The year in queer film 2014 got off to a great start in January with the release of arguably the best queer film of the year, Alain Guiraudie’s explicit, erotic and irresistible thriller, “Stranger by the Lake.” The film placed considerable emphasis on full-frontal nudity, a motif that was also visible in several films this year.
“Stranger by the Lake”
Lars von Trier’s fascinating “Nymphomaniac” featured a parade of penises in “Part I” as Joe (Charlotte Gainsbourg), the film’s title character, recounts her multiple lovers, who are seen naked from the waist down. Other memorable episodes in “Part II” include Joe being framed by two African brothers (Kookie and Papou) and their elephantine erections, or her efforts to — ahem — arouse a Debtor Gentleman (Jean-Marc Barr). Even the campus comedy “Neighbors” promoted the penis, with Zac Efron and his fraternity brothers making casts of their cocks to raise money — as well as hell and eyebrows.
“Dear White People”
Another college comedy, “Dear White People,” by out writer/director Justin Simien, was a clever campus satire that featured a gay student, Lionel Higgins (Tyler James Williams). The most complex of the film’s four central characters, Lionel, is possibly exploited, and both mentally and physically abused, but he develops a resilience that has viewers rooting for him. Queer youth were also the subject of the enchanting Brazilian film, “The Way He Looks,” about Leo (Ghilherme Lobo), a blind, gay teen and his same-sex desires for a fellow student, Gabriel (Fabio Audi). The magic of gay writer/director Daniel Ribeiro’s film is that it shows how the two teens fall in love.
Queer writer/directors had hit-or-miss releases this year in films about sexually active teenage girls. François Ozon’s “Young and Beautiful,” about the title character, a 17-year-old student who moonlights as an escort, was an elegant, eloquent character study. In contrast, “The Last Days of Robin Hood,” by out partners Wash West and Richard Glatzer, about Errol Flynn’s illicit relationship with an underage starlet, was a misfire, despite an energetic performance by Kevin Klein as Flynn.
A very fine queer-youth movie From Venezuela was “Bad Hair,” a gritty, absorbing film about 9-year-old Junior (Samuel Lange Zambrano), determined to straighten his unruly curly hair. Junior battles his mother, Marta (Samantha Castillo), who disapproves of her son’s primping and the realization he is probably gay.
Two gay teenage films released in 2014, but not in Philly, included out filmmaker Darren Stein’s “G.B.F.,” a highly amusing high-school comedy in which the gay teen wasn’t a pariah, but a desirable accessory; and “Date and Switch,” which had two best friends — Michael (Nicolas Braun) and Matty (Hunter Cope) — planning to lose their virginity to hot girls before prom. But then Matty queers the plan when he comes out to his best friend.
Out filmmaker Matt Wolf’s “Teenage” was a terrific documentary, narrated in part by gay actor Ben Whishaw, about how teenagers came of age and developed between 1904 and the post-World War II era. Another notable LGBT documentary was “Gore Vidal: The United States of Amnesia,” a candid portrait of the late, great queer writer.
In contrast, Jalil Lespert’s biopic “Yves St. Laurent” was a stylishly mounted but clunky film, glossing over the life — but not clothes — of its subject.
A trio of fabulous films came from across the pond.
Benedict Cumberbatch in “The Imitation Game”
“The Imitation Game” was a crowd-pleasing, if tragic, drama about gay mathematician Alan Turing (Benedict Cumberbatch in an Oscar-worthy performance) before, during and after the war. “Lilting” was a thoughtful, gentle, life-affirming film about Richard (Ben Whishaw) and Junn (Pei-pei Cheng), both mourning the loss of Kai (Andrew Leung), Junn’s son and — unbeknownst to his mother — Richard’s lover. “Pride,” the feel-good queer film of the year, featured LGBT activists supporting striking miners during Thatcher’s iron rule. The film was funny and touching, easily one of the highlights of the year.
Other inspirational films out in 2014 include “Violette,” about the bisexual French writer Violette Leduc (Emmanuelle Devos in a committed performance), who is encouraged to write by her friend Simone de Beauvoir (Sandrine Kiberlain). The film acutely captured Leduc’s emotional despair and ultimate emancipation.
In gay filmmaker Scott Coffey’s under-seen comic gem “Adult World,” Amy (Emma Roberts) was a would-be poet who harasses her favorite writer, Rat Billings (a wonderfully acerbic John Cusack), to get him to mentor her. His guidance comes at a terrific — and terrifically funny — price. Amy comes of age with the help of Rubia (Armando Riesco), a transgender friend she makes while working at the title adult bookstore.
“The Skeleton Twins”
Another sour comedy, gay writer/director Craig Johnson’s “The Skeleton Twins” featured the queer Milo (Bill Hader) and his sister Maggie (Kristen Wiig), both of whom are suicidal. Milo, it seems, has not quite recovered from his illicit relationship with his English teacher (Ty Burrell) when he was 15. While the twins have some fun lip-synching to Starship, much of “The Skeleton Twins” is a drag, and Hader plays a decidedly stereotypical gay character.
Better comic material was on display in “Obvious Child,” a sweet and snarky comedy about Donna (Jenny Slate), a stand-up comic who finds herself unexpectedly with child. Out comedian (and Philly native son) Gabe Liedman had an impressive supporting turn as Donna’s gay best friend.
One of the odder, and maddening, trends in LBGT cinema in 2014 was a filmmaker’s use of a final queer twist. This device may have been meant to change the viewer’s understanding of the characters, but more often than not, it left a very bad taste in one’s mouth. So — SPOILER ALERT! — when Pastor Jay Reinke comes out in the last moments of the over-praised, underwhelming and unfocused documentary “The Overnighters,” it feels like a cheat. This portrait of a flawed man, shortlisted for the Best Documentary Feature Oscar, is a flawed film. Queer writer/director Gregg Araki’s “White Bird in a Blizzard” is supposed to shock viewers with its finale and the discovery that two male characters were having an affair, but the twist feels cheap and unearned. Even the “surprise” at the end of the fun, dysfunctional family comedy “This Is Where I Leave You” reveals a character’s same-sex relationship, but it scans more as a “gotcha” than a real moment.
What felt very real on screen this year was the relationship between Ben (John Lithgow) and George (Alfred Molina) in Ira Sachs’ touching drama “Love Is Strange.” Here, an older gay couple gets married but is soon forced to live separately after George loses his job. This lovely, observational drama showcased a pair of touching performances by Lithgow and Molina, as well as some very nakedly emotional moments.
Lastly, two other films that bypassed Philadelphia also deserve mention. Out writer/director DMW (David) Greer’s “Burning Blue” was a sensitive adaptation of his own play, an intense, engrossing drama about a military investigation that turns up a possible “gay cell” when a love triangle (of sorts) develops on a Navy Aircraft carrier.
“I Am Happiness On Earth”
And arguably the sexiest film of the year was Mexican filmmaker Julián Hernández’s “I Am Happiness on Earth.” This mesmerizing romantic drama chronicles the erotic affairs of Emiliano (Hugo Catalán). Featuring plenty of uninhibited sex, as well as some palpable heartbreak, Hernández’s film was muy caliente.
Here’s to more great LGBT film in 2015!