It’s being described as a seaside, Peruvian Brokeback Mountain, but I think it would be best to let Javier Fuentes-Leon’s “magical realist” drama, Undertow, speak for itself:
Miguel is a fisherman in a small Peruvian seaside village. He and his wife Mariela are active in the local church and happily expecting their first child. But Miguel is also in love with Santiago, an urban transplant who first came to the village to paint. Santiago shares his feelings but resents Miguel’s insistence that they keep their relationship a secret. In a terrible swimming accident, Santiago drowns, trapping his spirit on Earth until his body can be found. In some ways, this new situation suits Miguel perfectly: Santiago is invisible to everyone but him, making their relationship that much easier to conceal. But Santiago is miserable in his in-between state, and as rumors of the relationship surface, Miguel is forced to choose between saving face in his community and doing right by his lover. Both love story and ghost story, this magical realist tale from Javier Fuentes-Leon won the audience award in the World Cinema dramatic competition at Sundance.
South Americans LOOOOVE their magical realism/dead lovers haunting the living romances, don’t they? If you loved Dona Flor and her two sexy husbands, or if Gabriel García Márquez makes your heart go pitter-pat, then check this movie out…also, there are sexy Peruvian men making sweet, sweet love…Undertow screens tonight at 7pm at the Egyptian and repeats on Sunday, June 6 at 11am at the Neptune.
(Oh, and there’s allegedly a party after the screening at Pony, (for ticket holders of the film ONLY), but it’s sort of a secrety thing since Pony isn’t that big and can’t hold 400 film fans worked up after an evening of Latin Style Brokeback Mountain cinematic fun…so, you didn’t hear it from ME!)
Other LGBT treats in store over the next couple of days, include the Danish political drama, Brotherhood, about two male, skinheaded, Danish, homophobic, racist, neo-Nazis who discover they both have an itching to play a rousing game of “Hide the Salami” after a busy day of goose stepping through the streets of Copenhagen…naturally, their bigoted brethren are a bit upset by this bit of news, and trouble soon follows. Brotherhood screens at the Uptown Cinema on Friday, June 4 at 9:30pm and again at the Egyptian on Monday, June 7 at 4:30pm.
It’s not really a “Queer” film but Meet Monica Velour will certainly be of interest for LGBT fans of actress Kim Cattrall who took a break from filming the revolting Sex and the City films to star in this indie, debut feature from director Keith Bearden. (Note: I, like many gay men, LOVE Sex and the City…the tv series. The movies are putrid drivel…in my opinion. But, as usual, I digress.) In this film, Samantha, er, I mean Kim, plays the title character, Monica Velour, a former porn starlet coping with her pathetic post porn star life and trying to raise a daughter. But, her biggest fan, Tobe, a high school student, is determined to save Monica and woo her in the process…wasn’t this already a plot on Sex and the City? We’ll ask the director, Keith Bearden; he is scheduled to be in town for the screenings this weekend at SIFF Cinema on Friday at 9:30pm and Sunday, June 6 at 1:30pm at the Neptune. Sadly, Kim apparently has bigger, crappier movies to promote in sunnier climes…
And, now a reminder that this year’s big SIFF GAY-LA is less than a week away and if you don’t have tickets, you should get them. Violet Tendencies is the story of a fag hag, lady who has lots of gay, male friends and is a willing shoulder for them to cry on when their relationships fail, but she has forgotten to live her own life and have her own romances. Naturally, comedy and pathos ensue for the next 100 minutes. The director/co-star Casper Andreas and producer/co-star Jesse Archer will be attendance for the GAY-LA, but sadly, star Mindy Cohn will not…why have you forsaken us, Natalie Green?!?!? (was someone too cheap to fly her in??!?)
Though deprived of Ms Cohn, the rest of us can still enjoy the film, next Wednesday June 9 at 7pm at the Egyptian, to be followed by the big party down the hill at Re-bar with food and drink tickets and entertainment…but you need a ticket to the entire GAY LA to go to the party…go here for tickets and more info.
I’m spent for today…more SIFF news tomorrow, including news on Edward Norton, (he’s coming…to SIFF).
-Michael Strangeways
About the Author: Michael Strangeways
