Twenty films depicting inclusive LGBT portrayals
by A.A. Dowd, Gisella Faggi, Jon Mathias and Kevin Sparrow

4) Bad Education (Spain, 2004) – Pedro Almodovar’s 2004 film, Bad Education, tells the story of Enrique (Fele Martinez), a director searching for a subject for his new film. One day, he is visited by a drag queen called Zahara (played exquisitely by Gael Garcia Bernal) who pitches an idea to him. That story takes place during their schooldays under the fascist regime of General Franco and involves a young boy being sexually abused by a local priest. It turns out that Zahara was actually that boy, named Ignacio, and was also Enrique’s first love. From there, the labyrinthine narrative only continues to get more complicated. This homosexual film noir illustrates the obsession and desire that can stem from years of repression, but, more importantly, it centers upon the question of identity. Bernal portrays the myriad facades of Ignacio (from drag queen to aspiring actor and so forth) with such effortlessness to suggest that even oneself cannot truly understand their identity or sexuality. In fact, this idea of a damaged identity is also present in the flashbacks of the young boys. Obviously, expressing homosexual tendencies was considered taboo under the fascist government. However, these queer boys possess more purity than the corrupt authorities around them, symbolized by the pedophiliac priest. Never once does Almodovar sensationalize these subjects for the sake of controversy. Instead, he opts to treat all of his characters, although flawed, with pity and sympathy, as humans. – G.F.

3) Mysterious Skin (U.S., 2005) – Even before the aptly titled The Doom Generation, Gregg Araki’s films have held a palpable sense of dread. Many of his films—outside of having LGBT themes–have a nihilistic bent. However, a change is felt in his most beautifully rendered film, Mysterious Skin; there’s a warmth and sensitivity under all the gloom. A chronicle of the lives of two young men (portrayed with nuance and grace by Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Brady Corbett) whose divergent paths are brought closer together by a painful shared experience, Mysterious Skin leads the audience down an increasingly terrifying and disturbing path, but the humanity of the film—especially its final scenes—deflect a lot of the fear and usher in compassion. The subtext of shared experience permeates the film and resonates well with queer audiences. Many gay people have understood feelings they had when they were young only after talking to someone who shared those same feelings. Araki’s film understands this and utilizes it to create a powerful piece of art. – K.S.

2) Fire (India/Canada, 1997) – Deepa Mehta’s film, the first of her trilogy about patriarchal Indian society, tells the story of Sita and Radha, two women who are mutually unhappy with their married lives. After being neglected by their husbands, the two find solace in each other. Eventually, their relationship turns from mere friendship into something much more. When houseboy Mundu uncovers the secret relationship, he divulges it to the traditionally minded family, which causes some volatile eruptions. The first Indian film about lesbianism presents a love that is sincere and unadulterated, despite the fact that the characters acknowledge that there is not even a term for “lesbian” in their native language. This feminist film also deals with issues of female emancipation, critiquing Indian society for preventing women from experiencing freedoms that might challenge traditional social order and the conventional family unit. Interestingly enough, all characters appear trapped in their lives, by custom and/or religion, but only the two central characters find a way to escape, by coming to terms with their true identity. – G.F.

1) Shortbus (U.S., 2006) – A hotbed of controversy has always followed films that dare to be narratives displaying “real sex.” What differentiates them from pornography, if anything? Our second film from artist John Cameron Mitchell best illustrates that the difference is emotional realism versus titillation. With respect to a verisimilitude to life, Mitchell’s film envelops viewers in a slightly fantastical view of New York City in the early part of the 21st Century. Falling during the true-to-life blackout that occurred in 2003, Shortbus follows an ensemble of characters who are “a little slow” sexually. Sex is more than a source of pleasure: it contains frustration, insecurity, pain, and eventually, interconnectedness. From a gay couple known as The Jamies (Paul Dawson and PJ DeBoy) who need a third party to reconnect, to a dominatrix (Lindsay Beamish) who can find no emotional connection with anyone else, to a sex therapist (Sook-Yin Lee) who has yet to experience her first orgasm, the sex depicted is as much of a character trait and plot device as the dialogue and setting (a sex club with a slew of colorful characters). The characters go through myriad pairings, whether gay, straight, bi, or transgender in nature, transgressing the comfortable boundaries we see them at in the beginning of the film. An in-depth examination of social mores of sexual expression in America, becomes a stronger political statement as the film progresses. More than anything, Shortbus reveals that when we can all celebrate our sexuality, social boundaries regarding sexual preference become irrelevant. – K.S.