PARK CITY, Utah – Of all the major film festivals in the U.S., if not in the world, Sundance is undoubtedly the most gay-friendly. Established in 1981 by Robert Redford, Sundance has become a critical venue for independent movie makers to see and be seen. Running for ten days every January, Sundance showcases more than a hundred films, including dozens of national and world premieres. There are numerous filmmaking seminars and way too many parties. But most of all, Sundance is a networking opportunity for filmmakers, producers, executives, the press, and aspiring artists.
The Sundance 2005 Queer List listed exactly 21 films in the festival this year. Films were included in this roster if they featured a GLBT character or if their producer or director were a member of the GLBT community—this, according to Levi Elder at the Sundance Film Festival Press Office. I did, however, discover a few omissions from this list. These included Matt Mulhern’s Duane Hopwood, which features a gay couple, and Paul Provenza and Penn Jillette’s The Aristocrats, which includes gay comedians and an ungodly amount of gay content throughout the film.
The following capsule reviews are from this year’s Sundance screenings.
Most of these films have secured distribution. And if they have not, you know they will eventually be coming to a GLBT film festival near you.
The Aristocrats. Nothing, and I mean nothing, is sacred or taboo about the world’s dirtiest joke in Provenza and Jillette’s hilarious and subversive documentary. Long a secret ritual among comedians, “The Aristocrats” joke can use anything from childrearing and family matters to homosexuality, bestiality, disembowelment, incest, pedophilia, marriage, murder, and scatology in a contest to see who can tell the vilest version of the joke. Starring Andy Dick, Carrie Fisher, Whoopi Goldberg, Emo Phillips, Andy Richter, Rip Taylor, and dozens of other comedians, The Aristocrats will have many falling out of their seats with laughter, others running to the exits—or to the FCC.
Ellie Parker. Shot on video, Naomi Watts in the title role gives a tremendous performance in Scott Coffey’s bittersweet take on a struggling actor living, loving, screwing, puffing, and aching to be real in Los Angeles. Although Parker herself is not a lesbian, this is Hollywood, so expect a few GLBT supporting characters in this honest portrayal of the city—however over-reliant on coincidence. Sometimes these characters appear when you least expect them.
Heights. Starring Glenn Close in one of her better recent performances, Chris Terrio’s film about the New York art and theatre world, interfaith marriage, and closeted homosexuality is good, but a little too busy and complicated for its own good. Alec (Jesse Bradford) auditions for Diana (Close), who is the mother of Isabel (Elizabeth Banks), who is engaged to Jonathan (James Marsden). Isabel, Jonathan, and Alec live in the same building, yet Isabel is unaware of her fiancé and Alec’s affair. While the film does make a good effort to show the strains of marriage—especially for those still in the closet—it tries to take on too much and gets bogged down with too many coincidences.
The Joy of Life. Jenni Olson’s documentary is one big film split in half. In the first half, Olson photographs the streets of San Francisco as Harriet “Harry” Dodge narrates a lesbian’s story of coming to grips with her loves, demons, and joys in the Bay Area. The second half is a personally and politically motivated tract about getting a suicidal barrier implemented on San Francisco’s Golden Gate Bridge, the number one suicide landmark in the world.
Loggerheads. Inspired by a true story, Mark (Kip Pardue) paid the price for American Puritanism. As a baby his biological family abandoned him because his mother was unwed. When he was growing up, he abandoned his adoptive parents because they would not accept his homosexuality. And Mark died because the American government and people did not care enough about the “gay cancer.”
Mysterious Skin. Based on Scott Heim’s 1995 novel of the same name, Gregg Araki’s film about a boy in search of a missing few hours of his life is an unflinching exposé of sexual mores, denial, and stupidity in rural America. Brian Lackey (Brady Corbet) cannot account for five hours of a day back when he was eight (as played by George Webster). Finding no logical explanation for this loss of time, Brian theorizes that aliens must have abducted him. Meanwhile, another local boy, Neil (Joseph Gordon-Levitt), begins to prostitute himself to local and visiting men alike. More years pass, and the two young men are eventually drawn together. From the outset, the audience knows what happened to Brian during those lost hours, but how the story moves from there is the prize. The soundtrack by ambient master Harold Budd and Cocteau Twins member Robin Guthrie is beautifully haunting. The film co-stars Elizabeth Shue (Leaving Las Vegas) as Neil’s caring, promiscuous mother and Bill Sage (High Art) as one of the creepiest villains ever put on screen. Scheduled for release in May.
Saving Face. Alice Wu’s film about generation gaps and the social mores of Chinese-Americans living in Flushing, New York, has hot, educated women getting it on with same, while their sometimes better-looking mothers worry, gossip, and carry on in their own special way. With “lipstick lesbians” looking like Dr. Wilhelmina Pang (Michelle Krusiec) and Vivian Shing (Lynn Chen), and women old enough to be grandmothers looking like Ma (Joan Chen), you can expect a most interesting array of audience members when Sony Classics releases this pup.
Duane Hopwood. Finally, in the ambiguously gay category, if you’re someone who takes it for granted that Bert and Ernie are boyfriends, then you’ll be sure to suspect that Fred and Steve (Dick Cavett and Steven R. Schirripa), the neighbors of Duane (David Schwimmer), are a gay couple.
