101 REYKJAVIK
2000 subtitles
The main character is Hlynur (Hilmir Snær Guðnason),
a thirty-year-old who still lives with his mother Berglind
(Hanna María Karlsdóttir)
in their tiny apartment in
Enter Lola (Abril), Berglind's Flamenco teacher. She stays with the family over
Christmas, and after New Year's and a night of drinking, she and Hlynur do the wild thing. Lola calls it a mistake
afterwards and wants to forget about it.
Surprise! Mom sits Hlynur down one
day to let him know that she is in love with Lola, and the two will be living
together. Later he finds out that Lola is pregnant, and that she and his mother
will be raising the baby together. They never let Berglind
know that Hlynur is the father.
This strange set of events finally kicks Hlynur
into getting a life and finding a job. His brother may also be his son, but he
decides to do the right thing by his mother and her happiness.
2 Seconds
A champion mountain bike racer named Laurie (Charlotte
Laurier) hesitates at the start gate, and the two seconds lost cost her the
race--and her place on the team.
Forced into retirement, she meets Lorenzo (Dino Tavarone), a cantankerous Italian bike shop owner and
former champion himself. Their mutual love and appreciation of cycling draw
them together in spite of initial clashes. One night, they decide to face each
other in a peculiar duel. Lorenzo shows Laurie how every victory is relative
and that -- speaking of relativity -- speed is not the only way to bring time
to a halt.
8 Femmes (Sub-titles)
A Woman Accused
filmed 1976 – (also titled In the
A Village Affair (filmed 1994) ***
A woman's perfect life with her husband and children is
threatened when a neighbour's daughter returns from
Based on the best-selling novel by British author Joanna
Trollope.
A Family Affair **
Nick-named “My Big Fat Lesbian Jewish Wedding,” this good
old-fashioned romantic comedy follows Rachel (played by writer-director, Helen Lesnick – aka: the lesbian Woody
Allen) as she heads West to
Died-in-the-wool New Yorker Rachel moves to
Soon, she finds herself in a real romance. But just when the
two women begin to plan their wedding, Rachel’s old flame Reggie (Michele
Greene, L.A. Law) makes a comeback attempt!
All Over Me ***
Teenage aspiring rock-star Claude (BOYS DON'T CRY's Alison Foland) has a
semi-requited crush on her best friend Ellen (FREEWAY's
Tara Subkoff). Their lives will be changed forever
when Ellen falls for bad-boy homophobe Mark (Cole Hauser).
Part sweet lesbian romance/part gritty NYC drama, All Over
Me features a tremendous cast including a young (pre-L Word) Leisha Hailey as the pink-haired punker,
and the always adorable Wilson Cruz as Claude's gay pal, plus a hard-rocking
soundtrack featuring Patti Smith, Ani DiFranco and
Babes in Toyland.
An Unexpected Love **
Kate Mayer (Leslie Hope) seems to have it all: a nice
suburban house, two loving children and a devoted husband. But Kate is anything
but happy. She is disappointed not only with her marriage, but with her entire
life. In her pursuit of happiness, this frustrated mother files for divorce and
gets her first-ever job, working in a small real estate agency.
To complicate matters, Kate finds herself strongly attracted
to her kindhearted boss, Mac. The surprising twist?
Mac (played by actress Wendy Crewson) happens to be a
woman. Will Kate have the courage to risk following her heart? Watch one
woman's emotional journey of self-discovery.
Amour de Femme (filmed 2004 – sub-titled)
French porn sensation Raffaëla
Anderson (Baise Moi) stars
as a free-spirited dancer, alongside prolific Gallic actress Hélène Fillières who plays the “happily-married” Jeanne. As the
film unfolds, these two extraordinarily beautiful woman fall in love, and
Jeanne must decide which path she will take towards the future.
Jeanne, a happily married, 35-year-old osteopath with a 7-year
old son named Louis meets a pretty dancer named Marie at a party arranged by
her husband. While Marie is much younger
than Jeanne, there is an immediate chemistry between them. The two soon become close friends and Jeanne
decides to start taking a dance class taught by Marie. But when Marie starts to fall in love with
Jeanne and decides to kiss her, Jeanne discovers she too loves Marie. Jeanne must now choose between the happy
family life she currently maintains and her new love.
Acclaimed director Sylvie Verheyde
has directed numerous theatrical films including Princesseswhich
was nominated for a Golden Bayard for Best Film at the 2000 Namur
International Festival of French-Speaking Films and Un Frere
which was nominated for a Golden Alexander at the 1997 Thessalonika
Film Festival.
April’s Shower (filmed 2004) **
This charming lesbian romantic-comedy asks: How far will we
go for true love? Alex (Trish Doolan) is hosting the perfect bridal shower for
April (Maria Cina). But it soon becomes clear that
Alex and the bride-to-be have some, shall we say, unresolved feelings for each
other. One by one, an eclectic array of guests arrive (including super-hot
Honey Labrador).
When April finally shows up, it becomes clear that the
secret Alex is hiding will affect the course of her life, and the future of all
of her guests.
A Girl Thing **
Stockcard Channing
plays Dr. Beth Noonan, a
A Question of Love filmed 1982**
Groundbreaking drama of lesbian mother (Rowlands),
happily sharing a home with her lover (Alexander) and their respective
children. Rowlands' children were previously unaware
of the sexual relationship. When the oldest son finds out, he leaves and moves
in with his father, who then proceeds to initiate legal proceedings to win
custody of the other children.
Extraordinarily well-acted and directed, with very little
sentimentality and virtually no political dogma. This film set the standard for
mature, thoughtful presentations of homosexuality in everyday life, and every
one of the players is exceptional. Oddly, this received very little backlash at
the time it first aired, while today it would bring the pious out in droves to
stage protests and boycotts. As the forerunner of a long string of films
tackling the subject matter in the 80s and 90s, this is the film to look at to
see just how far we haven't come.
Another Way (1982 - subtitled) ***
Eva shares her new office with blonde and beautiful Livia (Grazyna Szapolowska), the wife of a Hungarian army officer. She's
uninhibited, with a zest for life that immediately attracts Eva, and many
cigarettes and cognacs later, the two women fall in love. To do so is risky.
Caught kissing one night on a park bench, police threaten Livia
by telling her that they will talk to both her husband and boss, and Eva is
taken off to the station.
Despite the dangers, they plan to move in with each other,
even after Eva quits the paper to protest political censorship … but this is
Jankowska-Cieslak won the award
for best actress at the Cannes Film Festival, where writer/director Károly Makk also won a special
award. Although the film does not have a happy ending for the two women, it's
quite fitting that it does not. Part of the value in watching this is feeling a
politically repressive world, seeing how it stifles those who dare to think or
act out of bounds.
Aimee & Jaguar ****
Over half a century ago, in the middle of the Second World
War this flat was a meeting point for young people and a hideout for outsiders.
Lilly Wust (Juliane
Köhler) leads a conventional life, not suspecting
that she will soon be the central figure in extraordinary events. In 1943 she
is in her late twenties, has four children, and is a good housewife, although
she frequently has lovers. Her husband Günther (Detlev Buck), a soldier on active duty, also has affairs.
The couple lives a bourgeois life, but not repressed, as far as sex is
concerned. At a concert, Lilly meets a young woman in passing who will turn her
life upside down.
At first she knows nothing about Felice
Schragenheim (Maria Schrader), neither that she is
friends with Lilly's maid, Ilse, nor that she is
Jewish and living in the underground. There is no particular reason why the
brief encounter between the two women should have consequences, since both
women are preoccupied with their own survival. Every night there are bombing
raids over
Felice is completely different
from all the women Lilly has met so far in her life. She is more
self-confident, energetic and intelligent. Felice's
women friends also have these qualities, which bewilder Lilly. One day Felice embraces Lilly and kisses her on the mouth in a way
Lilly has never experienced before. She is shocked, slaps Felice,
and turns away from her; and yet she feels that something has begun from which
she will not be able to escape.
A passionate love affair begins amidst the bombing raids and
the threat of persecution. The two women write letters and poems to one another
almost every day. They call one another Aimée (Lilly)
and Jaguar (Felice). But Lilly does not really know
much about this woman Felice, who disappears for days
on end without satisfactory explanation. Eventually, Lilly is overcome by
jealousy and Felice is forced to admit that she is
Jewish. Felice, who is working for a Nazi newspaper
under a false name and delivering information to a resistance group, knows how
dangerous this admission could be, since Lilly's husband is clearly a Nazi and
there is a bust of Hitler in Lilly's flat. But Lilly surpasses herself; she
lets Felice move into her flat and divorces her
husband. The two women make a pact of love and marriage. They try to block out
the dreadful reality of war and persecution, but it catches up with them. One
hot day in August 1944, after an outing to the banks of the
Antonia’s Line 1995 **
In an anonymous Dutch village, a sturdy, strong-willed
matriarch looks back upon her life, the generations of family and friends
gather around her table, and ponder the cyclical nature of time.
Amour de
Femme (filmed in 2001)
French porn sensation Raffaëla Anderson (Baise Moi) stars as a
free-spirited dancer, alongside prolific Gallic actress Hélène Fillières who plays the “happily-married” Jeanne. As the
film unfolds, these two extraordinarily beautiful woman fall in love, and
Jeanne must decide which path she will take towards the future.
Jeanne, a happily married, 35-year-old osteopath with a
7-year old son named Louis meets a pretty dancer named Marie at a party
arranged by her husband. While Marie is
much younger than Jeanne, there is an immediate chemistry between them. The two soon become close friends and Jeanne
decides to start taking a dance class taught by Marie. But when Marie starts to fall in love with
Jeanne and decides to kiss her, Jeanne discovers she too loves Marie. Jeanne must now choose between the happy
family life she currently maintains and her new love.
Acclaimed director Sylvie Verheyde
has directed numerous theatrical films including Princesseswhich
was nominated for a Golden Bayard for Best Film at the 2000 Namur
International Festival of French-Speaking Films and Un Frere
which was nominated for a Golden Alexander at the 1997 Thessalonika
Film Festival.
Bar Girls (1995) *
“A droll, breezy
comedy about the mating rituals of the modern lesbian..” – SF Chronicle.
A fresh and funny comedy featuring a group of women whose
lives and loves intertwine against the backdrop of a
Better Than Chocolate 1999
Nineteen-year-old Maggie (Karyn
Dwyer) and Kim (Christina Cox, Nikki and Nora) meet and move in together in
The best comedic elements in the film come from Crewson's performance as the naïve Lila and her developing
friendship with MTF transsexual Judy (Peter Outerbridge).
Ann-Marie MacDonald (Interviews with My Next Girlfriend, I've Heard the
Mermaids Singing) is also brilliant as Maggie's boss at Ten Percent Books and
Judy's love interest.
Being John Malkovich – (filmed 1999) ***
Craig (John Cusack) is a puppeteer
who takes a new job as a filing clerk. He's married to Lotte
(Cameron Diaz, Things You Can Tell Just by Looking at Her) but has the hots for
co-worker Maxine (Catherine Keener, Your Friends and Neighbors,
If These Walls Could Talk I).
This is a bit hard to explain, but Craig finds a hidden door
at work that turns out to be a portal into actor John Malkovich.
For fifteen minutes, you see the world as John does, before you get spit out on
the New Jersey Turnpike. Craig and Maxine work on selling tickets to the ride.
From her experiences as John, Lotte
decides that she may be a transsexual. "For the first time, everything
just felt right." She really wants to BE John Malkovich.
Maxine (who has no interest in Craig) is turned on by the idea of Lotte inside John's head. She meets John for a date while Lotte is inside him, and for the first time, Lotte is attracted to a woman. Maxine later tells her that
she is "smitten with you, but only when you're in Malcovich.
Behind the stubble and the male pattern baldness, I sensed your feminine
longing."
Maxine goes on another date with John and puts off his
advances until she can sense Lotte inside. Craig
begins to snap when he realizes that his wife and love interest love one
another, and he enters John the next time Lotte is
supposed to be there.
John begins to sense that someone is controlling his voice
and actions, and he and his friend Charlie Sheen surmise that Maxine is using
John "to channel some dead lesbian lover." Craig the puppeteer begins
to control more of John's movements and voice and takes him over completely.
The reason for all of this portal business is too
complicated to explain, but all ends well. Craig leaves Malkevich's
body. Maxine is pregnant and keeps the baby because Lotte
is the father, and we finally see Maxine and Lotte
kiss in their own bodies. They raise their daughter Emily together.
A very odd, yet fascinating, film.
Be With Me 2005
"Be with me" consists of three stories of love vs.
solitude:
1) An aging, lonesome shopkeeper doesn't believe in life any
more since his wife died. But he is saved from desperation by reading an
autobiographical book and meeting its author, a deaf and dumb lady of his own
age.
2) Fatty, a security guard in his fifties, lives for two
things: good food and love for a pretty executive living in his block of flats.
But, if it is easy to satisfy his first need winning the heart of the distant
belle is a horse of another color.
3) Two teenage schoolgirls get to know each other on the
Internet. Soon they fall in love.
Between Two Women (filmed in 2000)
A Yorkshire milltown in 1957.
Ellen Hardy is unhappily married but is close to her ten year old son, Victor.
The family has recently moved house and Victor has started at a new school
where Ellen has become friendly with his teacher, Kathy Thompson, who is keen
to encourage him at art.
As the friendship between the two women grows, Ellen's millworker husband, Hardy, feels increasingly alienated at
home. Meanwhile, Ellen's sister, Alice emigrate to Australia to start a new
life and soon the Hardys go on a disastrous seaside
holiday.
Will Ellen - torn between her duties as a wife and mother
and a fear of admitting her feelings for Kathy - also have the courage to break
free emotionally and follow her destiny when she returns home?
A homage to classic British films such as Saturday Night and
Sunday Morning and This Sporting Life, Between Two Women is the first feature
from North Country Pictures - committed to bringing to an international
audience top quality stories that reflect the history, culture, and literature
of the Pennine region past, present, and even future.
Bitter Tears of Petra Von Kant 1972 subtitles
Petra von Kant (Margit Carstensen) is a divorced fashion designer and extremely
stuck on herself. Her maid/secretary Marlene (Irm
Hermann) seems to do everything for her, jumping to attention. She's also a
co-designer, so it's unclear who really has the talent here.
Karin (Hanna Schygulla) enters as
a young woman whom Petra offers to help out financially, and they become
lovers. Only this time, Petra falls in love with Karin, but Karin is just using
her and leaves when she's back on her feet. The self-possessed Petra can't
believe it. All this time, Marlene has been the one completely devoted to her,
but when Petra realizes this, it's too late. Marlene leaves as well, leaving
Petra alone.
The entire film takes place in one room, showing Petra's
reality - a woman who thinks herself a worldly designer, but is only the queen
of her room. It's a two-hour movie based on a play heavy with dialog and moves
at a snail's pace.
Written and directed by Rainer Werner Fassbinder,
well known gay German director.
Blue Gate Crossing (Lanse Da Men) sub-titled 2002
Like a long romantic slow dance in high school, this gentle
comedy follows three high school kids discovering their sexuality. This romantic triangle unfolds as a young
lesbian asks the high school swim team jock to help her approach the girl she
loves. Unfortunately, the jock falls
head-over-heels in love with the lesbian, thus setting the stage for this
comedy of errors. Like an Asian John
Hughes comedy, it infuses the right amount of teen angst and whimsical comedy
for a satisfying treat.
Written & directed by Chih-Yen
Yee, BLUE GATE CROSSING was a Director’s Fortnight selection in the Cannes Film
Festival.
Bobbie’s Girl filmed 2002 ***
American Bailey (Bernadette Peters) and British Bobbie
(Rachel Ward) are a lesbian couple living happily together in a small Irish
seaside town. They run a pub called the Two Sisters Bar and are helped by
Bailey's wacky brother David (Jonathan Silverman, Teresa's Tattoo).
One day their lives are changed forever when Bobbie's
brother and sister-in-law are killed, and their ten year old son Alan (Thomas Sangster) is sent to live with his aunt. Very serious and
low key, Bobbie isn't happy about this development, but bubbly Bailey, a former
Broadway actress, quickly develops her maternal instincts and welcomes the boy
into their home.
At the same time that Alan must deal with his loss, Bobbie
is diagnosed with breast cancer.
Nominated for both a GLAAD Media Award and a Daytime Emmy, this tv movie initially
aired on Showtime.
Business of Strangers (The)
Two businesswomen bond and reveal their inner natures while
getting carried away on a revenge attack against an accused rapist.
Bound ***
The romantic thriller that proved to be one of the best movies
of the Nineties. Two girls in love attempt to foil the Mob with seductive charm
and wit.
Gina Gershon and Jennifer Tilly
star. Corky, a lesbian ex con hired to
work in an apartment as a plumber, meets neighbours Caesar, who launders money
for the Mafia, and his girlfriend Violet. The two women have a love affair and
decide to steal $2,000,000 that Caesar has in custody before he gives them back
to Mafia boss Gino Marzone.
Caesar is set up by the two scheming women as a scapegoat
but things start to go wrong when he reacts in an unexpected way...
Boys Don't Cry **
But I'm A Cheerleader (filmed in 1999) ***
Natasha Lyonne and Clea DuVall star in this comedy
of sexual discovery, which chronicles the life of a typical teenager coming of
age in a super-normal suburban existence.
Megan (Natasha Lyonne) has it all.
She’s popular, pretty, dates the captain of the football team, and she’s a
cheerleader. To Megan’s surprise, one day her family and friends confront her
with evidence that she is gay: she’s a vegetarian, she doesn’t like kissing her
boyfriend, and she’s got a poster of a cheerleader in her locker.
In spite of Megan’s protests, her parents send her packing
to a homosexual rehabilitation camp, “True Directions.” There, Megan works hard
at becoming straight, until she gets to know Graham (Clea
Duvall).
This John Waters influenced comedy brilliantly blends humor with romance as Megan finds the courage to be
herself.
Also featuring RuPaul and Mink
Stole.
Brushfires 2004
"When a shy girl, secretly in love with her rocker-grrl housemate, meets an unbalanced heiress on the run,
anything could (and does) happen in BRUSHFIRES, the latest production from
Chicago-based film group Split Pillow. As the three women negotiate the
dangerous relationships among them, the seven women directors weave a sensual
tale of suspense.
Drawing inspiration from the poem by Jessica Wilbur and the
surrealist parlour game, The Exquisite Corpse, each director selected a word or
phrase on which to base her segment, and the seven chapters of the film bear
their individual marks. This impressive experiment in filmmaking emerges as a
sensitive tale of young desire, loss, and love's confusion.
Big Dreams & Little Hope 2007
What starts out as a routine assignment for an uptight,
career-driven reporter and her cheery, inquisitive butch camerawoman quickly
becomes a comedy of errors as the two find their direction in life. The odd
couple, Kelly and Linda, (respectively Emily Burton from Lesbian Pulp-O-Rama and Julie Goldman from the Big Gay Show on Logo) pack
up the car and hit the open road as market researchers videotaping various
strangers answering hypothetical questions about allergies. In true comical
fashion, their personalities clash when the ambitious but often-times bitter
Kelly strives to work harder to fulfill her
aspirations of being a news reporter, while carefree and content Linda is just
passing time until she opens her tattoo parlour.
On one of their many stops is a small town called Little
Hope, which is exactly what they experience -- no hope finding a hotel room
because of the town’s largest event of the year -- the annual chili cook-off. The only place with a bed (and bunk beds to
boot) is the youth hostel filled with a cast of characters like the awkward first-time
girlfriends and the snarling manager who instills a
nightly curfew. Their wacky adventure escalates when Linda hooks up with an old
flame and Kelly desperately tries to find cell phone reception, which could
lead to her finally achieving happiness. Director Erin Greenwell takes us on a
ride through humorous misadventures jam-packed with snappy dialogue,
sympathetic characters and laugh-out-loud scenarios true to classic buddy
comedies -- with a lesbian twist!
(The) Children’s Hour (filmed 1961) **
Best friends Karen Wright and Martha Dobie
are headmistresses at a successful private school for girls in New England.
Mary Tilford, a spiteful, angry child, is caught in a
lie and punished. In retaliation she tells her grandmother, a matriarch in the
town, that Martha was "jealous" of Karen's relationship with Dr. Joe
Cardin, and tells that Martha's Aunt Lily thought those feelings were
"unnatural." Grandma believes her and pulls Mary out of school.
The word quickly spreads and within days Karen and Martha
are faced with empty classrooms. Joe is fired from the hospital for siding with
the teachers. Karen and Martha sue for slander in a case that makes national
headlines.
THE CHINESE BOTANIST'S DAUGHTERS 2006
(Les filles du botaniste) subtitles
In the 1980s, two Chinese co-workers fell in love. One
married the other's brother so that they could live together, but when found
out, both were executed. It's their story that inspired this French film, lush
and romantic, but still headed towards tragedy. The Chinese government would
not allow them to shoot in China, so the film was made in Vietnam.
Li Ming (Mylène Jampanoï) is an orphan whose Chinese father and Russian
mother both died when she was three. After growing up in an orphanage, she
lands a six week internship with Professor Chen (Ling Dong Fu), a leading
botanist who takes her in to live on an isolated island with his daughter An
(Xiao Ran Li).
As the two young women collect plants and care for Chen's
herbal gardens, they become closer in the midst of strikingly beautiful green
landscapes. Romance is in the air under the nose of the stern Chen, who also
makes them wait on him hand and foot, including actually washing his feet.
When Chen suggests that Li Ming marry An's
brother Dan (Wei-chang Wang), they decide that this
is the only way for them to stay together, especially since he is away most of
the time in the army. Dan is none too happy to find out that his bride is not a
virgin, but heads back to his Tibetan army post none the wiser.
All seems like paradise for the love birds now - but the end
will shock you.
Chutney Popcorn (filmed 1999) ***
Lesbian love story finds a New York photographer (Nisha Genatra) and her lover
(Jill Hennessey) deciding to have a baby after the photographer's married older
sister (Sakina Jeffrey) is determined to be incapable
of having a child.
The photographer initially offers to act as a surrogate for
her sister, but changes her mind as the birth draws closer. The photographer's
Indian mother (Madhur Jeffrey), who has barely
acknowledged her daughter's existence since her coming out, is brought back
with her daughter with the impending birth.
Chasing Amy (filmed in 1997) *
Holden (Ben Affleck, Shakespeare in Love) and Banky (Jason Lee) are comic book artists. Holden falls for
Alyssa (Joey Lauren Adams) when they meet at a comic con. He goes to see her
sing at Meow Mix in New York City, thinking that she has a thing for him and
unaware that this is a lesbian bar. The lead singer in the band, by the way, is
Guinevere Turner (Preaching to the Perverted, Stray Dogs, Go Fish, The
Watermelon Woman, "The L Word"). Affleck is actually quite good as
the smitten guy, unaware that Alyssa's girlfriend (Carmen Lee) is standing
right next to him.
Both Holden and Banky ask Alyssa
the kind of curious guy questions about lesbians that most would never ask,
most likely very educational for the average Kevin Smith movie watcher. Holden
and Alyssa become close friends, until he tells her how much in love he is with
her. She gives a great, angry speech … but damned if she doesn't run back into
his arms. And so we have another "all the lesbian needs is a guy"
movie. (Affleck later appeared in Gigli, a film with a similar theme.)
From then on, the film becomes about the relationship between
Alyssa and Holden. Holden does become a jerk, and it appears that Alyssa is
back in the life at the end of the film.
With appearances by Jay (Jason Mewes)
and Silent Bob (Kevin Smith). Written and directed by Smith (Clerks, Jay and
Silent Bob Strike Back). All of the above named actors also appear in Jay and
Silent Bob Strike Back.
Claire of the Moon **
Blond, brash and beautiful, Claire Jabrowski
attracts men easily, and takes her own heterosexuality for granted. But at a
writer's conference, she shares a cabin with Dr. Noel Benedict, a lesbian who
questions Claire's promiscuous lifestyle. Challenged and disturbed by Noel,
Claire can't accept her ideas, but finds, to her great surprise, that she feels
an attraction to her.
As the two debate back and forth, Noel also falls under
Claire's charms, but she is wary, having recently suffered a disastrous break up.
As each faces her fears, an intricate - and sensual - "dance" takes
place between them, as they move apart, then come closer and closer . . .
Set in the lush Pacific Northwest, Claire of the Moon tells
a timeless story of a woman's struggle as she awakens to new possibilities for
love and intimacy.
"Intelligent and beautifully atmospheric . . . the very
definition of love and intimacy." - Los Angeles Reader
"Sensual and provocative" - LA Times
Desperate Remedies filmed 1993 ****
In a town called Hope on the edge of Britain's empire,
desperations clash: the beautiful Dorothea Brook is desperate to free her
pregnant sister Rose from the clutches of Fraser, a fortune hunter.
A local politician, William Poyner,
is desperate for cash and thinks marriage to Dorothea will save him. Dorothea
hires Lawrence Hayes, a rough but handsome Argonaut, to bribe Fraser with
jewels and to marry Rose; Hayes desperately loves Dorothea and may marry Rose
to stay close to her. But Dorothea has a lover, the ravishing Anne Cooper, who
encourages the match with Poyser to give the lovers
cover.
Are these remedies, each desperate in its turn, going to
make anyone happy?
The late Kevin Smith stars as Lawrence Hayes.
Desert Hearts ***
It is 1950s Nevada, and Professor Vivian Bell arrives to get
a divorce. She's unsatisfied with her marriage, and feels out of place at the
ranch she stays on, she finds herself increasingly drawn to Cay Rivers, an open
and self-assured lesbian, and the ranchowner's
daughter.
The emotions released by their developing intimacy, and
Vivian's insecurities about her feelings towards Cay, are played out against a
backdrop of rocky landscapes and country and western songs.
Vivian is a repressed English professor who goes to Reno for
a quickie divorce in 1959. She spends the weeks waiting for her final divorce
papers at a dumpy dude ranch where she meets Cay, a beautiful young casino
worker. The two develop a friendship that stirs desires in Vivian that she can
not deny. Slowly their attraction deepens into bold sensuality as they develop
a bond that renews their hearts.
Desert Hearts pulses with a fabulous 50's soundtrack
featuring Elvis Presley, Patsy Cline and Patti Page
D.E.B.S ****
Sultry crime boss Lucy Diamond (Jordana
Brewster, The Fast and the Furious) is back in the states and the D.E.B.S.- an
elite team of paramilitary college co-ed superspies-
are hot on her trail.
But when their top agent, gorgeous Amy Bradshaw (Sara
Foster, The Big Bounce), mysteriously disappears after coming face to face with
the attractive young villainess, the D.E.B.S. begin a full-scale search for
Lucy's secret lair, never suspecting that Amy may not want to be rescued after
all, in this smart and sexy lesbo spy spoof about
love at first sight.
Desi's Looking For a New Girl **
Desi's (Desi
del Valle, Some Prefer Cake, Costa Brava, Unhung Heroes, The Second Coming) got
a problem. She's been dumped by her girlfriend Adela
(Rosa Medina) and is having a hard time getting back into the dating scene.
With her friends' help, we watch her search for a new love, going through the
pain of blind dates and mismatches.
The film is set in San Francisco amidst a Latina lesbian
community, and it moves easily between English and Spanish.
Writer/director/producer Mary Guzmán (After the
Break, Mind If I Call You Sir) also drew the animations interspersed throughout
the production.
Do I Love You
Marina (writer/director Lisa Gornick)
has just broken up with her girlfriend Romy (Raquel
Cassidy) but finds herself in the midst of questioning that decision as well as
just about everything else to do with life, love, sex and intimacy. She rides
her bike around London contemplating and examining and discusses her crises
with family and friends, who often have their own issues to deal with.
In flashback, we see Marina and Romy
interacting, as well as Marina and her ex, Romy and
her ex, Marina and friends, Marina and family. … It's like watching a series of
conversations about life. Marina is a bit neurotic, focusing on her increasing
lack of femininity, cheating, lesbian relationships, and sex between men and
women.
It's contemplative … sometimes interesting, sometimes not, a
bit odd all in all. For those who identify with Marina and her friends, it may
be a joy to watch. For others of us, it may not be the film to hold our rapt
attention, but it did win several lgbt film festival
awards.
Different Strokes (The story of Jack & Jill &
Jill) 1998 *
Jill Martin, a New York art director, arrives in Los Angeles
to supervise a photo shoot with local photographer Jack who's involved with
another woman named Jill.
Jill Martin becomes involved with the relationship problems
facing Jack and Jill as well as helping Jill deal with her sexual awakening to
her repressed lesbianism and dealing with a jealous Jack when he finds out
about Jill and Jill being together.
Everything Relative filmed 1996 *
Old college chums get together for a weekend reunion that is
bound to open old wounds and perhaps heal them.
New romances find a spark while old ones rekindle.
Eternal (filmed 2004) **
Four hundred years ago, Erzebeth Bathory of Transylvania became known as the "Blood
Countess." She routinely tortured young women until her bedroom floor was
covered in puddles of blood and was known to actually bite their flesh. This is
the historical background for Eternal, a modern day vampire tale that borrows
this legend.
Montreal Detective Ray Pope's (Conrad Pla)
wife is missing. He suspects Elizabeth Kane (Caroline Néron)
and her assistant Irina (Victoria Sanchez), but
little does he know that Elizabeth seduced his wife and then fed from her.
Elizabeth must bathe in the blood of young women who desire
her to keep her youthful appearance, and we see her other female sexual
conquests and victims. At the same time, she plays with Ray and his
investigation.
When Elizabeth runs to Venice, he follows to try to trap
her, and he learns about the Erzebeth of old, whom
some people say never died. Can Pope solve the riddle? Can he stop more deaths
of young women ... or will he fall under her spell as well?
As lesbian vampire movies go, this one brings an original
plot line to the table, and Caroline Néron creates a
very erotic character.
(The) East Is Red. aka Dung fong bat baai 2
1992 - Chinese subtitled ***
From the first scene, Swordsman III is chock full of high
flying martial arts fantasy action with women leads, and it had a big influence
on the development of the "Xena" series.
(This is where the pinch comes from, for example.)
It's also full of gender ambiguity. The main character is
known as Asia the Invincible, a kung fu master who attained amazing powers by
practicing the Sacred Scroll and castrating himself in Swordsman II. He is now
a she in appearance, played by Hong Kong action star Brigitte Lin (Dragon Inn,
Peking Opera Blues), although always referred to as "he."
We're treated to a flashback of Asia kissing Snow (Joey
Wong, Peony Pavilion), a woman who was his/her lover (so we're seeing two women
together). When Asia is presumed dead, Snow pretends to be him/her, including
having a group of female concubines. One night she chooses a new woman to sleep
with, and while making love, the new concubine turns out to be a man pretending
to be a woman.
The plot? Well, it's a wild fantasy involving the Ming
Dynasty, the Japanese, the Dutch, and the Spanish, all looking for the Sacred
Scroll held by Asia. One assumes that this is all metaphor for the political
history of China and its invaders. The battles are filled with wire work and
flying needles. Although Asia almost kills Snow for impersonating him/her, in
the end, she is Asia's one love.
Entre Nous
- filmed 1983 sub-titled. ***
At its heart, Entre Nous is a
feminist film about taking control of your own life and what you make of it,
not accepting the passive role of wife and mother just because it is expected
of you.
Based on a true story written by her daughter (Diane Kurys), the film opens as Lena (Isabelle Huppert, 8 Femmes)
arrives in a Jewish detention center in 1942 France.
There she meets Michel (Guy Marchand), who
immediately offers to marry her. She accepts as her only way out of being sent
to a concentration camp, and they flee into Italy.
Meanwhile, Madeleine (Miou-Miou,
May Fools, Elles) is an artist and sculptor who is
happily married until her husband is shot by the Germans. She later marries
again when she becomes pregnant, but her new husband is a user and a loser.
When the two women meet at their children's school, it's
1952 in Lyon. A fast friendship develops, an immediate attraction. They read
erotica to one another and dream of opening a dress shop together.
It's unclear if they are lovers until it is a jealous Michel
who says it out loud. His refusal to let Lena see Madeleine is what drives her
to take action, and the women and their children start a new life together.
This received an Oscar nomination for best foreign language
film, and it's filled with great performances and period costumes. You won't
find even a kiss on screen, but love is in the air.
Femme Fatale filmed 2002 **
International con artist/thief Laure
Ash helps pull off a diamond robbery in Cannes during the annual film festival.
She double-crosses her partners-in-crime and makes off with the diamonds to
Paris where she accidentally assumes the identity of a distraught woman who
commits suicide and then leaves the country.
Seven years later, Laure (now
called Lily Watts) re-surfaces as the wife of the new American ambassador to
France where a certain Nicolas Barto, a Spanish
photographer, takes her picture which sets the stage for a motion of events as
the evil Laure resorts to low, underhanded means to
protect her former identity by emotionally and financially destroying Nicolas
while evading her former partners-in-crime still looking for her to reclaim the
stolen diamonds.
Family Pack (filmed 2000 sub-titled)
It's July 1969 in Montreal. Odile
(Macha Grenon) and Sacha (Marie Bunel) are arguing
because Sacha is not yet out to her mother, and Odile is tired of pretending. She moves out to give Sacha time on her own to come out to her family, or she's
leaving for good. This finally kicks Sacha into
taking a trip back to Belgium, where she also comes clean about the fact that
although the family thinks they have been sacrificing to support her while she
is in medical school, she actually quit long ago.
What she finds is that the members of her family like to
live without facing reality. They don't discuss anything of substance with one
another, and all have secrets. Her mother (Hélène Vincent) has breast cancer
but has told no one else. Her father (Christian Crahay)
is hiding the family's money problems, and her grandmother (Tsilla
Chelton) reveals that she's still looking for the traveling salesman from Paris who promised to return for
her one day long ago.
Sister Elisa (Mimie Mathy), a dwarf, believes she is adopted and has been
secretly searching for her birth mother. She is finally able to let go of her
resentment for Sacha.
It's a portrait of a family full of quirks, and in the end,
they all love and understand one another so much more. And Odile?
She arrives for a happy ending as well. Although a coming out tale, the focus
of the film is on family relationships.
Written and directed by lesbian Chris Vander Stappen
Fire ***
Fire is a beautiful film … about questioning tradition and
duty, about choice, love and desire. It's visually very sensual in color, with two stunning women who take control over their
own lives in the context of male authority and arranged marriages in India. One
could categorize it as a romance between sisters-in-law, but this film is so
much more.
Radha (Shabana
Azmi) is married to Ashok (Kulbushan Kharbanda), who fancies
himself a very religious man. Because they are unable to have children, and the
only reason to have sex is apparently to procreate, he has taken a vow of
celibacy to avoid desire, rejecting the affection of his wife. Ashok's brother Jatin (Jaaved Jaaferi) brings Sita (Nandita Das) into the
household as part of an arranged marriage. But Jatin
is in love with another woman and regularly spends the night with her, leaving Sita at home in a loveless situation.
Over time, the older Radha and
young Sita find friendship, love and passion with one
another. Ultimately, they must make the choice to break free of their husbands
to begin independent lives, making risky choices in the face of tradition and
taboo.
Fire was banned in India after theaters
were vandalized by Hindu fundamentalists. A feature on the dvd
examines the controversy (further fueled by the fact
that Radha and Sita are
named after two major Hindu goddesses). Writer/ director Deepa
Mehta talks about the film as she is accompanied everywhere by an armed
bodyguard. (Mehta later emigrated back to Canada after death threats, being
burned in effigy by fundamentalists, and the destruction of the set for her
film Water, which dealt with a young widow's affair with a lower caste priest.)
Don't miss this one!
French Twist (filmed 1995) **
The marriage of Laurent and Loli
who have two children is a real harmony. This changes completely the day that
the experienced and charming Marijo, a lesbian,
enters their lives and falls in love with Loli.
Now Laurent has to face an oponent
who he never had thought of before. He is fighting a woman for his wife......
but who ends up with who? In typical French fashion, the
ANSWER IS IN THE TWIST RIGHT AT THE END......
and not to spoil it too much - this is a film FOR THE BOYS AS WELL.... French with English subtitles
Fried Green Tomatoes ***
Frida (filmed in 2002) **
Winner of 2 Academy Awards!
A remarkable story that chronicles the controversial life of
famed Mexican artist Frida Kahlo
and played magnificently by Salma Hayek.
Her brilliant imagination was fueled
by physical pain from a horrific bus accident, by her flamboyant sexuality and
by her tempestuous relationship with her husband and fellow artist Diego Rivera.
Floored by Love (filmed 2005)
In this Canadian television drama, two Vancouver families
rediscover their love for one another. Cara (Shirley Ng) and Janet (Natalie
Sky) live happily together, until Janet stirs things up by asking her partner
to marry her when it becomes legal. Janet's family is Japanese, and she is already
out to her mother and discusses the upcoming wedding with her. Cara, on the
other hand, still puts on a skirt and makeup in front of her conservative
Chinese parents.
Janet isn't happy about pretending to be Cara's roommate and
feels as if her girlfriend is ashamed of her and their relationship. Finally
Cara gets the courage to tell her parents after she realizes just how much
Janet's love means to her.
In the apartment one floor below, Jesse (Trenton Millar) has
just come out to his mom and step-dad, who are both extremely supportive of
their teenage son. When his unreliable gay birth father (Andrew McIlroy) arrives though, Jesse is ready to run off with
this much cooler parent - until he finds out just how great his family really
is.
The stories are very simple and sweet and will leave you
with an upbeat message about love and family in a multicultural setting. On the
other hand, both are also quite predictable, with a bit of a hokey ending. Written and directed by Desiree Lim
Frog-g-g (filmed 2004) ****
Chemical waste seeps into a small town's water supply,
causing the birth of a mutant FROGGG which is instinctively driven to mate with
its genetic match - human women. Sexy EPA super-agent Dr Barbara Michaels
tracks the Froggg's every move, fighting off corrupt
good-ol'-boy politicians and drunken rednecks at
every turn. No one in town believes her, or the evidence, until the shocking
climax when the Froggg is finally brought to
justice... or IS it...?
This was one great cheesy monster flick. Sort of like an
updated, lower budgeted, tongue-in-cheek version of Humanoids from the Deep.
You have a horny giant mutant frog, you have naked lesbians, you have action, a
love story, everything.
(This is a very weird
movie but I just loved the high camp)
Gaudi Afternoon 2001
"Cassandra, a solitary writer in Barcelona (a US
ex-pat) gets a call for help from a stranger - a stylish woman named Frankie -
who wants Cassandra to find her husband, so he can sign some important papers.
Nothing Frankie says is true: the husband turns out to be a
woman, the issue isn't legal papers but a child's custody, and even Frankie's
most obvious identity, in red cape and red pumps, is a false front. But
Cassandra keeps at it, at first to earn her promised fee, and then to help
Frankie, then Frankie's ex, then the child.
Along the way, this solitary and somewhat disconnected and
bewildered writer frees herself to finish a novel and re-establish a broken
relationship.
Gladiator Eroticvs (lesbian
warriors) *
Seduction Cinema's trademark is lesbian erotic parodies of
well known films, in this case loosely following the plot of the epic
Gladiator. When the Emperor Gluteus Maximus (Jeff Faoro)
dies, his son and heir to the throne, Dickus Minimus
(John P. Fedele), sends General Eroticus
(Darien Caine) into slavery in Lesbius.
There she becomes a prized lesbian gladiator, women who are valued not only for
their fighting skills, but their abilities to seduce their female opponents. Eroticus seeks her revenge on the new emperor and seduces
his sister Clitoris (Misty Mundae), winning her
freedom.
Sound ridiculous? It is a slapstick spoof, interrupted by
women making out on the battlefield, so it's good for a few laughs. It's the
kind of movie that is intentionally stupid, with laughable dialog, dubbed
voices and low budget special effects. The problem is that after the first or
second one, the erotic scenes are just not that exciting (very tame stuff).
Watch Gladiator Eroticus for
curiosity's sake, but just know what you're getting! These same actors appear
in other Seduction Cinema productions as well.
Gia ***
Fact-based story of supermodel Gia
Marie Curangi follows her life from a rebel working
in her father's diner at age 17 to her death in 1986 at age 26 from AIDS, one
of the first women in America whose death was attributed to the disease.
In between, she followed a downward spiral of drug abuse and
failed relationships.
Stars Angelina Jolie as the
lesbian supermodel & Elizabeth Mittchell as her
sometime lover!
The Girl 2002 –sub-titled. **
Set in Paris, The Girl follows the spiraling
affair between two women: the film?s narrator ? a
beautiful painter (Agathe de la Boulaye,
Jefferson in Paris) ? and a stunning cabaret singer who she calls The Girl
(Claire Keim, Marriages, Ripper: Letter from Hell).
On their first night together, The Girl insists it will only be this one time.
However, the two are soon involved in an ongoing relationship. While their
passion for each other is consuming, a relationship from the past threatens to tear
them apart. "An accomplished piece of filmmaking . . . Its ambition and
beauty triumph! Loren King, The Boston Globe "A perfect visual tango of
erotic heat . . . A breakthrough in lesbian cinema!"? Jim Fouratt, LGNY Official Selection Toronto Film Festival,
Berlin Film Festival
Girl Play *
When you?re an actor, sometimes it?s hard to tell when you?re
playing a role. When Gabriel (Dom Deluise) casts
Robin and Lacie to play lesbian lovers in his latest
production, he unwittingly sets in motion a true life lesbian drama. Robin is
in a lesbian marriage of six years, while Lacie
prefers to play the field. But as rehearsals progress, the two women find
themselves drawing closer and closer. At the same time, they each have nagging
doubts as to whether their attraction is real or just acting. After the first
night ?s successful performance, their emotional dams finally burst . . .
Girlfriends filmed 1993 *
Although its storyline includes some similarities to the
life of Aileen Wuornos, this comedic low budget production
with lots of accompanying sticky red blood special effects is no Monster! Wanda
(Nina Angeloff) and Pearle (Lori Scarlett)
are out of work lovers who make their living as serial killing thieves. They
dress in disguises, lure obnoxious men in clubs, and then Wanda blows the guys
away and steals their wallets.
It's a messy life, and neither wants to clean up the blood
afterwards. Finally when Pearle's maternal instincts kick in, they decide to
make a break from killing and start a family. Pearle seduces a virginal
librarian to have sex with her, but out of habit, they have to kill him too.
After a little more bloody mayhem, Pearle gives birth to
make a happy little family, living an honest life on welfare, food stamps and
Wanda's occasional forays into prostitution. Only a few more tricks, and they
may even move to Florida. A girl can dream, can't she?
Go Fish 1994 **
GO FISH is a witty, smart, and sensual romantic comedy about
the trials and tribulations of a circle of lesbian career women and their
girlfriends. When the young and fun-loving Max (co-screenwriter Guinevere
Turner, AMERICAN PSYCHO) meets the frumpy and older, but sweet and shy Ely
(V.S. Brodie) for the first time, it's hardly love at first sight. But with a
little help from their matchmaking friends, the two women just may live happily
ever after.
This raw but sweet look at modern lesbian relationships made
waves at several film fests and manages to channel its limited visibly limited
budget into a funny, heartfelt tale of opposites attracting.
The film was shown at the 1994 Sundance Film Festival.
Goldfish Memory (2003)
When it comes to love, there's a first time for everything!
GOLDFISH MEMORY is a light-hearted look at the dangers and
delights of dating in contemporary Dublin. When Clara sees her boyfriend
kissing Isolde, it sets off a chain reaction of
romances and heartbreaks until the entire cycle has turned full-circle, with
each character trying to solve the pressing question of what is the perfect
relationship! Some favor marriage, others a
week-at-a-time arrangement.
The only thing they can all agree on is that love is the one
thing we cannot live without. Falling in love, out of love and making the same
mistakes all over again-all os us say we learn from
heart break, but how many of us really change? And do we really want to?
Exploring the comical and romantic nature of love, straight, gay and
in-between, GOLDFISH MEMORY brings to life the saying...what goes
around...comes around...and around...
Winner - Audience Award: OUTstanding
Narrative Feature - Outfest 2003 (Los Angeles)
(The) Gymnast 2007
A visually compelling film about hope and taking the
necessary risks to fully become yourself.
Talented Jane Hawkins (Dreya
Weber, Lovely & Amazing) was an impressive gymnast at the top of her game
until a devastating injury ended her career. Years later, a chance meeting sets
Jane on a new path – performing a cirque style aerial act with a mysterious
dancer named Serena (Addie Yungmee).
As the stunning pair prepares for a Las Vegas show, the pull between them
becomes increasingly unavoidable...
Happy Birthday (filmed 2002 English & Chinese
subtitles)
One might think that a film entitled Happy Birthday would be
filled with joy and celebration. Instead, this black and white production
focuses on the trials and tribulations of five gay and lesbian individuals who
all share the same birthday. We see their life struggles, and only one of the
five stories really ends happily.
Jim (Benjamin Patrick) is an overweight gay man who has just
won telemarketer of the year at his job, but he must face the put downs of
co-workers and growing self esteem issues over his appearance. Ron (John
Frazier) runs an ex-gay ministry but is caught out in a lie as a church member
finds him renting gay porn. His hypocrisy is alarming. Javed
(Devashish Saxena) is
Pakistani and applies for asylum in the US since his family has threatened to
kill him. He is the only one happily in a relationship with Greg (Denton Blane Everett), a gay porn star.
Kelly's (Michelle E. Michael) girlfriend has just left her.
When an old friend calls and invites her over, she's hopeful that the two will
finally get together, but is crushed to find the friend happily married to a
man. And finally, Tracy (Ethel Lung) deals with a visit from her mother from
Taiwan. She tries to de-dyke the apartment, but nosy Mom (Xiao Fei Zhao) finds the box of books, etc. Worried about her
mother's traditional Taiwanese views, Tracy can't believe how supportive her
mom is, loving her daughter no matter what.
The Hours (2002) **
Three women, separated by time, class and geographic
location, share the book "Mrs. Dalloway" by Virginia Woolf. The film opens with author Woolf
in an idyllic Sussex countryside in the early 1920s. Kidman, who won a Best Actress
Oscar as Woolf, offers a studied, controlled
exploration of a creative spirit trapped by expectations of reason and
conformity, and the best intentions of those who love her. Laura Brown (Moore)
enjoys the middle-class bliss of suburban Los Angeles in 1951; yet she seems
curiously sad and disassociated, intimidated to distraction by the task of
baking a cake. Her eerily prescient son Richie (a
superb performance by young Rovello) observes her
with understanding beyond his years. And in present-day New York City, Clarissa
Vaughan (Streep) is hosting yet another party; this
time for her longtime friend and confidant Richard
(Harris), whose nickname for her is "Mrs. Dalloway."
With children or without, with men or without, these three
women share a replication of activities and a communality of emotions and
demands that transcend their superficial differences.
The film avoids toppling under the weight of the complexity
of Michael Cunningham's poetic and sprawling Pulitzer Prize-winning novel by
the grace of remarkable performances from the three leads and the superlative
supporting cast, and supple, fluid direction. Phillip Glass' hypnotic score
works to perfection. In the end, The Hours delivers a thoughtful contemplation
of the inner lives of three women who reflect each other's reality and the
shared reality of all women.
High Art (1998) ***
This break-out hit from lesbian writer/director Lisa Cholodenko stars Ally Sheedy as
Lucy Berliner, a once-famous photographer, whose career has been revitalized when
she meets Syd (Radha
Mitchell), a beautiful young assistant editor for a prestigious photography
magazine.
Withdrawn from the art world, Lucy is reawakened by Syd who offers her the hope of escaping her drug-filled
world. Before Syd realizes it, she is drawn into
Lucy's seductive and dangerous mix while forced to make choices she never
imagined. A challenging film that raises interesting questions as to how
objective a person can be about art, especially when they are involved in the
creative process.
(This copy has German sub-titles)
The Hunger (1983) ***
Miriam, a centuries-old vampire, preys on urban club goers
with her vampire lover John. When John suddenly ages and wastes away, Miriam
casts her spell upon Sarah, a doctor who researches premature aging.
This neo-Gothic exercise in style and atmosphere is perhaps
most widely known for a lesbian sex scene involving Miriam and Sarah, played by
Catherine Deneuve and Susan Sarandon. (this was the first lesbian love scene I
ever saw on the movie screen)
If These Walls Could Talk 2 ***
Stories about lesbian couples in three different decades.
HBO drama starring Vanessa Redgrave, Chloe Sevigny, Sharon Stone and Ellen DeGeneres.
1961: When Abby dies of a stroke, her surviving partner of
50 years, Edith, must silently face heartbreak and the denial of her status as
"family" by the hospital and Abby's heirs.
1972: Linda, a feminist, out, college student is ousted,
along with her lesbian cohorts, from the on-campus womens'
group: the cause of feminism comes first, apparently. In an attempt to forget
their troubles, the friends go to the only lesbian bar in town, where Linda
meets Amy, who is too butch to pass muster with Linda's friends. Intrigued, despite her friends' disapproval,
Linda comes to understand and fall in love with Amy while learning about her
own prejudices.
2000: Fran and Kal (Ellen DeGeneres and Sharon Stone) want to have a baby. But they
want the baby to be theirs and theirs alone, so to the sperm bank they go. But
the decisions to be made! Ordering over the internet? Which donor? What race?
What gender? And what if the sperm bank is out of that particular perfect
donor?
It's In the Water (filmed in 1998) ***
An Outrageous Comedy with a Queer Little Twist!
When sexy, upper-crust society wife Alex (Keri Jo Chapman)
falls for her old high school best friend, Grace (Teresa Garret) the snobby
little town of Azalea Springs is up in arms.
Alongside the budding romance, indie
filmmaker Kelli Herd brings us a hilarious comic
portrait of small-town life and a firm trouncing of homophobic intolerance as
the whole town confronts the zany rumor that their
water supply is turning everyone gay!
Whether you grew up in a small town or ever had to deal with
the intolerance of others during the process of coming out -- this film will
entertain and touch you. It might even end up on your Top Ten Movies List!
Wildly popular with gay and lesbian audiences across the
country, this fast-paced tale spins out sub-plots galore: from the newspaper boy
who beds the hot Latino artist, to the death of the openly gay designer Bruce.
Great dialogue and smartly executed performances abound, including Larry
Randolph’s turn as Alex’s hunky husband, Barbara Lasater
as Alex’s bitchy mother and John Hallum as the
flaming Spencer.
(The) Incredibly True Story of Two Girls in Love
(1997) ***
An adventurous love story between two young women of
different social and economic backgrounds who find themselves going through all
the typical struggles of a new romance.
The Incredibly True Adventures if Two Girls In Love is a
touching and comic story of first love between two girls in their senior year
of high school. Randy Dean, a rebellious tomboy who lives with her lesbian aunt
and her aunt's lover in a working class neighbourhood, falls in love with Evie Roy, a smart and beautiful African-American who is one
of the most popular girls at their high school. Convinced that something's
wrong with her posh Range Rover, Evie meets Randy
when she drives into the gas station where Randy has an after-school job.
Intrigued and charmed by each other, the two begin an
unlikely romance that sets in motion a series of comic misadventures
culminating in a showdown at a motel where family and friends converge to keep
the young lovers from running away together.
Intimates (Ji sor) 1997
Can you imagine a life without sex? San Francisco architect
Wai (Theresa Lee) can't, but when she accompanies her Auntie Foon (Gua Ah-leh)
back to China, she learns about Foon's life. To
escape marriage fifty years earlier, Foon entered a
traditional Chinese organization of women sworn to virginity for life.
Then while working in a silk factory with other women like
her, young Foon (Charlie Young) meets Wan (Carina
Liu), who hires her as a maid. On the trip, Wai worries over her boyfriend,
trying to find love, and Foon reminisces about her
devoted and tender care of Wan through the trials of her life, and loving her
even these many years later. Wan also loved Foon in a
romantic sense, becoming jealous when Foon fell in
love with a local fisherman, and wishing for more between them.
They only become closer after tragedy befalls them both in
different ways, finding that their love endures more than their relationships
with men. Finally they make a life together, and we see them kiss in a
beautiful scene conveying such strong emotion. Their joy still exists years
later after being separated by war. Their reunion is sweet, containing a
surprise twist at the end.
Both Liu and Lee were nominated for Hong Kong Film Awards.
It's a tender romance, and a fine movie with high drama.
Inescapable filmed 2004 *
"Good dirty fun.
The scenes of lesbo lust unfold leisurely, with the
lead actresses reveling in the smut. No tidy morals,
no championing of monogamy: These sisters are Doing It for themselves.”
– The Village Voice
Two best friends and ex-lovers, Beth and Susan, plan a
reunion in Oregon. Their current lovers, Chloe and Jessie, feel alienated as
their girlfriends take off to attend several work related seminars. But left
together, an unexpected and intense attraction develops between Chloe and
Jessie and ignites a fiery affair, which is quickly complicated by guilt and
the fear of getting caught.
Gorgeous women and hot sex make for a winning combination in
this erotic drama from indie filmmaker Helen Lesnick (A Family Affair).
Imagine Me & You 2005. ****
A sparkling romantic comedy, Imagine Me & You marks the
directorial debut of critically acclaimed screenwriter Ol
Parker.
Heck and Rachel are a young couple about to embark on life
together when an unexpected meeting turns Rachel's world upside down. What
follows is the romantic, hilarious and sometimes poignant journey familiar to
anyone who has ever fallen in love at first sight. And what if you discover that
the one person you are destined to spend the rest of your life with might not
be your boyfriend, but a perfect stranger? Imagine Me & You shows that the
path to true love isn't always straight...
Starring Piper Perabo, Matthew
Goode, Lena Headey, Anthony Head, Celia Imrie, Sue Johnston
In The Glitter Palace (filmed 1977)
The ex-girlfriend of a laywer/detective,
who left him for another woman, asks him to defend her lover in a murder case.
Intentions (filmed 2003) *
Renee Higgins (Katherine Lee) is a married college professor
who falls in love with one of her students, Eve Carsow
(played by gorgeous Deidre Kotch) in this poignant
emotional journey.
Renee has a comfortable family life until Eve is cast in the
lead role of the Theatre Arts Department’s current production. With each
rehearsal, repressed emotions awaken within Renee. Then after a rehearsal one
evening, a dinner invitation turns into an illicit affair.
Renee and Eve awaken things in each other that they had been
trying to suppress, both creatively and emotionally. Through their love, they
are forced to examine these passions and find the strength and courage to
pursue their dreams. Intentions is a character driven, actor's showcase that
takes the audience through an emotional passage of sacrifice, love, heartbreak,
desire, and eventual resolve.
The Journey (Sancharram) 2004
sub-titled
In a very delicate film, Kiran (Suhasini V. Nair) and Delilah (Shrruiti
Menon) are friends in a small southern Indian
village. Kiran's parents are intellectuals who
returned to their family home from the city, and Kiran
is a quiet poet in contrast to the beautiful and outgoing Delilah.
Kiran begins to wrestle with
romantic and sexual feelings for Delilah. When their mutual friend Rajan (Yam Seethal) asks her to
help him write love letters to let Delilah know how he feels about her, Kiran agrees. When Delilah finds that it's really Kiran behind the love poems, the two begin a sweet romance.
When their relationship is discovered, Delilah is rushed
into an arranged marriage, and Kiran questions her
desire to live without her love, but what is notable is that neither cowers or
pretends. They stand up and tell the truth. The ending is tragic and painful,
but also triumphant as Kiran embarks on the journey
that is the rest of her life.
Johnny Greyeyes (2001)
This poignant tale of Native lesbian life presents a gritty,
yet deeply humanizing portrait of life behind bars. Troubled but proud lesbian
Johnny (Gail Maurice) and her lover/cellmate Lana (Columpa
C. Bobb) boldly fight for tolerance and respect
amidst the brutalities of prison life.
Johnny Greyeyes is the powerful
story of a Native American woman struggling to maintain strength, love and
spirit within the walls of a women’s prison. An official Sundance selection,
the movie was also nominated for Best Picture at the American Indian Motion
Picture Awards, and Jorge Manzano won Best Director.
It also won the Freedom Award at Los Angeles Outfest
2000. Since the shooting death of her father, Johnny has spent most of her life
in prison. There, she forms a new family and falls in love with her cellmate
Lana. But her responsibilities to the outside world weigh heavily as she
attempts to pull together her fractured natural family. With her release date
near, Johnny valiantly strives to keep her two worlds together.
The first feature film focusing on Native lesbians, Johnny Greyeyes is a tremendously powerful lesbian drama.
THE JOURNEY TO KAFIRISTAN
(Die Reise nach Kafiristan) 2001 sub-titled.
Based on a true story, The Journey to Kafiristan
follows ethnologist Ella Maillart (Nina Petri, Run
Lola Run) and her traveling companion, writer
Annemarie Schwarzenbacher (Jeanette Hain), as they drive from Switzerland to Afghanistan in
pre-war 1939. Ella wants to make a name for herself in the academic world by
studying a group of isolated nomads, while Annemarie is running away from a
morphine addiction and looking to find herself.
What we see is an amazing cinemagraphic
journey, with wonderful images and landscapes on the long drive, actually shot
in today's Uzbekistan. The pace of the film is slow and delicately
introspective, with meaningful but short dialog between the two women and long,
comfortable silences. They are not lovers, but have a deep and growing love for
one another and an ever present sexual tension.
Annemarie routinely dresses in a man's suit and necktie,
passing as a man with locals, and presumed to be a lesbian by other Europeans.
When they reach Tehran, she puts on a dress to meet her husband, a French
diplomat, and is relieved to find him away. Instead, she spends her time in the
city making love to a Turkish woman.
On the way to Kabul, the journey is cut short when war in
Europe causes Afghanistan to restrict the travel of foreigners. The travelers' ambiguous relationship is never resolved, so
this film can't quite be categorized as a romance, but it is a lovely film of
the art house variety. Watch it more than once to find more in it each time
Jaded (filmed 1996) **
"Jaded" takes on the complex question of abuse:
the perpetrators and the victims. In lesser hands it would have degenerated
into an erotic thriller made for direct-to-video. This director, however, has
managed to pull off a textured multi-layered study with a decidedly different
point of view.
Given the fact that the director/writer is a woman and the
main detective and D.A. are also women, this could have turned into a very
anti-male film. It is not. To be a sexual predator IS gender neutral. The
nudity of this film is not erotic. The rape is brutal not sexual. We are
looking at victims and not titillation.
The gifted cast rings true. For a film that is so little
known, I was surprised at the quality of the performances. They are good. Carla
Gugino and Rya Kihlstedt
are incredible.
Somehow, this film got lost. Perhaps it is too smart for its
own good.
Julie Johnson (filmed 2001)
Bob Gosse’s (Niagara Niagara) inspirational tale of self-discovery, courage and
love tells the story of Julie Johnson (Lili Taylor),
a dissatisfied New Jersey housewife.
Tired of the life she is leading, Julie decides to enroll in a night school computer class. Her newfound
confidence doesn’t sit well with her bossy, blue-collar husband and she
eventually kicks him out of the house, inspiring her best friend Claire
(Courtney Love) to do the same.
With no place to go, Claire moves in with Julie. It is not
long before Julie confesses her long-held romantic feelings for Claire, who at
first is quite upset but soon admits to having the same feelings. As their relationship
deepens, their growing alienation from their friends and neighbors
begins to take its toll.
Just The Two of Us 1975
Along with That Tender Touch, this 1970's dykesploitation classic is one of the first releases in the
Wolfe Vintage Collection. Housewives Denise (Elizabeth Plumb) and Adria (Alisa Courtney) drop their husbands off at the
airport for their military assignments - and then the fun begins.
They observe a lesbian couple at lunch holding hands and
kissing in the car, prompting longing in Denise and quite a curiosity in Adria. With the older Denise taking the lead, the two
become lovers themselves and spend their out of bed time frolicking at the
amusement park, mini golfing and horseback riding. But eventually Adria gets bored of their relationship and starts dating
Jim (John Aprea), a man they meet together at the
Santa Monica Pier.
After breaking it off with Denise and telling her they must
only be friends now, her former lover is left to try to forget her sorrows.
Denise finds herself stoned at a party and having sex with the hostess
(Elizabeth Knowles) on top of a pool table - until she freaks out and runs,
thinking only of her love for Adria.
In an unusual twist for a film made in 1975, both Adria's husband and boyfriend Jim dump her, and Adria and Denise actually walk off together again in the
final shot.
Kissing Jessica Stein (filmed 2001) ***
This one starts like many a romantic movie. Jessica Stein
(co-writer/producer Jennifer Westfeldt) is a straight
Jewish journalist in New York, going through a series of disastrous dates. But
Jessica takes a turn that others do not when she answers a woman-seeking-woman
personals ad.
Meanwhile, artist Helen Cooper (co-writer/ producer Heather Juergensen) is very sexually active with men, but hasn't
been with a woman in a while. Her gay friends put a personals ad together for
her, and so Jessica and Helen meet.
Neurotic Jessica's analytic approach to the new experience
of having sex with a woman is a hoot, and although she usually eschews relationships,
Helen turns into a romantic with Jess. The two both appear to be in love, but
Jessica finds herself unable to come out to her family and friends.
Will she come to her senses?
It's a cute, smart and witty comedy ... as long as you stop
watching before the last ten minutes of the film.
Kate’s Addiction 1999 *
Kate, a young sociopath, arrives in Los Angeles where she
looks up her old college friend Sara and begins a devious game of manipulation,
murder and seduction, with a little help from her co-conspirator Zoey, to move into Sara's life. But a little later, when
Sara meets a new man in her life, Kate does not stop her game of scheming and
murder to keep Sara all for herself.
The Killing of Sister George
Lost and Delirious (2000) ****
This terrific, full-on lesbian melodrama takes up the long
tradition of Baby Dyke Girls’ Boarding School movies (Maedchen
in Uniform, Therese & Isabelle, etc,) and features a stunning cast of young
female stars (Piper Perabo, Jessica Pare, and Mischa Barton). A gorgeous production from out lesbian
director Lea Pool.
Mouse Bradford (Misha Barton, The
Sixth Sense) has just arrived at boarding school. Her two senior roommates, the
striking, sharp-witted Paula (Piper Perabo, Coyote
Ugly) and the charming and beautiful Tori (Jessica Paré,
Stardom), quickly adopt the homesick girl. When Paula and Tori are found to be
lovers, Mouse, caught in the role of accomplice and confessor, is left torn
between her two friends.
La Repetition
2001 Official Selection at the Cannes Film Festival in
Competition
In an erotic tale of two professional women, Nathalie
(Emmanuel Béart, MISSION IMPOSSIBLE & 8 WOMEN)
who has pursued a career as an actress and Louise (Pascale
Bussieres, WHEN NIGHT IS FALLING) who runs a dental
prosthetics business with her husband, rekindle their friendship after a
tumultuous break-up ten years before.
They begin to discover that the passion that flames their relationship
will only tear them apart once again.
Lackawanna Blues (filmed 2005)
Lackawanna Blues is the story of Junior (Marcus Carl
Franklin) and his life growing up in an upstate New York boarding house run by
Nanny (S. Epatha Merkerson,
A Girl Thing, She's Gotta Have It, "Law &
Order"). Nanny is the mother of the African-American community there in
the 1950s and '60s, and many of her tenants are misfits who all find a family
there under her watchful eye and loving heart.
Ricky (Adina Porter, Gia) is one such boarder, a butch lesbian who looks fine in
a man's suit. Says Junior, "I thought Ricky was the coolest dude living
there ... and she was." Ricky is a constant in the house over the years,
often in the background, but without much character development or a storyline
of her own.
Most of the film focuses on Nanny and Junior's observations
of her as she takes care of countless individuals who need a helping hand. The
supporting cast is amazing, with Mos Def, Louis Gossett Jr.,
Macy Gray, Ernie Hudson, Rosie Perez, Jimmy Smits and
Patricia Wettig. The other constant is great music,
especially when it comes to the blues.
Based on the autobiographical one man show by Ruben
Santiago-Hudson (Their Eyes Were Watching God) and co-produced by Halle Berry.
Although Ricky has a small part, this is a very moving drama with a fine
soundtrack.
Losing Chase (filmed 1996) ***
Academy Award nominee Helen Mirren,
along with Kyra Sedgwick and Beau Bridges, stars in
Losing Chase, an original drama that marks the directorial debut of actor Kevin
Bacon.
This moving story follows the intimate relationship between Chase
Philips (Helen Mirren) and Elizabeth Cole (Kyra Sedgwick) over the course of one summer on Martha's
Vineyard. As Chase recovers from a nervous breakdown, she and her children are
cared for by a 20-year-old mother's helper, Elizabeth, hired by her husband,
Richard (Beau Bridges). Richard spends most of his summer at work in Boston,
returning to the island only on weekends.
At first Mrs. Philips mercilessly bullies Elizabeth, until,
in a verbal showdown, the girl finally stands up to her employer. A contrite
Mrs. Philips pleads that she needs a friend, revealing that her breakdown was a
result of feeling isolated and alone on the island. Elizabeth promises to
become that needed friend.
As the summer lazes on, the two women form a very special
bond. But the situation becomes troublesome to Richard when it appears the
relationship has gone beyond the realm of friendship. He sends Elizabeth away,
leaving Chase feeling lonely, and yet reinvigorated by the whole experience.
Late Bloomer’s (filmed 1997)
Official Selection: Sundance Film Festival
A delightfully romantic lesbian coming-out love story, this
comedy-drama is set in Eleanor Roosevelt High School where Dinah, a gangly fortysomething math teacher and basketball coach, becomes
friends with the cute but doughy Carly, a married
school secretary and mother of two.
What begins as innocent friendship soon becomes much more.
As the two become more demonstrative in their affection, those around them
become increasingly troubled. But romance triumphs over all adversities as the
two women throw caution to the wind and fall passionately in love with each
other.
Part comedy, part family drama, and all love story. A Family drama written by Gretchen Dyer and
directed by her sister, Julia Dyer.
Lianna (filmed 1983) ***
Linda Griffiths plays Lianna, the
naive young wife of a professor bored with her life and angered at her
husband's blatant sexual indiscretions. She has an affair with another woman,
Ruth (Jane Halleran), and when her affair becomes
common knowledge, she finds herself shunned by both her friends and family.
Released shortly after a handful of films touching upon
homosexual relationships (MAKING LOVE, PERSONAL BEST), LIANNA is a realistic
depiction of a lesbian relationship that does not succumb to typical Hollywood
formulas. Director John Sayles traces the consequences of divorce and the
constrictions of women's possibilities with an unsentimental eye, showing that
freedom often comes with a heavy price.
Although many people were skeptical
about a man helming a film about lesbians, Sayles does an admirable job
creating a movie that no studio wanted to touch, on a budget that very few
directors could live within.
(I thought this movie
was very progress for its time)
Love & Suicide 2006
When pretty but troubled Kaye moves to New Orleans from
Atlanta with her mother and little brother, she forges a special friendship
with Emily, a rebellious high school senior with troubles of her own. They
become instant best friends, and begin spending all their free time together.
Emily even helps Kaye run away from home.
The girls' mothers do not approve of their relationship, and
Emily's mother accuses her of associating to closely with a corrupted and
confused young girl. As Kaye and Emily grow closer, Kaye's mother begins to
suspect what she fears is the worse, that Emily's sexual prowess has corrupted
her daughter.
Faced with the ridicule from their peers, and the pressures
of their families and conservative religious beliefs, Kaye and Emily are forced
to choose between true love and the promises they've made to each other, and
fitting into a society that refuses to accept them.
Loving Annabelle (filmed 2006) ***
Loving Annabelle is the controversial story of a
Catholic Boarding School teacher, Simone Bradley (Diane Gaidry),
who has an affair with her female student, Annabelle (Erin Kelly).
Simone is Saint Theresa's prized young poetry teacher who finds peace and
security within the boarding school's walls. Surrounded by a lush atmosphere
with little conflict, Simone has settled into a life of comfort and purpose
educating her young female students.
Annabelle is a charismatic and enchanting new student who quickly draws
attention for her rebellious behaviour. Fearing Annabelle will influence the
other students, rigid Headmistress (Ilene Graff), instructs Simone to keep an
eye on Annabelle and get her under control.
Simone, however, quickly learns that the real challenge is not Annabelle's
behaviour but the attraction budding between the two. As Annabelle pursues her
teacher, she unleashes the passion that has been locked deep inside Simone, who
must decide whether or not to enter into an affair that could cost her
everything.
Love/Juice(filmed 2000) ***
Listen 1996
Can't get enough of psycho lesbian killers? Then Listen may
be the film for you!
Sarah (Brooke Langton, Kiss the Bride),
her boyfriend Jake (Gordon Currie), and her best friend Krista (Sarah Buxton)
all live in different apartments in the same building in San Francisco. Sarah
is having trouble with her cordless phone and discovers that she is able to
listen in on a neighbor's conversations. The guy
likes to call phone sex lines, and Sarah begins to really enjoy getting off
while eavesdropping.
It turns out that Krista just came back from a year
recovering from a nervous breakdown brought on when Sarah broke up with her.
Sarah says she still loves her, but wants children. Thus Jake fits the bill,
but when there's a psycho lesbian around with a crazy look in her eye, Jake
should have known better than to pressure Sarah to remove Krista from her life.
Soon the phone sex operators begin turning up dead, and
Sarah and Krista are working with the police to find the neighbour who is
calling. Is it the building super, the guy who bothers Sarah in the elevator,
even Jake himself? Unfortunately, I guess the cops never noticed that Krista is
more than a little unstable. A little murder, a little framing of others, a
fragile Sarah, and voila! Sarah and Krista are again a happy little couple.