Sundance 2009: Gay Themes
Jim Carrey, Ewan McGregor in I Love You, Phillip Morris
Gay boycott or no, Sundance 2009 has several films dealing — at least to some extent — with gay characters.
The most publicized gay-focused film at Sundance is I Love You, Phillip Morris, about a scary-looking ex-cop (Jim Carrey) who becomes a criminal and is arrested. While in jail, he falls for a fellow inmate (Ewan McGregor). Based on a book by Steve McVicker, I Love You, Phillip Morris was written and directed by Glenn Ficarra and John Requa, whose writing credits include Bad Santa and Bad News Bears.
Peter Bratt’s La Mission portrays the difficult relationship between a San Francisco gay teen (Jeremy Ray Valdez) and his tough father (Benjamin Bratt, above), who throws his son out of the house. After the event, Dad must deal with his anti-gay bigotry.
Writer-director Alexis Dos Santos‘ Unmade Beds chronicles the dos and don’ts of London’s club scene.
Stefano Tummolini’s Italian drama, Un altro pianeta / One Day in a Life chronicles the happenings in one deceptively ordinary day. One Day in a Life was the 2008 Queer Lion winner at the Venice Film Festival.
Dare is a dramatic comedy about three high-school seniors (Emmy Rossum, Ashley Springer and Zach Gilford), one of whom is sexually disoriented. Also in the cast, Alan Cumming and Sandra Bernhard. Directed by Adam Salky.
Writer-director Lynn Shelton’s comedy Humpday revolves around two male heterosexual buddies who decide to have sex with one another so as to take part on an amateur porn contest.
Push: Based on the novel by Sapphire depicts the emotional travails of an overweight teenager (Gabourey Sidibe) whose life is changed by a lesbian teacher (Paula Patton). Also in the cast: Mo’Nique, Sherri Shepherd, Lenny Kravitz, and Mariah Carey. Directed by Lee Daniels.
Liz Garbus‘ documentary Shouting Fire: Stories from the Edge of Free Speech discusses various contemporary First Amendment cases, including that of a student who sued for the right to wear Bible-inspired anti-gay messages on T-shirts at school.
Among the gay-themed shorts are the Finnish comedy A Mate, about a supposedly straight guy caught having sex with a (male) friend; Marco Berger’s The Watch, in which two young men spending the evening together may or may not have sex; Connor Clements‘ James (above, available for free on itunes), in which an Irish boy tries to come to terms with his sexuality; Julian Breece’s The Young and Evil, the story of a gay teen who wants to seduce an HIV-prevention counselor into infecting him with the virus; and Jenny Olson’s 575 Castro St., an experimental documentary shot on the empty set of Gus Van Sant’s Milk.
Subscribe / Syndicate
4 Comments
Tags: Benjamin Bratt, Film Festivals, Gay Interest, Humpday, I Love You Phillip Morris, La Mission, One Day in a Life, Push: Based on the Novel by Sapphire, Shouting Fire: Stories From the Edge of Free Speech, Sundance 2009, Sundance Film Festival, Unmade Beds
Comments
4 Responses to “Sundance 2009: Gay Themes”
Leave a Reply
NOTE:
All comments are moderated and may take some time before they are posted. Different views and opinions are welcome, but courtesy is imperative. Rude/crass/bigoted comments and name-calling of any sort will be immediately deleted.
Also, please be aware that the Alternative Film Guide has no contact information for the talent mentioned in this blog and no information pertaining to or access to distributors'/producers' film prints.
I’ve hard that humpday was the hit of the festival.
Phillip Morris doesnt interest m but id like to chek out the italian flick
Jim Carrey as a gay crook in love with Ewan McGregor sounds pretty interesting to me.
Don’t forget the fantastic “Everything Strange and New”! Sundance buzz was strong.