Being Fearless: What to See at South Florida's Outshine LGBTQ Film Fest

The horrific and lasting effects of intolerance because of religious teachings that lead to societal norms is a prevalent and potent theme in this year's Miami Outshine selections, making many of the offerings some of the best and most powerful films in years at any Queer festival. It's also refreshing to see more diverse stories being told, yet quite telling that so many involve homophobia, here and abroad.

Kudos to the Miami Outshine selection committee for shining a light on the injustices in the world and being fearless with their choices this year. The 2022 Edition runs April 22-May 1 and features over 45 international feature and documentary screenings, as well as short programs, virtual showings, and other treats.

For more information and to purchase tickets and packages, visit the Outshine website.

After a sampling of many of this year's features, the following are among the best, but feel free to peruse and take some chances. Treat yourself!

"Everything of Value (Alles Van Waarde)"

Two men are violently assaulted in a conservative church-going village, and an investigation ensues. This is the simple premise of Dutch filmmaker Stanley Kolk and his co-screenwriter Cecile Levy's ambitious and complex work, "Everything of Value (Alles Van Waarde)." The filmmakers tell the story by juxtaposing a simulated dramatic retelling via a doc-like exploration. The narrative follows the casting of the "real-life figures" to the table reading to the re-enactments – all cut together in a magnificently manipulative mosaic that exposes hard but damning truths about deep-seated homophobia (especially within the church) and damaging self-hatred. This wonderfully astute and clever film also does what life often cannot in the final reel: Provides hope. In Dutch with English subtitles.

"All Our Fears"

In Lukasz Ronduda's searing work "All Our Fears," Daniel (a deeply affecting Dawid Ogrodnik) is a young gay artist, torn between his severely intolerant Catholic surroundings and his own queer identity. The inbred dogmatism in his farming community leads to a young lesbian hanging herself, prompting Daniel to go on a crusade and organize a "way of the cross" to redeem a village steeped in hatred. Based on real events, the film calls out the Catholic Church teachings on LGBTQ matters for the many suicides, specifically in Eastern Europe. A harrowing scene near the end of the film between father and son, sans dialogue, speaks volumes about how people allow, and even encourage, acts of violence towards queer people in the name of God. Ronduda's film is a shocking reminder of what a luxury acceptance is in most parts of the world. In Polish with English subtitles.

"Wildhood"

Brettan Hannam's first feature, "Wildhood," is a wonderful, celebratory film that tells a transformative Native American/LGBTQ-themed story about spiritual and sexual awakening. The movie centers on Link (impressive newcomer Phillip Lewitski) who, on a journey to find his mother, encounters a fellow Two-Spirit, Mi'kmaw, (an excellent Joshua Odjick). There is an immediate, if unspoken, attraction that the two eventually pursue. The movie is about freeing yourself from the bondage of the past to move forward. "Wildhood" a wonder to behold.

"Anaïs in Love"

French filmmaker Charline Bourgeois-Tacquet's delightful first feature, "Anaïs in Love," focuses on the carefree but headstrong titular character, richly brought to life by Anaïs Demoustier, who tires of the stuffy men in her life and pursues an older, celebrated author, played by the fabulous Valeria Bruni Tedeschi, a woman who appreciates her combination of "audacity and timidity." This enchanting love story will leave you wishing it were a binge-able limited series. In French with English subtitles.

"Lonesome"

Is this another lonely, closeted cowboy drifter film? After about 30 minutes, "Lonesome" proves it has loftier intentions. Casey (Josh Lavery, in a fierce feature debut) has fled his small farm community and landed in Sydney, Australia. He instantly hooks up with Tib (Daniel Gabriel), a young dude immersed in fucking. Writer-director Craig Boreham does not shy away from nudity or explicit sexual situations, sometimes to the extreme, but the film is most affecting in its quiet moments, when the high drama dissipates and we see just how beaten down Casey has become by his world, familial and otherwise. "Lonesome" is yet another film dealing with intolerance and self-hatred, and, thanks to Lavery's intense performance, it's a stirring, disturbing, and engaging one.

"Once a Year on Blackpool Sands"

What began as a small theatre production is now an exquisite film written and directed by Karlton Parris. Set in the '50s and '80s, "Once a Year on Blackpool Sands" is based on the real story of Yorkshire coal miners who spent one week a year on holiday at an odd, out-of-the-way B&B in Blackpool. This beautifully shot (by Josh Gwynn) tearjerker is another film about the struggles between belonging to a place where the people refuse to accept you for who you are, and the need to escape that damaging locale. The film is anchored by a mesmeric performance by Kyle Brookes as Eddy, a young gay man tired of hiding who he is. The assorted extraneous characters add color, but are overabundant and, too often, unnecessary. But when the film is focused on the intense romance between Eddy and Tommy (a terrific Macaulay Cooper), it soars. Luckily, the second half does just that. Look out for the sexy, "Out of Africa" homage hair washing scene.

"Private Desert" ("Deserto Particular")

Expectations of masculine behavior is one of the major themes explored in "Private Desert," Brazilian director Aly Muritiba's engrossing film that first focuses on a troubled 40-year-old police officer (an arresting Antonio Saboia) and, midway through, becomes something denser and more complex as the narrative pivots to another character (an equally potent Pedro Fasanaro) struggling with his queerness in a town where that means being ostracized. Without giving away spoilers, Muritiba delves into how oppressive and suffocating religious and patriarchy-infused small-town communities can be when it comes to how men are taught to live and love. The movie's last reel is the kind of wonderful convergence we often hope for in a story like this, but rarely see. In Portuguese with English subtitles.

"Cop Secret"

After I wrote up my thoughts on "Cop Secret," I saw a review of the film in one of the major trades that claimed the film "added nothing new to the genre conventions except for the locale." Really? How many major American films have two male action hero protagonists ultimately fucking each other? None, you fool. Sure, Icelandic director Hannes �ór Halldórsson's film doesn't do much that's new – except for that one teeny-tiny giant thing! "Cop Secret" is "Die Hard," only funnier, queer, and less irritating (not a "DH" fan here). Yes, it's action-headache inducing at times, but super famous cop Bussi (Auðunn Blöndal) and ex-model-cum-cop Hördur (Egill Einarsson) make the ride a giddy treat, from Bussi's initial repression to his... capitulation. The next time Jason Statham and Mark Wahlberg have the balls to snack on one another in a movie, then Iceland won't have been the only country to have added innovation to an oh-so-tired genre. In Icelandic with English subtitles.

"The School Master Games" ("Magisterlekarna")

At St. Sebastian Academy, an all-male school, a utopian type of queer world exists. The young men are allowed to be their gay selves, date one another, and lust after each other, all the while the school master (Johan Ehn), plagued by memories of being bullied, has a kind of sadomasochistic game going on with one of the most desired students, Charles (a very game Christian Arnold). Swedish director Ylva Forner set out to make "a love story we haven't seen before set in a world we haven't been in before." While the former is questionable the latter is certainly true. We are never told if this queer paradise is within the walls of the Academy alone or what the world has become, but that doesn't take away from the enjoyment factor. This strange, stylized film acts as a kind of bridging of generations. In Swedish with English subtitles.

"The Swimmer"

"The Swimmer" sometimes feels like an intense episode of "Survivor" and other times plays like a queer tease without any real payoff – except for the eye candy. Erez (Omer Perelman Striks) is a closeted newcomer to the team of Olympic hopefuls that includes the fave Nevo (Asaf Jonas), whom he instantly befriends. The attraction is palpable, but his horribly homophobic Russian coach wants to sabotage the bond (could he be a latent gay himself?). The film explores interesting notions of forced repression when it comes to training, as well as the toxicity of the heteronormative world as it relates to sports. I just wish Kalderon had gone that extra step towards what the narrative was leading to. In Hebrew with English subtitles.

"Jimmy in Saigon"

Out filmmaker Peter McDowell had an older brother who was a Vietnam vet that died at the age of 24 while living as a civilian in Saigon. The circumstances surrounding his death, and how he lived, are the subject of McDowell's riveting portrait "Jimmy in Saigon," a poetic documentary that exposes the secrets, lies, and taboo love that existed a half century ago, as well as the self-hatred and homophobia inherent in both the Vietnamese and American cultures.

From Television:

"All You Need"

The five-episode gay-themed show "All You Need" pays homage to the groundbreaking Brit series "Queer as Folk." It's less complex and narrower in focus, but quite compelling and binge-worthy. Much of the allure comes from the appealing actors (Benito Bause, Arash Marandi, Mads Hjulmand, and, especially, Frédéric Brossier) and the fact that the creator, Benjamin Gutsche, is writing messy humans who make a lot of mistakes and hurt people in the process. Refreshing.

Apparently, German television has been terribly lax in telling queer stories, and the AYN network is part of a concerted effort to tell more diverse stories. "All You Need" is the first show with exclusively gay characters. Bravo. Here's hoping Season 2 (already ordered) delves a bit deeper.