Film Fest Preview: What to See at SF's Frameline 2023

Frameline, the San Francisco International LGBTQ+ Film Festival, now in its 47th year, is the world's longest running LGBTQ+ Film Festival. The 2023 queer film celebration returns with the largest showcase in Northern California and will run from June 14-24 with a streaming encore from June 24 to July 2nd. This year's Fest will feature 90 screenings including 12 world premieres.

The 2023 lineup will include a host of new and exciting films such as Zeno Graton's atypical love story, "The Lost Boys," Aitch Alberto's engaging "Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe," Stephen Kijak's penetrating doc, "Rock Hudson: All That Heaven Allowed," Tom Gustafson's intriguing musical, "Glitter & Doom," Hannah Pearl Utt's "Cora Bora," Mandy Fabian's bitterly funny "Jess Plus None," Sebastián Silva's subversive, "Rotting in the Sun," and Oscar-winners Rob Epstein and Jeffrey Friedman's truly mesmerizing doc, "Taylor Mac's A 24-Decade History of Popular Music," and that's only citing a few!

"Frameline47 is meant to be eclectic. In the same way there's no single queer or trans narrative, there's no one way LGBTQ+ cinema should look," Allegra Madsen, Director of Programming at Frameline says. "Instead, we have a multitude of stories that we're so thrilled to share in June."
EDGE had the pleasure of viewing a slew of the selections and here are some that are highly recommended.

'The Lost Boys '('Le Paradis')

Belgian helmer Zeno Graton's exciting first feature, "The Lost Boys (Le Paradis)" takes place almost entirely inside a youth correctional facility where the viewer feels trapped inside along with the many "lost boys" who long to be liberated but are slightly terrified of what that freedom might bring with it. The sharp narrative (script by Graton and Clara Bourreau) centers on an Arab boy, Joe (Khalil Gharbia), who is on the verge of securing a release. When tattoo artist William (Julien de Saint Jean, a revelation in "Lie with Me" and here) is admitted to the facility, sparks soon fly between the two (in secret, of course) and they must navigate the realization that Joe's impending release will force them to part. Gharbia, so sexy in François Ozon "Peter von Kant," is riveting as Joe. And sexy de Saint Jean's intense and passionate turn proves once again that he's a sizzling new cinematic force. The film evokes Milos Forman's seminal "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest," as many of these boys are trapped in a system run by the whims of those in charge, who are often the ones who should be incarcerated instead. In French with English subtitles.

'Norwegian Dream'

Deeply-closeted Robert (Hubert Milkowski) a baby-faced Polish immigrant, travels to Norway to work in a salmon-processing factory. He soon finds himself developing feelings for the Black adopted son of the plant's owner, Ivar (Karl Bekele Steinland), who is out and often bullied by his fellow workers. The two men must come to terms with their feelings as a looming strike threatens to tear them apart. Leiv Igor Devold's debut feature is an affecting meditation on repression, identity and cultural displacement, anchored by a captivating performance by Minkowski, whose adorable face often masks Robert's torment and sorrow. Patryk Kin's stunning cinematography exposes the harsh landscape as metaphor for the workers' homophobia. In Polish, Norwegian and English with English subtitles.

'Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe'

Aitch Alberto's "Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe" is an inspiring and enchanting film that many queer teens will relate to. Based on the popular YA novel by Benjamin Alire Sáenz, the story centers on two Mexican-American teens who don't quite fit into the worlds they're forced to inhabit and chronicles their respective journeys to their own truths. Max Pelayo is Aristotle, a brooding, angst-ridden boy with no use for most people. He meets Dante (Reese Gonzales), an open, optimistic, hippie-ish guy and the two instantly bond, despite their differences. It's the summer of 1987 in El Paso and homophobia is on the rise (everything old is apparently new again in this country). "Aristotle and Dante" is a sweet love story of sorts (except when it turns dark, which is much appreciated) with terrific performances, gorgeous cinematography (by Akis Konstantakopoulos) and important messages about love and the damage hate and self-hate can cause.

'Taylor Mac's 24-Decade History of Popular Music'

Rob Epstein and Jeffrey Friedman who gifted us the Oscar-winning documentaries, "The Times of Harvey Milk" and "Common Threads: Stories from the Quilt," now take us into the daring, audacious and euphoric milieu of one of the most significant theatrical/artistic events of this millennium. "Taylor Mac's 24-Decade History of Popular Music" was a highly ambitious performance art-esque drag-stravaganza that was 5 years in the making and culminated in a one-night-only, 24-hour audience-attended concert at St. Ann's Warehouse in Brooklyn in October of 2016. Now, thanks to HBO and Epstein and Friedman, viewers get a taste of the provocative, queer-positive, glittery, deconstruction and queer-appropriation of American music from the birth of this country right through 2016. It's an astonishing, breathtaking and significant addition to the queer canon.

'Chasing Chasing Amy'

Full disclosure, I'm a sucker for documentaries about cinema. That said, they do seem to usually follow a certain safe pattern and never seem to dig deep enough. Sav Rogers, a trans man who watched "Chasing Amy" as a 12-year-old and credits the film with saving his life has made a truly bold doc that reveals uncomfortable truths. Not only does this work examine the film's place in queer cinema and have a highly personal arc, but it also allows an actor to speak her truth about her mistreatment by the Hollywood establishment, as well as by the man who directed her in her most celebrated role. "Chasing Chasing Amy" features interviews with filmmaker Kevin Smith and a brutally honest Guinevere Turner (writer of "Go Fish") who the character Alyssa was based on. ("What emerged was that Kevin got an empire and we were just some dykes.") And, late in the doc, Joey Lauren Adams (Alyssa) is finally given an opportunity to give her painful, honest account. Adams deserves to be rediscovered and Rogers deserves a career as a filmmaker.

'Winter Boy' ('Le Lycéen')

Out filmmaker Christophe Honoré's new work, "Winter Boy" ("Le Lycéen") is a beautifully crafted work focusing on Lucas (an exceptional Paul Kercher), an openly gay 17-year-old, who, along with his close-knit family, must deal with the sudden death of the patriarch. Honoré examines the psychological effects of grief on this young boy...and his shattered family. Kercher anchors the film in a beguiling, fearless turn. Juliette Binoche is poignant and heartbreaking as Lucas' mother and Vincent Lacoste is excellent on as his frustrated brother. "Winter Boy" is a deeply personal and frank film about loss intertwined with sexual awakening. In French, with English subtitles.

'Lie With Me'

Olivier Peyon's "Lie With Me" examines the heartbreaking and destructive powers of shame and internalized homophobia, but, also, the human potential for understanding, acceptance and change. Celebrated French writer Stéphane Belcourt (a potent Guillaume de Tonquédec) returns to his boyhood home to take part in a local cognac commemoration, where he, unintentionally, unearths the answers he's been searching for all his adult life via his long-lost lover's son (charismatic Victor Belmondo, grandson of Jean-Paul). Based on Philippe Besson's novel, the film is gorgeously shot, affectionately written and beautifully acted. Jérémy Gillet and Julien De Saint Jean both excel as the teen boys who fall hard for one another in flashbacks. De Saint Jean is tantalizing newcomer who also sears the screen in "The Lost Boys." In French, with English subtitles.

'Rock Hudson: All That Heaven Allowed'

Stephen Kijak's "Rock Hudson: All That Heaven Allowed," is the best Hudson doc yet. Kijak boldly begins his film from the vantage point of the actor's queerness and then delves into Hudson's bumpkin beginnings, investigates his relationship with the notorious predator agent Henry Willson and charts his meteoric rise, Oscar nomination and, consequently, his necessity to keep his sexual orientation a secret–in the deeply damaging homophobic land of Hollywood. And in the mid-80s he succumbs to AIDS-related complications and the world discovers his secret. The filmmaker does not shy away from Hudson's promiscuous sexual antics or his real relationships. In the end, Hudson changed the course of the national dialogue around AIDS, which makes him a queer hero, but he also left us with several wonderful cinematic performances.

'Glitter & Doom'

The out team of director Tom Gustafson and writer Cory Krueckeberg ("Were the World Mine," "Hello Again") have created another dazzlingly delightful film musical, "Glitter & Doom," this time using the hits of The Indigo Girls (Amy Ray and Emily Saliers, who also appear in the movie). Outgoing Glitter (Alex Diaz) wants to be a circus performer. Doom (Alan Cammish) is a dead-serious singer/songwriter. Both are aptly (if obviously) named. They meet and (after a lot of Doom apprehension) embark on a romance, while also dealing with their messed-up mothers (a terrific Missi Pyle and Ming-Na Wen). There's nothing new here and the plot is rail-thin, but Gustafson delivers a lot of cinematic shimmer and the musical moments soar. Also, Cammish and Diaz provide sexy eye-candy–both have faces made for the close-up. They also give impressive performances

'Jess Plus None'

In Mandy Fabian's entertaining film "Jess Plus None," the titular character is someone to avoid. She's selfish, abrasive and somewhat toxic. But as played by the wonderful Abby Miller, she's so human, you end up empathizing with her. We've seen the plot before--a gaggle of longtime friends gather for a wedding where we're not so certain the marrying couple should tie the knot. This time, the setting is a remote California campsite and bisexual Jess is trying to avoid her ex, Sam (Scout Durwood). Or is she? Among the guests are music sensation Hugh (yummy Shalim Ortiz) still crushing on married Wendy (a very funny Alexis Krause) while her loving husband (an excellent Tate Ellington) looks on. It's great to see a bisexual character depicted without any fuss over her orientation. It's also a delight to watch a comedy that is funny, but also has a few interesting things to say about relationships and the necessity to like oneself first.

'The Trace of Your Lips'

Mexican filmmaker Julián Hernández has created a bizarre, singular study of voracious desire set during a COVID-like pandemic–only far more severe. The deliberately disjointed narrative gives way to an intense, sexually-charged thriller involving a handsome B-movie actor (super sexy Hugo Catalán) and a local dancer (Mauricio Rico), who worked as an extra on one of his films. One of the joys of "The Trace of Your Lips" is that you are initially never quite sure where this strange, erotic film is going and once it seems to be on a narrow path, Hernández peppers it with dream-like pleasure sequences that morph into a hellish reality. In Spanish with English subtitles.

'The Mattachine Family'

Andy Vallentine's "The Mattachine Family" explores the many options open to queer couples when it comes to the pursuit of family. Hunky photog Thomas (Nico Totorella) is in a strained relationship with his lover Oscar (Juan Pablo Di Pace), especially after their foster son is taken from them and given back to his birth mom. Oscar's acting career begins to take off as Thomas realizes he really wants a child, causing further friction. This sometimes insightful, sometimes too-safe film smartly focuses on Thomas and his journey. Totorella delivers a sharp, nuanced turn as a gay man trying to figure out what he truly wants. Danny Vallentine's screenplay too-often forces the characters to behave in a muted and implausible manner. (A scene in a supermarket ridiculously judges Thomas for an honest reaction to an asshole patron in line with him.) But Totorella and the truly gifted and invigorating Emily Hampshire, as Thomas's bestie, make this endeavor worthwhile.

For tickets and/or more information, visit frameline.org.