CinemaQ Review
Content warning: Discussion of films with adult content
Watched a lovely trio of films during CinemaQ, our local Queer film festival. (Virtual, because it’s 2020, of course.)
Monsoon
(2019, Directed by Hong Khaou)
The official summary: Kit in his 30s returns to Ho Chi Minh City for the first time since he was six years old when his family fled the country in the aftermath of the Vietnam-American war. Struggling to make sense of himself in a city he’s no longer familiar with, he embarks on a personal journey across the country that opens up the possibility for friendship, love and happiness.
My thoughts: A complex look at life in the diaspora. Survivor’s guilt, debtor’s guilt, colonizer’s guilt, all swimming together-- an interesting film, but still primarily composed of shots of Henry Golding looking out windows sadly. The film didn’t have any answers but that may be because there aren’t any.
Ask Any Buddy
(2020, Directed by Evan Purchell)
The official summary: A video mashup that uses fragments from over 125 gay adult films to create a kaleidoscopic snapshot of urban gay life in the years following the Stonewall Riots – or at least how it looked in the movies.
My thoughts: Brilliant, weird, wonderful! A mixtape of old porn that weaves a story of its own. This is a gay culture that people my age (and younger) never got to experience because of the AIDS epidemic. There is so much joy in this porn. Some explicit, some weird, some artsy, all interesting. This film includes graphic adult scenes.
Queer Japan
(2020, Directed by Graham Kolbeins)
The official summary: Trailblazing artists, activists, and everyday people from across the spectrum of gender and sexuality defy social norms and dare to shine in this kaleidoscopic view of LGBTQ+ culture in contemporary Japan. From glossy pride parades to playfully perverse underground parties, Queer Japan pictures people living brazenly unconventional lives in the sunlight, the shadows, and everywhere in between.
My thoughts: I am ALWAYS hesitant about “White person goes to document Japanese subculture” documentaries, but this was exquisitely done. A lovely little snapshot that covered many different personalities and genders and identities. If anything, I wish I could get MORE content on each of the individuals featured! I would happily watch an entire film about the Deaf LGBT advocacy group. Great interviews with some familiar faces and some new faces, but all people I’d love to know.
