Selected reviews of the seventh annual Portland Lesbian & G ay Film Festival
contingents
within the gay
community.
Many ques
**•■* his haunting
tions are posed
exam ination of,
by Hogarth’s
shall we say, rather
interviewees.
challenging mindsets
Should we stop
leads us from harehacking
worrying about
sex houses to intimate
offending HIV-
personal portraits where
positive people
the idea of being HIV-
in order to
positive is romanticized
accurately
hy those attem pting to
depict the virus
contract the vims and
and the meds?
those more than happy to
Is there a
give it (known in the sub
healthy, gay
culture as “hug-chasers"
45-plus-year-
and “gift-givers").
old who will
W ithin one hour,
step forward
Academy Award winner
Academy Award-winning director Louise Hogarth
and be the new
Louise Hogarth’s survey of directs The Qift, a timely and provocative look at
poster boy for
this controversial subject
men w ho eroticize deliberate H IV infection
how great
scans the community map.
being
negative
is?
C
an
you
put
yourself
in these
HIV-negative Dr. Walt Odets, who lost his poz
hoys’ shtx:s and imagine feeling sexually liberated
partner to the vims and authored a bixik about
by being diagnosed positive?
his experience, shares his story of grief and loss.
Doug, a Midwesterner turned San Francisco party
H ogarth’s camera work and technique,
though elementary at times, do offer a captivat
boy at age 19, contracted the disease as a bug-
ing glimpse into the roulette that these bug-
chaser and found that it didn’t quite meet his
expectations. KenBoy maintains a Web site that
chasers play, as well as intriguing commentary
from those who couldn’t wait, wish they hadn’t
caters to those looking to infect or be infected via
“conversion parties.” The Gift also hears from a
or wouldn’t in a million years.
— Mane Fleischrrumn
support group, drag queen barflies, gay rodeo
attendees and the random pedestrian passersby.
Intermingled with diary cams and visits to
sex dungeons are harrowing statistics. For
You'll G et Over It
example, half of San Francisco’s HIV-positive
population will be resistant to their current
ow more than ever, we’ve gotta give
meds by 2005, one in three gay African A m eri
major props to the French. Politics
can men is positive, and 50 to 60 bug-chasers
notwithstanding, could a nonjudgmen-
are online actively seeking what has become
tal, sexually explicit film about a gay high
KenBoys “relief’ and Doug’s “terrible mistake.”
schooler even get made in the increasingly
The exacting insight into this hardly imagin
pmde post-9/11 U nited States?
able world shows us a range of belief systems.
O ne says: “I had the wrong idea about AIDS. All
So much skin is on display in You'll Get
the posters for meds show guys who are buff and
Over It, I initially found myself wondering
whether director Fabrice Cazeneuve crossed
gorgeous. The ads are not accurate at depicting
HIV-positive people or lifestyles.” A nother says,
"Who wants to talk about AIDS meds at a sex
party T Even tatuxis range from biohazard sym
bols denoting already positive to the minus sign
that many hope one day will become a plus.
W hile it is difficult to imagine that there
would be individuals who not only beckon but
directly market a vims that has the world reel
ing in its hostile takeover, Hogarth is successful
in her attem pt to tell the whole truth and noth
ing but the tm th in regard to the HIV-buyer’s
market. The glamorization and successful mar
keting campaigns of AIDS drugs is discussed, as
Life changes for Vincent, a high school hero who
is the split between the positive and negative
befriends another boy, in You’ll Qet Over It
The Gift
Queen, a self-consumed, hatchet-faced hag who
that fine line separating the TixJd Hayneses
presides over a collapsed acting career arid a
from the Larry Clarks. But when you consider
candy-colored
apartment the size of a fix it Hi 11
that Tom Cruise and Lea Thompson were
field. Evie's in a perpetual drug/sex dreamworld,
baring all 20 years ago in Ail the Right Moves,
from which she emerges to skewer her earnest
it’s about time we had some equal exposure.
lawyer son (a hunk with a micropenis) or her
Julien Baumgartner—sporting big, expres
beleaguered
riximmate Coco Peru (Clinton
sive eyes reminiscent of Donnie Darko hottie
Leupp). Into thus dysfunctional little world
Jake Gyllenhaal— plays Vincent, a swimming
comes Varla (Jeffrey Roberson, aka Varla Jean
champ whose life is ruined when he is outed to
Merman), a younger roommate who’s also the
the entire student Kxly after being spotted with
daughter of Evie’s late rival, an equally cheesy
new boy in town Benjamin. Making matters
actress named Marla.
worse, his despicable brother spills the beans to
The film’s fearless, vehemently un-PC script
their parents.
makes mincemeat of every target. W hen Evie sets
Benjamin is played with intriguing confidence
up a phony accident for her son to litigate, she
by Jérémie Elkaim, who starred in Sensory Per
romances the guy who hit her: “You rammed me
ceptions 2001 fave Come Undone, another entry
tixiay and 1 want seconds!" W hen she gets the
in the emerging subgenre of queer cinema about
guy in bed, he sticks a pom magazine over her
y (King men in love and lust. (For lack of a better
face and starts kissing it while he’s screwing her.
name, let’s call them “cumming-of-age films.”)
Peeved at his lack of interest, she inquires,
W hat elevates this above similar stories are
“W hat’s wrong, did my glass eye roll back ?"
the well-rounded, complex characters affected
(Kudos to what must have been a shivstnng spe
by Vincent’s sudden revelation: the girlfriend,
cial effects budget for convincing us that Plotnick
who is somewhat self-absorbed but rightfully
heartbroken; the
has a glass eye.)
Equally strong is
best friend, who is
Coco, as rendered by
hurt that Vincent
Clinton Leupp, who
didn’t think he
turned Tnck into
would approve;
something watchable
the closeted
as the “acid queen”
teacher, who
in the celebrated
begrudgingly offers
bathrixim scene.
a helping hand;
Here she’s a hopeless
the coach, who
romantic who falls in
gives a stem but
love with her abor
supportive pep
Three actors play actresses in Qirls Will Be Qirls, a
talk; and th e
quirky, campy, over-the-top romp through Hollywood tion doctor, then
continues to get
father, who strug
pregnant in order to have more abortions so she
gles with acceptance but admits that he was
can date him. Coco is the main target of Evie,
raised to believe men must hide their feelings.
who does everything but set her on fire. When
The end result is marvelous— brutally realistic
Coco tearfully inquires whether Evie has ever had
and devastating but ultimately triumphant.
an abortion, Evie replies, “I’ve had more children
T he dialogue sometimes veers into after
pulled exit of me than a burning orphanage."
school special territory (“W hen you’re living a
Varla is a camped-up Eve Harrington to
lie, you’re trapped," Vincent sighs), but so
Evie’s Margo Channing. She comes to Holly
what? I wish I had a film like You’ll Get Over It
wood to “make it” and ends up literally doing
when I was growing up; instead, my generation
so when a sleazy pimp puts her on the street.
had to make do with The Blue Lagoon.
But Varla finds success in infomercials hawking
— Jim Radosta
a space-age toxic frozen dinner. Her appear
ance at La Casa de Evie is not coincidental,
but we won’t spoil that for you here.
Girls Will B e Girls
W hile some of the momentum fades during
the middle, Girls picks up speed and moves in a
surprisingly poignant direction by the end. Yes,
rag comedies can be as much of a drag as
in this world there’s hope even for the most
the tired queens who usually populate
evil of queens. It’s a tribute to director Richard
them. But this stone-funny drag sendup
Day’s imagination and his seemingly endless
of Valley of the DoUs and All About Eve outstrips
gift for aphorism (Coco: “Happy people always
the competition thanks to a snappy, imaginative
make such a racket”) that this brittle comedy
script, pop-art playhouse sets and commanding
also has satisfying moments of pathos.
performances by the three principals.
— Gary Moms J H
Evie (Jack Plotnick) is the archetypal Evil
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