OUTshine Outdoes Itself with 2021 Digital Edition

OUTshine Film Festival Miami edition is not letting the pandemic slow things down. In its 23rd year, the preeminent LGBTQ Florida Film Fest will feature over 80 entries from around the world, running April 23rd to May 2nd. Yes, the Fest will be mostly digital but there will be 3 in-person events as well. The opening night presentation is Wes Hurley's singular and personal, "Potato Dreams of America" and Closing Night will boast the Czech Republic's Oscar submission, Agnieszka Holland's riveting "Charlatan."

The lineup is truly impressive. Here are some offerings not to be missed.

Narrative Gems

"The Man with the Answers"

Victor (Vasilis Magouliotis) is a young man living in Greece who just lost his grandmother. Upset and confused, he packs up and decides to drive to Bavaria in search of his estranged mother. He meets a shady German dude, Matthias (Anton Weil), on the ferry to Italy, and the two embark on a rather disputatious road trip together and...fall in love along the way. Writer-director Stelios Kammitsis's "The Man with the Answers" is infinitely charming and felt so real and resonant. Between the gorgeous Italian landscapes and the sweet and messy scenes of courtship, I was enthralled. One of the best of the Fest for certain. In English, German, Greek, and Italian w/ English Subtitles.

"Beyto"

Gitta Gsell's captivating film, "Beyto," based on the book by Yusuf Yesilöz (who co-wrote the film with Gsell) delves into the cultural difficulties that arise when Beyto (Burak Ates), a young Turkish swimmer living in Switzerland, falls for Mike (Dimitri Stapfer), his hunky German coach. When Beyto's intolerant parents learn of his homosexuality they trick him into marrying a woman. But unlike other films of this nature, Beyto insists on being himself and the results are fascinating to watch. Ates impresses and Stapfer is truly mesmerizing. This affecting film has a lot to say about the self-centered motivations of family members who purport to be thinking only of their child. Swiss-German and Turkish w/ English Subtitles.

"Charlatan"

Representing the Czech Republic in this year's International Oscar submissions,
Agnieszka Holland delivers one of her best films in years with the hypnotic "Charlatan," a complex portrait of the controversial Czech herbalist and healer Jan Mikolášek (played by father and son, Ivan and Josef Trojan, at different ages). This epic saga spans the two great wars and beyond boasting a surprisingly tender gay love story at its center. In Czech and German w/ English Subtitles.

"Boy Meets Boy"

Set in Berlin and running a breezy 69 minutes, Daniel Sanchez Lopez's delightful "Boy Meets Boy" is reminiscent of Richard Linklater's "Before Sunrise," Andrew Haigh's "Weekend" and even David Lean's "Brief Encounter," as our two adorable leads spend a day getting to know each other. Johannes (Alexis Kotsoulis) is a dancer who dreams of being a father. Harry (Matthew James Morrison) is a British doctor on holiday. The film is loaded with those cute sexy glances that we're all familiar with. Lopez's script is smart, sometimes a bit lazy (cheese is overused) but also incisive (imagine, an actual intelligent conversation between two gay millennials about social dating apps). I didn't want the day to end!

"Poppy Field (Camp de Maci)"

The lion's share of the intense, gripping and insightful Romanian film, "Poppy Field" takes place in a Bucharest movie theatre where the showing of a lesbian-themed film has been interrupted by ultra-nationalist protesters. Cristi (Conrad Mericoffer), a closeted gendarme, is one of many officers called to handle the conflict. Based on actual events that took place in Romania (with the showing of "BPM," which ironically, the film calls to mind), "Poppy Field" is a powerful reminder that being gay in many countries is still verboten. Director Eugen Jebeleanu has fashioned a powerful examination of hate, self-hate and intolerance.

"Potato Dreams of America"

Writer-director Wes Hurley's genre-mashup takes on immigration with his autobiographical "Potato Dreams of America." This "Jojo Rabbit"-reminiscent comedy-drama (with Jesus substituting for Hitler) blends elements of 80s studio films with Genet and even John Waters and has a strange poignancy to it. And the film contains one of the best reactions ever captured onscreen to a mother being told her son is gay. Hurley elicits great work from his ensemble, especially his two Lenas (Sera Barbieri and Marya Sea Kaminski). The only jarring thing is the decision to have the Russians in the first half speak with perfect American accents.

"Sublet"

Eytan Fox's "Sublet" examines a few days in the life of a NY Times writer, Michael (John Benjamin Hickey, achingly good), who travels to Tel Aviv to pen a piece on the city's hot spots. Michael sublets an apartment from Tomer (Niv Nissim), a young, cocky film student, and finds himself fascinated with both the boy and the locale. Fox insightfully examines intergenerational themes in this moving work.

"Isaac"

Discontentment, repression, guilt and misguided ambitions are just some of the themes touched on in "Isaac," written by directors Angeles Hernandez and David Matamorros as well as Antonio Hernández Centeno (the film is based on his play). Nacho (Pepe Ocio) and Denis (Iván Sánchez) are old friends, now separated by class. Denis needs money to buy a restaurant so he seduces Nacho, who has always carried a torch for him. Both are partnered with women and a surrogacy twist changes all of them. I was deeply enmeshed in the non-linear narrative and impressed with the filmmaking. In Spanish with English subtitles.

"Enfant Terrible"

The Brilliant German director Rainer Werner Fassbinder was also tempestuous, spiteful, self-hating and both sadist and masochist. Oskar Roehler's "Enfant Terrible" captures all this in a strangely conventional biopic that is an evocative, sometimes alienating, and oddly captivating film–much like its subject. I'm not sure how accessible this film will be outside of cinephiles but being one of the director's aficionados I was enthralled and, ultimately, disappointed. Fassbinder deserved a more radical and less obvious treatment. The boon? Oliver Masucci who perfectly embodies the anarchic helmer and imbues him with a staggering need to create–as if he had an awareness of his inevitable tragic fate. In German, French and English with English subtitles.

"Tove"

An unconventional life is given a creative, if conventional, biopic treatment is Zaida Bergroth's "Tove," about Finland's iconic artist/cartoonist Tove Jansson (Alma Pöysti). Set in post WW2 Helsinki (and Paris), the film is a splashy, artsy endeavor with a magnetic lead performance by Pöysti. "Tove" was Finland's International Oscar submission. In English, Swedish, and Finish w/ English Subtitles.

"Narcissus and Goldmund (Narziss und Goldmund)"

Based on Nobel Prize winner Herman Hesse's 1930 novel, "Narcissus and Goldmund," Stephan Ruzowitzky (Oscar winner for "The Counterfeiters") has crafted a seductive if structurally messy meditation on love, faith, friendship and artistic expression. Narcissus (Sabin Tambrea) is a deeply pious introvert. Goldmund (Jannis Niewöhner) is an adventurous thrill seeker. They meet as adolescents and form a bond but one feels more strongly than the other. Niewöhner is so stunningly (even in later scenes when he's literally maimed by life) that it's easy to put up with the meandering narrative. Now, had that passion been returned, well then we would have had something potentially exciting. In German with English subtitles.

"My Best Part (Garcon Chiffon)"

Nicolas Maury plays a paranoid, mopey, slightly pathetic actor in "My Best Part," which is not surprisingly co-written and directed by Maury, since the film centers completely on his character. Intermittently absorbing and alienating, the film boasts the great French actress Nathalie Baye, who adds class every time she appears onscreen. One less hat for Maury (perhaps, the acting mascot) and the film might have been a tad less...self-indulgent. In French with English subtitles.

"The Extinction of Fireflies"

Playwright James Andrew Walsh makes his feature film debut adapting and directing his play, "The Extinction of Fireflies" for the screen with mixed results. Set in New England over the Labor Day weekend, an aging gay playwright (Drew Droege) gathers a clueless actor friend, Jay (Michael Urie), and a TV diva Charlotte (Tracie Bennett) to read his new work. Jay's beau, Callisto (Kario Marcel) drops in and everyone goes a bit berserk. "Extinction" is absorbing...until it derails in the final quarter mostly because of the convoluted script. Urie is saddled with a confusing role. Bennett's scenery chewing is a bit much. The best and most nuanced performance is by newcomer Marcel, who made me long for a film about his character–one where he isn't relegated to a done-to-death arc. Marcel raises the stakes whenever he is onscreen.

Worthy Docs

"Wojnarowicz: F*ck You F*ggot F**ker"

Chris McKim's penetrating portrait of the writer/painter/activist David Wojnarowicz, "Wojnarowicz: F*ck You F*ggot F**ker," is a challenging and enrapturing testament to the spirit of one artist who refused to be bullied into silence and capitulation. Instead, at the height of the AIDS crisis, he was galvanized into unapologetically railing against a world that turned a blind eye to gays dying. The government and Catholic Church responsed to AIDS in the Reagan '80s by either ignoring it or laying blame. "I'm not going to be polite and fuck these people who want me to be courageous," Wojnarowicz says in one of a treasure trove of recordings McKim uses. That should be a mantra for all civil injustices. The importance of his life and story cannot be underestimated.

"Truman & Tennessee: An Intimate Conversation"

Lisa Immordino Vreeland has structured a truly captivating and cleverly contrasting examination of two of the most significant writers of the last century. "Truman & Tennessee: An Intimate Conversation" teases a sit down with these titanic scribes. What we get is a host of intimate photos, film clips, TV moments as well as the writings of both Capote and Williams as interpreted by Jim Parsons and Zachary Quinto, respectively. As much as they had in common is as much as they differed and this doc places the words and worlds of these two enigmatic authors center stage.

"P.S. Burn This Letter Please"

The discovery of a box in a storage unit in 2014 by filmmakers Michael Seligman and Jennifer Tiexiera led to a treasure trove of letters to and from DJ and talent agent Reno Martin that documented the world of a group of drag queens in the 1950s and early '60s. Via these precious artifacts, "P.S. Burn This Letter Please" provides an illuminating portrait of what life was like for these queer people pre-Stonewall, when the art of female impersonation as well as homosexuality itself were still criminal offenses. The film shines an important light on a part of queer history that has been disregarded.

Web Series

"I Am Syd Stone"

Denis Theriault's "I Am Syd Stone" is an impressive 6-episode web series (under 90 min) that chronicles the travails of a closeted A-list movie star whose career is faltering. Syd (an engaging Travis Nelson) meets a sexy lawyer one night in a hotel bar and repressed feelings are awakened. "Stone" asks some relevant questions. Almost demands a Season Two.

And a film that mystified me...

"On the Fringe of Wild"

Finally, a word on Emma Catalfamo's admirable but incredibly misguided "On the Fringe of Wild." Nothing in this film feels right or real, which is a shame because it purports to deal with bullying, homophobia and queer acceptance but instead trivializes its themes. I kept wondering if there was some kind of surreal self-awareness, some reason for the disjointed narrative or the insanely ridiculous character journeys or the wildly uneven script (by Sorelle Doucet). I'm still baffled and wondering...

For more info on the 23rd Annual Miami Edition of the OUTshine LGBTQ+ Film Festival, visit www.outshinefilm.com.