London Lesbian & Gay Film Festival 2009: EROS O BASILEUS, STEAM
London Lesbian & Gay Film Festival 2009
Monday, March 30, highlights
Schedule and synopses from the LLGFF website
Lion’s Den
| Directed by: | Pablo Trapero |
| Cast: | Martina Gusman, Elli Medeiros, Laura García |
| Distributor: | Unanimous Pictures |
| Country: | Argentina |
| Year: | 2008 |
| Running time: | 113min |
Julia, a two weeks pregnant 25-year-old student is sent to prison for a crime she may or may not have committed – the murder of her boyfriend’s male lover. No one can remember what happened that night, and as Julia adjusts to life inside prison walls, gradually commanding respect from other inmates on the ‘maternity’ wing and developing a tender and loving relationship with fellow internee Marta, she not only has to fight her wrongful incarceration, but also for her son Tomas, born inside prison and due to be taken away from her on his fourth birthday. A classic women-in-prison drama that goes beyond the constraints of the genre, this film is both a harsh depiction of prison life and the tenderness that can also be found inside. Emma Smart
Black Widow
| Directed by: | Bob Rafelson |
| Cast: | Theresa Russell, Debra Winger |
| Country: | USA |
| Year: | 1987 |
| Running time: | 102min |
Relocating the genre from its shadowy urban interiors and onto the golden beaches of Hawaii, Bob Rafelson’s sun-drenched contemporary noir is a much discussed queer classic. Theresa Russell stars as the ‘black widow’ of the film’s title, a woman who marries a succession of wealthy men, only to murder them and take their money. Pitted against her is probing journalist Alex Barnes (Debra Winger), who sets out to uncover the femme fatale, yet becomes obsessed with her along the way.
Those who celebrate the film have argued the case for its feminist credentials and subversive play on traditional gender roles within the film noir genre, while its detractors see it as little more than a male fantasy writ large. Either way, it’s a fascinating film, loaded with sub-text and intrigue, that stands up today as one of the most wickedly pleasurable examples of queer noir.
Steam
| Directed by: | Kyle Schickner. |
| Cast: | Ally Sheedy, Ruby Dee, Kate Siegel |
| Country: | USA |
| Year: | 2008 |
| Running time: | 120min |
Three vastly different women share a steam room at the local gym hoping their troubles will melt away, not realising it’s both the company and the steam that helps free them. Elizabeth (the beautiful Kate Siegel) is a sheltered college student with domineering parents who wrestles with coming out as she falls in love with a woman for the first time. Laurie (brilliant Ally Sheedy) struggles to be a good mother when her aggressive ex-husband seeks custody of their son because she begins a relationship with a much younger man. And finally Doris (the excellent Ruby Dee) is a recent widow who finds it hard to come to terms with her loss until a new man in her life teaches her how to love again. A beautifully interwoven story of love and personal awakening. Emma Smart
Eros, o Basileus
| Directed by: | Gregory J. Markopoulos |
| Cast: | Robert Beavers |
| Country: | USA |
| Year: | 1967 |
| Running time: | 45min |
Through a Lens Brightly: Mark Turbyfill
| Directed by: | Gregory J. Markopoulos |
| Country: | USA |
| Year: | 1967 |
| Running time: | 15min |
[Gregory J.] Markopoulos‘ invocation of Eros merges classical and contemporary imagery by placing the male god of love in an artists’ loft. The sole protagonist, predominantly naked, appears in a series of tableaux surrounded by icons of creativity, including paintings, books and filmmaking equipment. This sculptural study of the human form is energised by flash frames, stylised fades, and Strauss’ tone-poem ‘Ein Heldenleben’.
Eros is portrayed by the young filmmaker Robert Beavers, who had recently moved to New York after seeing films by Markopoulos and other New American Cinema pioneers. Both soon left America for Europe, where they remained together until Markopoulos’ death in 1992.
Through a Lens Brightly: Mark Turbyfill
The life of painter, dancer and poet Mark Turbyfill, seen in his 70th year, is evoked through traditional portraiture and personal objects.
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Tags: Ally Sheedy, Bob Rafelson, Debra Winger, Eros o Basileus, Film Festivals, Gay Film Festivals, Gay Interest, Gregory J. Markopoulos, Lion's Den, London Lesbian and Gay Film Festival, London Screenings, Pablo Trapero, Robert Beavers, Ruby Dee, Steam, Theresa Russell, Women's Prison
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Lion’s Den just won a Mexican award for best South American film.