Out Takes, A.K.A. the annual queer film festival, is 16 this year—meaning it’s still not okay for us to sexualise it, but we’ll all look the other way when it inevitably happens. 2010’s festival is higher of brow than some previous festivals, and that’s a good thing because certain past selections have been little more than your usual watered-down Reading schlock, with the queer experience tacked on. (Another Gay Movie, I’m looking at you!) In its best years though, Out Takes is a highlight for both the queer community and film buffs. It provides a niche for transgressive film and powerful queer stories that would otherwise never be shown in Aotearoa, as our country’s film distribution ethic is awful. This year’s lineup promises plenty of variety and quality, and to help you choose we at Salient have some suggestions:
Festival opener An English Man in New York is yet another film about the iconic Quentin Crisp to star John Hurt. This is set around the time America went gaga over him in the 1980s. It’s well acted, well shot, and it is fascinating to watch the New York scene. An English Man isn’t as good as The Naked Civil Servant, but honestly very few films will ever be.
Little Ashes is that film where Robert Pattinson plays a young gay Salvador Dali. Sadly the film’s had surprisingly few cinematic releases internationally. It is passionate, gorgeous and literate Oscar bait.
A friend made me watch excerpts of We Are The Mods a couple of months ago, and I devoured its aesthetic. Two young ladies in LA’s Mod culture hang out and experience each other. It’s keen.
Both Stephen Jackson and I recommend Translatina, a documentary about the lives of the trans people of Latin America. It’s remarkably interesting and thorough without sacrificing its political integrity to its quick pace and charm.