twist.

Getting Go: The Go Doc Project (2013) dir. Cory James Krueckeberg

Short Summary: An obsessed college boy pursues his internet crush through the pretext of making a documentary about him.

Why you should watch it: The script and the acting are the one-two punch of this film. The writing is incredibly genuine, and both of the actors’ performances made the lines feel even more natural. I’m not the biggest fan of mockumentary-style films, but this one felt like it was a recording of my own life. Hyper-obsessive college grad with a Tumblr blog? Might as well have called out half the population of this damn site.

Pihalla (2017) dir. Nils-Erik Ekblom

Short Summary: Miku and Elias find themselves, and each other, during a summer in the Finnish countryside.

Why you should watch it: I’m a sucker for gays in the countryside™ and although this one is not quite up there with God’s Own Country and Call Me by Your Name, it still makes for a good watch. Miku as a character and his relationship with his parents was chaotic and fun. His relationship with Elias felt really natural and dreamy. 

You, Me and Him (2017) dir. Daisy Aitkens

Short Summary: Olivia, a mature responsible lawyer, wants to have a baby, but her girlfriend Alex isn’t ready for the responsibility. Things get even more complicated when their flirty neighbour, John, joins the picture. 

Why you should watch it: It is one of the most feel-good lesbian romcoms I have seen in a while. But I warn you, there are some dark parts that can really sneak up on you. Yeah, it’s hilarious, but damn it made me ugly cry, too. Oh, and if you want to see David Tennant as an alpha male douchebag, here’s your chance. (CW: **spoiler alert** p̶r̶e̶g̶n̶a̶n̶c̶y̶ ̶l̶o̶s̶s̶ )

Giant Little Ones (2018) dir. Keith Behrman 

Short Summary: Franky and Ballas have been best friends since childhood, both on the swimming team, both incredibly popular. But after an incident during Franky’s birthday, they quickly fall apart and Franky falls from grace.

Why you should watch it: I think the film captures just how tumultuous coming-of-age stories are. Franky is going through his own journey of self-identity, and I’m happy that the movie didn’t rush in with labels. The conversation Franky has with his dad at the end also hits hard.  (CW: physical assault, allusions to sexual assault)

Our Love Story (2016) dir. HyunJu Lee

Short Summary: A fine arts student meets an attractive bartender, and the two women begin an intimate relationship.

Why you should watch it: It’s a very intimate love story that isn’t rushed or dragged out for too long. We definitely see Yoon-Jo and Ji-Soo’s relationship bloom from start to end, but it’s not mind-numbingly boring to watch. Raw and unembellished, I definitely recommend this to anyone looking for a realistic portrayal of wlw romance.

Die Mitte der Welt (2016) dir. Jakob M. Erwa

Short Summary: The film follows Phil and his relationship with his family, his best friend, and a newcomer at his school, Nicholas.

Why you should watch it: This is technically a second watch for me, and I’m glad I rewatched it, because I was able to catch some glaring red flags that I missed the first time. I love this movie in spite of all the heartache it caused me. The story, especially the deal with Phil’s family, struck a chord in me. And the shots! Visually stunning as well! 

Les Amours Imaginaires (2010) dir. Xavier Dolan

Short Summary: Marie and Francis’ friendship is put to the test when a beautiful boy called Nicolas comes between them. 

Why you should watch it: Watch it for the visuals -- the colors, the costumes, the cast. Seriously, the actors included here may as well be kept in the Louvre: Xavier Dolan, Neils Schneider, Monia Chokri, hell, even a cameo from Louis Garrel! Dolan said it himself that this is a shallow film, but it’s worth the watch just to see Neils Schneider wearing heart-shaped glasses.

Closet Monster (2015)  dir. Stephen Dunn

Short Summary: A creative and driven teenager is desperate to escape his hometown and the haunting memories of his turbulent childhood.

Why you should watch it: Right off the bat, I am going to say that this film is dark. I tried watching it back in college but tapped out within the first ten minutes because something traumatic happens. Then I tried again about a week ago, finished it this time. It’s actually a very moving film. It’s violent and gory in some parts, but also ridiculous and wholesome in other parts. IT HAS A TALKING HAMSTER NAMED BUFFY! BUFFY WAS THE STAR OF THIS MOVIE FOR ME. (CW: gay bashing/sexual assault)

Straight Up (2020) dir. James Sweeney

Short Summary: Todd and Rory are intellectual soul mates. He might be gay but she might not care.

Why you should watch it: The dialogue in this film is undeniably sharp and witty. Loved the fast-paced back and forth between the two main characters as they discuss relationships, sex, gender, and more. James Sweeney and Katie Findlay’s chemistry just pulled you into the screen. It was funny, it was sweet, it was heartwrenching, it was great! (CW: allusions to sexual assault)

Latter Days (2003) dir. C. Jay Cox

Short Summary: A promiscuous gay party animal falls for a young Mormon missionary, leading to crisis, cliché, and catastrophe.

Why you should watch it: I saw this in santiagonex’s top 20 LGBTQ+ films with happy endings, and I honestly thought it was gonna be a feel-good watch. Instead, I got a rollercoaster melodrama filled with early 2000s gay culture, religious guilt, buttcheeks, and Joseph Gordon-Levitt. Needless to say, I got more than I bargained for. (CW: self-harm, conversion therapy)

The Old Guard (2020) dir. Gina Prince-Blythewood

Short Summary:  A covert team of immortal mercenaries are suddenly exposed and must now fight to keep their identity a secret just as an unexpected new member is discovered.

Why you should watch it: Okay, I was debating whether I should include this here, because it’s not necessarily an LGBTQ+ film as much as it is an action film with queer characters. I decided to include it, because JESUS! I have never seen such respectful and well-written representation of queer characters and relationships. Joe and Nicky are the most unproblematic couple in history. PERIOD. Pray for sequels, everyone. This is the kind of representation we deserve in mainstream media. 

. . .

Click here for more LGBTQ+ film recs

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possum pushes skunk into a pond 

Source

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Friendly reminder that December 21, 2020 will have...

- the winter solstice, - the peak of the Ursids Meteor Shower, AND  - the rare Jupiter-Saturn conjunction!!!

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LGBTQ+ Short Films

I’m back with my queer film recs! My list for full feature films is not quite ready yet, but here’s five short films that I suggest you 10/10 should watch!

I Don’t Want to Go Back Alone (2010) dir.  Daniel Ribeiro 

Summary: 15-year-old visually impaired Leonardo becomes smitten with the new boy, Gabriel.

Why you should watch it: The premise might seem simple, but this short film is hands down my favorite. It’s an incredibly sweet film, only 17 minutes long, but if it leaves you wanting more (which it will), you can always watch the full feature version of it called The Way He Looks. Some people say it’s “too sweet and twee” but that’s exactly why I like it. No unnecessary drama, no tragic deaths. Just 17 minutes of honey.

Signs of Love (2017) dir.  Andrew Keenan-Bolger

Summary: When Ben summons up the courage to talk to Aaron at their local subway station he is surprised to find that Aaron is deaf. Despite the communication barrier love blossoms, but their very different worlds threaten to tear them apart.

Why you should watch it: This film has no spoken dialogue. There is no closed captions either. I don’t know sign language, but I understood film from beginning to end. The music score, the acting, the framing -- all of them contributed to the film’s clarity and beauty. This film is 15 minutes long but it tells an entire love story better than some full feature films out there. 

De Vuelta (2015) dir.  Gabriel Dorado

Summary: After two years, Alex returns to his hometown with Jordi to celebrate the night of San Juan.

Why you should watch it: People who watch Merli might spot a familiar face in this film. Yes, it is indeed our very own Pol Rubio! This is a homecoming film, and I suddenly became very nostalgic of my old hometown after watching this. It’s bittersweet film, but I fully recommend it to people missing home, and people chasing happiness in other places.

Parting Gift (2020)  dir. Sabrina Marks

Summary:  A florist finds a mysterious woman by a broken forest shrine in the woods.

Why you should watch it: This is the cutest thing I’ve ever seen asdfasfsd! All cottagecore queers, stop whatever you’re doing and watch this! I assure you, the three minutes you spend watching this will be worth it. You might end up feeling a little bit misty -- might yearn for a partner who’d carry you piggyback and build a shrine for you. Such is love. 

Query (2020) dir.  Sophie Kargman

Summary: A leisurely day belies its uninvited end as Jay and Alex, best friends and roommates, challenge one another on their opinions of sexuality

Why you should watch it: Loved the banter between Jay and Alex. Props to Justice Smith and Graham Patrick for their effortless chemistry. The discussion about sexuality drones on for nearly eight minutes, but it’s actually fun to listen to. The ending is a bit frustrating, but hella cute. Oh! And there is a cameo from our Armie Hammer that is very hard to miss. 

[ Full feature queer films list ]

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So... have y’all read The Song of Achilles, or are you emotionally stable?

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Lucy Gray Cosplay (1st panel) by CANONPIPER

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His laughter at the end is PRECIOUS! 

"you live by the squidward filter, you die by the squidward filter"

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Joe and Nicky, being vague about Malta:

The entire fanbase:

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Quick Icons  —  Joe & Nicky feel free to use

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Do yourself a favor. Watch The Old Guard!

A gay Italian character who is not stereotyped. 

A gay Arab character who is also not stereotyped. 

Neither of them fetishized. 

Both of them bad ass as fuck. 

And they’re in one of the healthiest relationships, queer or not, I’ve ever seen in an action movie.

Two female leads, one of them Black, neither of them sexualized. 

 Not even ONCE. 

 Both of them bad ass as fuck. 

And they both have space to be their own characters, with their own arcs.

Directed by a Black woman. 

Edited by a Black woman. 

 Actual MAIN //obviously// Gay characters in a superhero/comic movie? (Not relegated to cameo status, take notes Marvel!) 

 I’m sorry I can’t shut up about this movie. 

I’m just so fucking INTO everything it’s about! 

(Edit: I was too excited to think while I wrote this and but now it’s doing numbers and everyone is yelling at me asking what the name of the movie is lol. It’s The Old Guard, it’s on Netflix and came out a week ago.)

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I'd give good money for a series with just these two <3

#they are the definition of enemies to lovers

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Just a reminder that this is the thumbnail Globe used for the 2013 production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Yeah... they knew what we were really after.

( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

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LGBTQ+ Movies I Watched Recently

Matthias et Maxime (2019) dir. Xavier Dolan

Short Summary: Lifelong friends, Matthias and Maxime, find their relationship shaken up when they are asked to kiss for a student film. 

Why you should watch it: Their friend group is so diverse and so cHAoTiC! If you wanna see a bunch of dumbasses rile each other up and fight over a game of charades, this is for you. The romance part, for me, is a little half-baked but incredibly tender. Also, Harris Dickinson’s entrance will remind you why Xavier Dolan is one of the best contemporary filmmakers of our time. 

And Then We Danced (2019) dir. Levan Akin

Short Summary: Merab, a young dancer, longs to earn a spot on the Georgian National Ensemble. His chances become threatened when a new boy, Irakli, joins the troupe.

Why you should watch it: The premiere of this movie CAUSED A LITERAL RIOT! When it was first screened in Georgia, a group of Catholic traditionalists stormed the area in an attempt to stop the premiere. They failed. If behind-the-scenes drama doesn’t convince you, then maybe the rivals-to-friends-to-lovers trope will. And honestly, the relationship between Merab and his older brother warms my heart. 

I Killed My Mother (2009) dir. Xavier Dolan 

Short Summary: A coming-of-age story of sixteen-year-old gay boy, Hubert Minel, and his love-hate relationship with his temperamental mother. 

Why you should watch it: Honestly, I don’t even know where to begin. Maybe with the fact that Xavier Dolan was sixteen(!) years old when he wrote this?! It’s such an angsty, poetic, relatable film. I was so moved by this that I came out to my mom after watching it. As with all Dolan films, the cinematography is amazing -- it features the most stunning sex scene EVER and you can quote me on that. 

The Half of It (2020) dir. Alice Wu

Short Summary: Straight-A student, Ellie Chu, agrees to help the pure-of-heart but dimwitted Paul Munsky by ghostwriting a letter for his crush, Aster Flores.

Why you should watch it: If you liked Steve and Robin’s friendship in Stranger Things, this movie will do you one better. Paul Munsky radiates such golden retriever energy, and Ellie Chu balances it out with her no-nonsense attitude. All in all, this movie is such a feel-good watch that doesn’t fall short on substance.

Benjamin (2018) dir. Simon Amstell

Short Summary: An award-winning filmmaker on edge about the screening of his second film meets a young French vocalist. Despite his intimacy issues, he begins a relationship with the singer and soon finds himself falling in love.

Why you should watch it: Colin Morgan’s performance as Benjamin embodies the meaning of a gay disaster™. I have never felt more represented in a film than when Benjamin stammers the most awkward things in the most inappropriate times. The comedy is point (duh? It’s written by British comedian Simon Amstell), but it’s also poignant and incredibly wholesome.

Portrait of a Lady on Fire (2019) dir. Celine Sciamma

Short Summary: A painter, Marianne, is commissioned to do the wedding portrait of Heloise, who refuses to pose for it. Instead, Marianne agrees to observe Heloise every day to complete the painting. 

Why you should watch it: YOU. JUST. SHOULD! Honestly, this film is perfect. The storyline is so intriguing. The cinematography is flawless (I mean, do you see the colors in the GIF up there?!). The characters are complex and well-written. And the gazes! OH, THE GAZES! Adele Haenel and Noemie Merlant have such beautiful, piercing eyes, and the way they looked at each other made me melt. 

Were The World Mine (2008) dir. Tom Gustafson

Short Summary: A queer retelling of Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Timothy discovers how to make a love potion and turns every one in his town gay. 

Why you should watch it: It’s so outrageous. I did not think A Midsummer Night’s Dream could be gayer, but then this glam fantasy musical popped up! The soundtrack is to die for! Tanner Cohen has the voice of an angel (I wish he did more films). Ever since the Globe Theatre’s 2013 production of this play, I’ve eaten up all the Midsummer content I can get my hands on. This movie is topnotch Shakesqueer content.

Kanarie (2018)  dir. Christiaan Olwagen

Short Summary: In South Africa (1985), Johan is drafted into the military’s choir and concert group called the Kanaries. Also part of the choir group is the bubbly, outgoing Wolfgang Muller. Romance blossoms in the battlefield.

Why you should watch it: The musical numbers in this movie are so camp, I loved them! Johan’s number one idol is Boy George. That should tell you how camp and outrageous this movie can be. I love musicals and forbidden love, and this movie features both! For a film set in war, it is surprisingly disarming. 

Lost and Delirious (2001) dir. Léa Pool

Short Summary: A newcomer to a posh girls boarding school discovers that her two senior roommates are lovers.

Why you should watch it: Criminally underrated. When I first watched this movie, I did not expect it to cut so deep, but it did. It has the tone and the atmosphere of Dead Poets Society and the romance of a Shakespearean drama. It’s got fencing, poetry, duels, hawks, and love confessions in the library! It’s such an intimate, heartbreaking movie. 10/10 would recommend. 

Boy Meets Girl (2014) dir. Eric Schaeffer

Short Summary: Ricky, a 21-year-old transgender young woman living in Virginia, dreams of becoming a designer in New York.

Why you should watch it: It’s a movie about a transgender woman portrayed by an actual transgender woman! How often do you get to see that in the big screen? Michelle Hendley is one of the most beautiful people I have ever seen, and her performance as Ricky is so brave and honest -- I couldn’t believe it was her debut performance! What I love most about this movie is how it demolishes outdated gender roles with such witty, biting dialogue. 

Tom a la Ferme (2013) dir. Xavier Dolan

Short Summary: Tom travels to the countryside to attend his late boyfriend’s funeral. What was supposed to be a brief engagement turns into an extended stay when the deceased’s older brother, Francis, forcefully stops Tom from leaving.

Why you should watch it: Xavier Dolan goes blond in this film! BLOND! I could fangirl about it all day, but back to the movie! So the film is a twisted, tense portrayal of Stockholm Syndrome. I like how it wasn’t heavily romanticized unlike most films that deal with the same topic -- although the whole film is taut with sexual tension, sex is only ever hinted at and not shown. That said, it's still a steamy piece of psychosexual cinema.

A Moment in the Reeds (2017) dir. Mikko Makela

Short Summary: Leevi, a literature student, returns home to help his father renovate their cabin. His father also hires a handyman, Tareq, a Syrian refugee.  

Why you should watch it: This is like a dreamier version of God’s Own Country (which I also loved). The conversations between Leevi and Tareq are so meaningful and deep without veering straight into pretentiousness. This movie tackles beauty, love, war, racism all in the gorgeous backdrop of the Finnish countryside.