haitangkitty

I forgot to post this on December.
I watched a few queer films at the end of the year so I decided to do a little review of them:

No hard feelings(2020) dir. Faraz Shariat

The story of a German-Iranian gay man working at a refugee center, where he meets two Iranian asylum seekers. I don't see a lot of European queer poc stories so this was a pleasant and relatable watching experience although the story does not deal with easy topics. Still, it's not a dark film but more so realistic with beautiful moments. It's really about family, friendship, love, and community.

Death in Venice(1971) dir. Luchino Visconti

TW: Pedophilia

Controversial classic. "The boy/gay version of Lolita". The artist and the young muse.
I wanted to watch this for two reasons: I had read Lolita earlier in 2024 and had been thinking a lot about it and my own personal experiences/traumas. I didn't write about it here because I had nothing smart to say. I feel the same with this film. Second reason I wanted to watch this because the main lead, the muse, played by Björn Andersen inspired bishonen characters in shojo and boy's love.(There's a documentary about him and how his sexualization affected him: "The Most Beautiful Boy in the World". It's on my watchlist). Although unlike in Lolita, the artist's desire does not lead to actions but it does become an obsession to him. Like in Lolita, everything is portrayed in a very romantical light. In both works desire leads to death.

A Song Sung Blue(2023) dir. Zhan Geng

A beautiful and delicate film about a teenage girl who has a crush on an older girl who has difficult relationships with men. I've seen a bunch of one-sided lesbian films before but I would say this might be the best one. I really loved the cinematography and I feel like the film portrayed the desperation of youth very well.