There are so many terrific movies to see at TLVFEST! The international LGBTQ+ festival will take place from October 31 – November 10, 2024. The full program is available on the TLVFEST website: https://www.tlvfest.com/en/ Here are some I’ve had the opportunity view and enjoy:
National Anthem
National Anthem is a sensual, sensitive, coming of age story, with an enticing view into the bright and lively world of gay rodeo. Against a backdrop of the sculptural, rugged, New Mexico landscape, Luke Gilford’s feature film debut reflects his experience as a photographer and director with several shorts and music videos to his credit, as well as the documentary National Anthem: America’s Queer Rodeo. Charlie Plummer, who delivered a memorable performance in Andrew Haigh’s Lean on Pete (2017), is quietly eloquent as Dylan, a 21-year-old construction worker living with his alcoholic mother Fiona (Robyn Lively) and younger brother Cassidy (Joey DeLeon). And he looks stunning in drag!
Barely speaking over a mumble, Plummer allows traces of Dylan’s inner life to be glimpsed beyond the surface of his repressed, work-worn, demeanor. Taking responsibility for Cassidy’s emotional well-being as well as taking care of household chores and bringing in an income, Dylan doesn’t have the leisure to just have fun, but he does have dreams for the future.
Lining up each day with the rest of the day laborers, hoping to be chosen for yet another, Sisyphean, task, Dylan resolutely lives from one grim day to the next. Until one day, he is hired by Pepe (Rene Rosado) to work at his ranch, House of Splendor, and from that moment everything changes. Dylan is entranced by the freedom, diversity, creativity and warmth he sees at the queer ranch and riding onto this scene like an ethereal vision is Sky (Eve Lindley), who is not only beautiful, but kind and caring. Plummer conveys Dylan’s transformation like a desert flower bursting into bloom, radiant and vividly alive. Yet although sexual attraction is a powerful catalyst, nothing is ever that simple, and the strength of Gilford’s film is in conveying the complex nuances of relationships, and feelings.
Plummer is riveting in his ability to convey the myriad shifting thoughts and feelings Dylan experiences. Lindley imbues her Sky’s character with a powerful warmth and candor, as well as a visceral, infinite, allure. Of note too is Mason Alexander Park as Carrie, one of the ranch residents who befriends Dylan, who infuses a supporting role with depth. Raised “conservative” Carrie found their own way to a happier life, eventually making a home at the House of Splendor. Cheerful and lively, and comfortable responding to young Cassidy’s intrusive question – Are you a girl or a boy? – Park, in a few brief scenes, conveys the elusive yet significant experience of someone who belongs to a community, yet sometimes feels quite alone.
A House is Not a Disco
Imagine gay paradise – Fire Island Pines comes pretty close. Directed by Brian J. Smith the documentary follows a year in the life of the queer community on Fire Island, with a look at its history and future. It’s a place of contrasts and contradictions. The natural beauty is abundant, and is respected in this island of no cars, where people travel on wooden paths. But it’s also a huge party hub. It’s an enclave of the wealthy, who dwell in luxurious designer homes, while in the public spaces, as one resident states, there are no public bathrooms or places to drink water. It’s also a place where beautiful young men wander from one party to another, effectively living off the kindness and lust of strangers.
Lively and colorful, the documentary features interviews with diverse denizens of the Pines, depicting the life on the island. Like many beach towns, most do not reside there year-round, once the season is over, many businesses shut down for the winter. Architect Scott Bromley (Studio 54 and much more) is one of the few who live on the island year round, he’s done so for the past 50 years, and designs the famous annual beach party. He also remembers the pain and fear of the years when the AIDS epidemic took its toll. In season, the island continues to attract the multitudes, as one young man says, “Here on the island you can be anything you want to be.” But can you? The documentary also observes the different struggles on the island – contending with the forces of nature, as storms can take away swaths of beach overnight; the underlying tensions between different groups; and the different socio-economic strata.
High Tide
Marco Calvani’s High Tide is beautiful and sexy, as is its protagonist Lourenço (Marco Pigossi), and it is the perfect film to see in conjunction with A House is Not a Disco. Set in that other queer-friendly beach town Provincetown, it follows the handsome, curly-haired Lourenço who is struggling in every way since being abandoned by his boyfriend Joe (I know! Who could ever imagine dumping such a sweet guy!). An accountant by profession, Lourenço ekes out a living cleaning hotel rooms because he is from Brazil, and not an official resident of the US. Having followed romance to Provincetown, he is now alone, living in a small cottage courtesy of his kindly (and kind of a stalker) elderly neighbor Scott. In addition to being heartbroken, he’s also stressed because his visa is about to expire, and he really doesn’t want to go back home, which also effectively means back into the closet.
Lourenço seeks solace on the beaches of Provincetown, swimming in the open sea and gazing at the sunset. On one of his excursions to the beach, he meets Maurice (James Bland) a sexy nurse who offers sage advice about avoiding sharks, and so much more. No one’s path is smooth in this film, and there are no simple or easy solutions. There’s reflection on immigration, discrimination, relationships, sex, power imbalances, race relations, and the search for peace of mind. High Tide is a film that has a lot of compassion for its characters – by the film’s end I even managed to find some compassion in my heart for Lourenço’s boss, lazy, grouchy Bob (Sean Mahon). Marisa Tomei is here too, bringing her luminous presence to the character of Miriam.
