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¿fi . JM StjOQt qçtqs ^ r &. ¿097 n a more upbeat note, Out at the Wedding (6 p.m. Oct. 20 at Cinema 21) updates all those 1930s screwball comedies where a small detail (read: lie) spirals out of control until all parties con political mode, she lists three bizarre tortures (including putting a bra cerned—and the audience—are confused but also, the filmmakers and panties on mens heads) the Bush administration has agreed not hope, amused. Such works take a delicate hand, and director Lee to do, then adds, in the voice of a Bush functionary, “Otherwise you’re Friedlander’s isn’t always that. good to go.” GtxxJ stuff. The star of the story is New Yorker Alex (Andrea Marcellus), a beautiful blonde who, convinced her South Carolina family is too oving further geographically brings us to Australia’s This Kiss racist to accept her black fiancé, Dana (hunky Mystro Clark), tells (7 p.m. Oct. 15 at Cinema 21). Dyke director Kylie Eddy’s Dana first feature is a short (65 minutes), sincere, sometimes moving cham that her family is dead. When Alex returns home, her wacky ber play about two high school friends, both women, who reconnect queer best friend, Jonathan (Charlie Schlatter), “accidentally” convinces everybody she’s a lesbian. To add to the madness, Alex’s years later. Such dramas always bring plenty of emotional explosions, super-competitive sister, Jeannie (Desi Lydie), who’s just gotten and this one is no exception. married, has a history of stealing Alex’s boyfriends. Fascinated by her Out at a Wedding sister’s supposed lifestyle, she comes to New York to meet Alex’s “lesbian lover” Dana, a character invented and hired by the schem his roommates in Tel Aviv are gay cafe owner Yali (Alon Friedman) ing Jonathan to continue the deception. From there events become and straight female T-shirt designer Lulu (Daniela Virtzer). Into their increasingly crazy, with multiple masquerades and a series of events lives stumbles Ashraf, without identity papers. Because of their leftist that are unexpected, and not always believable, even for a farce. politics and anti-Occupation activities, they take him in, renaming Some sequences like a lesbian batting-cage seduction are memo him “Shimi” to sound more Israeli and giving him a job at the cafe. rable, but others—like Alex’s speech about being “like one of those Ashraf and Noam fall in love and engage in some steamy sex that Disney animated heroines"—feel labored and false. Still, the film’s rhe film doesn’t shy away from. In one telling sequence, the camera bright cinematography and occasional successes in this challenging moves down Lulu’s body as her boyfriend gives head to her; when the genre might make Out at the Wedding worth seeing. If you need fur camera moves back up, it’s Noam and Shimi, engaged in a similar act, ther motivation, John Waters’ legendary star Mink Stole, of Pink that we see. Flamingos and Female Trouble fame, appears in an amusing cameo as The Bubble meticulously examines these relationships as they evolve This Kiss Dana’s mother. and face frustration and potential catastrophe. Noam and Ashraf are the Juliet (Mel Lockwood) has become a successful businesswoman most threatened, with Ashraf living two lives, both unsuccessfully. As but, razor-thin and plagued by panic attacks, eventually seems far from ne of the best films of this year’s fest is Eytan Fox’s The Bubble a Palestinian, he would be reviled if he came out; in Tel Aviv, he must the together, “important” personality she tries to project. Lucy (9 p.m. Oct. 16 at Cinema 21). The title ostensibly refers to a pretend to be his enemy, a Jew, in order to survive. (Tamsin Gatewood) is an overweight, unhappy wife and mother who nickname of the city where it’s set, Tel Aviv, but it’s soon apparent There is so much that is worthy about this film it’s hard to know lives in her dreams and whose husband is in the process of leaving her. that it also symbolizes the fragile existence of four friends of mixed where to start. It’s a love letter to Tel Aviv, dwelling on the city as an What sets the film apart and makes it work is the careful way these ethnicities and sexual orientations who try to live meaningful lives in atmospheric backdrop for the lives of the friends. It also contains personalities are constructed and interact, not the contrived storyline. an impossible situation. riveting cinéma vérité sequences (complete with hand-held camera) Australian films often feature a kind of unpretentious, realistic acting The Bubble opens at an Israeli checkpoint, where a pregnant of the Occupation and the tragic events it can trigger in seconds. that rings tme, and that is the case here. Palestinian woman’s water breaks and her baby is bom dead, starting There are moments of exuberance and wit throughout, too, from the a chain reaction of violence that will reach far beyond the check “Rave Against the Occupation” the friends orchestrate on the beach xcellent acting is also the hallmark of The Witnesses (6 p.m. point. Among those watching this grim event are two handsome to Noam’s and Lulu’s inspired attempt to see Ashraf in the Occupied Oct. 21 at Cinema 21). This is not unexpected from André young men: Israeli reservist Noam (Ohad Knoller) and Palestinian Territories disguised as French journalists—a romantic ruse that, like Téchiné, the director of Wild Reeds, but it’s especially noteworthy in Ashraf (Yousef “Joe” Sweid). Noam is gay and works at a record store; much of the film, triggers bitter consequences. this fast-paced, emotionally intense AIDS drama set in France, circa Supremely, The Bubble’s heartbreaking portrayal of the relation 1984. The filmmaker has said he wanted to chronicle the pandemic ship of these devoted friends shows exactly what’s most threatened, as it began in France, and The Witnesses does so admirably. and most at stake, in a conflict of states that claims innocent victims Manu (Johan Libércau) is an allunng gay youth ready to experiment on all sides. The Bubble is one of those films that flies, and could end with his sexuality, a plan that doesn’t exclude anonymous sex in the up staying, under the radar, which would be a shame. That it’s being city’s parks. He’s picked up by a charming older doctor, Adrien (Michel made available on the big screen to audiences that might otherwise miss it is more proof of the continuing value of a festival like this. © Blanc), who becomes obsessed and introduces him to a married couple. Continued from Puge 24 O M O E The husband saves Manu from drowning, and the two begin an inti mate relationship that Manu brutally ends when he comes down with “the disease" and tries to shut himself off from the world. This is the core plot of the film, but it fails to capture the mix of beauty and terror that pervades it. Several vivid subplots, a kind of can dor with characters that presents flawed people nonjudgmentally and a disturbingly realistic picture of the confusion and trauma of those ear ly years of AIDS make this a superior addition to Téchiné’s filmography. | The 11th annual P ortland L esbian & G ay F ilm F estival runs Oct. 12 to 21 at Cinema 21,616 N.W. 21st Ave.; Hollywood Theatre, 4122 N.E. Sandy Blvd.; and Living Room Theaters, 341 S.W. 1 Oth Ave. For a complete schedule visit www.plgff.org. G ary M orris edits and publishes Bright Lights Film Journal, located online at www.hrightlightsfilm.com. The Witnesses Six Intimate Theaters Connecting the spectrum of Portland's LGBTQ community The Best in Foreign and Independent Film Gourmet Cuisine ’ and Full Bar LIVING RnriM CENTER T H f » T i I S No Minors after 3:30pm Cinema Has Come to its Senses'" 341SW 10th Ave al the corner of Stark www.livingroomtheatres.coni 971.222.2010 , 69 SE TAYLOR (AT WATER AVE.)
