Nighthawks

A cast of actors and non-professionals feature in this film about a schoolteacher cruising London bars and clubs, restored by the BFI 30 years after it’s premiere. It was one of the first films to openly portray gay life in Britain. Essential viewing for anyone studying queer cinema. But that doesn’t mean we have to like it.

The soundtrack is tortuous. An endless series of bleeping early synth dance music (at least it would be if it had been made by someone who knew what that was – instead they roped in a classical musician with only a passing knowledge). That is layered with mumbled semi-improvised dialogue, in a kind of Mike Leigh way but without any drama. What should probably have been an exploration of alienation and desire, turns into several disjointed scenes of people meeting for the first time, without anything to say.

One redeeming scene – which I could have watched a whole program on – was when the teacher openly and honestly answered questions on his sexuality from his class. The questions come from real kids who show a mix of interest/homophobia. The consequent chastisement of the teacher from his superior, only hints at the difficulties faced by gay teachers, then and now.

Patrick 1.5

Patrick 1.5 is a delightful feel-good movie, reminiscent of a Sunday afternoon family movie…but with gays. This is very much tapping into the zeitgeist of queer cinema, that I reported from last year’s IRIS prize. Coming out stories and angst are on the decline, instead we are seeing a slew of (very good actually) family based comedy-drama, particularly gay parenting.

Goran and Sven are a happily married couple who are preparing to adopt a baby. But due to a typo, (it doesn’t seem convoluted, I promise!) instead of a 1.5 year old, they have to take in a 15 year old homophobic criminal. It deftly examines suburban life and the need for parenting, regardless of sexuality.

It was a joy to be in a sold out screening with a throng of chuckling/tearful homosexuals (and friends) grateful that we have reached a point in our culture where this type of film may become more and more mainstream, yet devoid of cliché and condescension.

Tim Macavoy

‘The naked civil servant’ and ‘An Englishman in New York’

John Hurt stars in this double bill of films, made thirty four years apart, on the life of the flamboyant Quentin Crisp. There is simply too much to tell about his 91 years of life, so rather than distill it into a blurb, I will merely tell you to watch these films. And as this has been meaningfully shown at the BFI as a double feature, that is how I will appraise it.

‘The naked civil servant’ is an established classic, not just on the queer scene, that arguably made Hurt’s career. ‘An Englishman in New York’ (yes, the Sting song was based on Crisp and is in the film, although Sting was cut!) is a respected actor paying homage to the latter days of a man he grew to know and understand. For those of you who felt, probably as a youth, that Crisp did nothing to aid your confidence in coming out, portraying homosexuals as feminine and self-proclaimed outsiders, the sequel is essential viewing. This is partly due to director Richard Laxton experiencing that very same conflict, at least until he dug further into Crisp’s life.

Of course none of the insight into a man with such a strong public persona would have been possible without the integrity of an actor like John Hurt. In fact, only John Hurt could have conveyed the regret which the filmmakers believed Crisp had over his AIDS comments, yet never apologised for. I was struck by how pertinent both these films are together. It’s not just a biopic. It’s a tract on homosexuality throughout the twentieth century, celebrity, individuality, love and loneliness.

Individually, they are not quite as strong, especially the newly released film which is a scant 74 minutes, but together it is essential viewing. From my position, as a young gay man, I’ve gained a new appreciation of the history, division and prejudice within the queer community itself. On top of that, it’s hilarious, touching and extremely absorbing. As it was funded by ITV and made as a TV movie, it won’t get a theatrical release. Let’s hope they have the sense to broadcast it in a great timeslot (with ‘The naked civil servant’ if possible) as I really do think this is a movie that can speak to everyone, as Crisp himself tried to do – uncompromising and unique.

Tim Macavoy

Dolls

A coming of age/coming out film typical of its genre.  Which means that for people who relate to it directly its some kind of therapy, to others, like me, it can be tedious and outdated.  Iska, her two friends and her brother escape from an athletics training camp, to make a road movie (I mean, go on a trip) to Holland.  On the way they push each other’s buttons and explore sexual boundaries.

This is clearly a statement film, chosen to open the festival because of lesbian and eastern European content.  Last year the film festival was criticised for a lack of lesbian cinema.  It seems they’ve made up for it this year, at least in numbers.  The choice of a film from the Czech Republic is a fitting nod to the troubles faced in the likes of Lithuania, where journalists covering the anti-queer sentiment are branded as paedophiles in the daily papers, their hotel rooms in print.

The main problem with ‘Dolls’, for me, is the achingly repetitive structure, whereby the protagonists instigate a conversation during a stop on their trip, then resolve it with some act of emotional or physical violence.  The film could also benefit from a better translation in the clunky subtitling which often left me confused.  Watch it if your fan of teen angst, but don’t expect a change of pace or any light relief.

See www.bfi.org.uk/llgff  for program details.

A new report shows an increase use in America of “Pre-exposure prophylaxis,” or PrEP, involves taking a comprehensive anti-retroviral drug, usually tenofivir, before having sex. Some doctors claim patients use it in addition to protected sex, however there appears to be a trend that many more are using the drug to avoid the use of condoms.

But for the vast majority of gay men, PrEP means a key to not using a condom. That’s what makes it such a hot-button issue among AIDS researchers, doctors and activists. The theory behind is that the anti-retroviral drug prevents HIV from grafting itself onto healthy cells and replicating. When HIV first enters the human body, there isn’t much of it; theoretically, if those few viruses swimming around the bloodstream don’t have anywhere to go, they’ll die out–just as do millions of germs we come across every day that don’t affect us. For more:

What’s your thoughts? Are gay men done with safer sex? Are gay men prepared for HIV and willing to be infected by taking these risks?