January 7.2000 r Jaat FILMS * ▼ ............. Ludovic is an impeccable, beautiful little girl. The problem, as far as his family is con cerned, is that Ludovic was bom a boy— and this is the fuel of Ma Vie en Rose (M y Life in Pink). Considering the heavy subject matter, Bel gian director A lain Berliner could have taken a more serious route with his feature film debut, but he decided to keep this flick light, colorful and humorous. From the first scene, you fall in love with Ludovic and cheer for him along the way. His parents, two deeply confused souls, first dismiss their sons behavior, then call it a phase and send him to therapy, then try to scrapie up a deeper understanding of why Ludovic is the way he is. T he conclusion is far from dismal. This movie is a warm, trippy treat. — Katy Davidson E verythin g R elative he biggest challenge with Everything Rela tive is remembering all the names and who slept with whom during the incestuous col lege years of seven old friends who come T drifts in and out of senility, and downstairs lives a “sister” William has never met. T hen there’s the foul-mouthed sister who’s marrying W illiam’s first boyfriend. T he many surreal aspects of the film elevate the story from a typical saga of sadness. The adult William is frequently confronted by phantoms of his former selves, including his angst-steeped teen self who inspires the film’s title. W hat’s refreshing is that William’s gayness is basically a given— very little of the story has to do with the trauma and drama of his being queer. Instead, the story focuses on how he attempts to fit back into his family of origin. T hat William appiears to have survived his truly awful upbringing and made himself into a compassionate, responsible adult provides hope that anyone might transcend similar circum stances. T he film does feel a bit claustrophobic, as most of the action takes place at the family home, but that also heightens the effect of the ending, which is a nice relief. It is well-acted by unknown actors in a naturalistic style— per- Thinking o f Relocating to Palm Springs? You may be able to retire early and create an income stream to make this life change Break Through the Clouds! possible. Call me! Visit M y Website: w w w .jack elliso n .co m or Call for a No-Obligation Consultation JACK ELLISON m F I N A N C I A L SENTRA M '.'.t m u c « # » « •* » ';» ; A SunAmerk .« ( omp¿ny Mirmlwr NASIVSIK C O N S U L T A N T 760.320.9565 • Toll Free 888.434JACK • www.jackellison.com 500 S. PALM CANYON DR., SUITE 204 • PALM SPRINGS,CA 92264 • CA INSURANCE LIC # 0 0 7 8 4 1 Wt PHOTO BY PHILIPPE ANTONELLO Is Your Printer Having A Hard Time Meeting Your Deadlines? WITH IN-HOUSE DESIGN, PRINTING AND MAILING, OUR START-TO-FINISH SERVICES WILL GET YOUR JOB WHERE YOU WANT IT, WHEN YOU NEED IT. 424 N i Broadway • Portland, Oregon 97 23 2 * 5 0 3 . 2 8 1 . 8 6 6 6 • Fax 5 0 3 . 2 4 9 . 1 4 4 0 {■mail: sales # pippdx.com • www.pippdx.com Lily Tomlin (right) as dowdy lesbian eyes C h er’s more exotic character in Tea with Mussolini together for a weekend reunion. Kate and Vic toria are the married dykes with a new baby who invite old friends G ina, Luce, Maria, Josie and Sarah to celebrate their new addition and relive old times. I’d tell you who sleeps with whom, but I wouldn’t want to ruin the fun. The rest is all sm ooth sailing— for the view er, if not the characters— as they work out old wounds, forge new bonds and generally have a great time. T he characters are easy to relate to, well-acted and funny. T h e movie is blessed with not one but several inspired love scenes (in the unrated director’s version) with some wonderfully real women. Snuggle up with someone you love for this one, or just someone with whom you’d like to get closer. It’s the pier- feet date movie. — Kronda Adair T he H a n g in g G a r d en his independent C anadian film set in Nova I Scotia tells the story of a gay man with a tortured soul. W illiam returns home after a 10-year absence to visit his family for his sister’s weLlding and quickly remembers why he stayed away so long. This family is so deeply dysfunc tional that the odds are anyone else’s family will seem better by comparison. For starters, his dad is a hard-drinking, hard hearted guy, and his m other is reaching the end of her victim’s ropie. Upstairs his grandmother haps a little too real— the abusive father was almost too real for my comfort level. A thought-provoking subplot dwells on William’s complex relationship with his m oth er, who is overdue to hurst out of her thankless caretaker roles. It could be cathartic or even therapeutic to watch, depending on the level of dysfunction in your own family. Keep your therapist’s num ber handy! —Oriana Green T ea W it h M ussolini et in Florence, Italy, just before and during World War II, this sensitive film by direc tor Franco Zeffirelli has at its heart the coming of age of a hoy named Luca, though he doesn’t actually have all that big a part. This is a semi-autobiographical tale of Zeffirelli’s youth and, as such, is seen from quite a distance by the 76-year-old director. The real stars are the eclectic hunch of aging Englishwomen expatriates who join forces to raise the abandoned Luca and rescue him from an orphanage. He in turn proves loy ally useful to them and their two American sidekicks, played by Cher and Lily Tomlin. W hile it’s wonderful to see Tomlin actually playing a full-blooded dyke, her part is too brief S Continued on Page 4 2 107 SE Grand • 4 Blocks South of the Convention Center • 1-877-330-7818