Month: March 2021

Today is the last day of BFI Flare and there are so many great films to watch – I can pretty well recommend any of them. So dive in and enjoy a final day of fabulous queer film – features and shorts, dramas and documentaries. The film I want to talk about – AIDS Diva: The Legend of Connie Norman – is not the biggest or the best, but one which really spoke to me, probably because the threads of fighting a devastating virus and a lack of government care, trans oppression and police violence are still, tragically, as true today in the UK as they were in 1980s and 1990s Los Angeles. Connie Norman was an activist and member of ACT Up in Los Angeles, a trans woman who was HIV positive, a former drag queen and drug addict. She was angry at her oppression and the government’s dilatory approa...

Boy Meets Boy is a tender debut film following Harry and Johannes as they spend a day together in Berlin. It is akin to Weekend set in Berlin, or a gay Before Sunset, and that is no criticism, seeing as those are two of my favourite films. Brit medic Harry is on a weekend break in Berlin and meets local dancer Johannes in a nightclub where they share a kiss – and then decide to spend the day together before Harry’s evening flight. The film rolls with them through their day where they talk about sex and relationships, go out for brunch, meet some Mormons, report a theft at the police station and discuss what happiness is. The actors’ chemistry is palpable and their dialogue funny, interesting and naturalistic – it sounds truthful, whether it was improvised or scripted. We root for the...

This delicate, ethereal debut feature from Australia follows two teenage girls who meet after Claudia’s mother dies. Grace is bolder, more confident, and brings energy into Claudia’s life, expanding her horizons. Grace, an isolated young woman, finds deep friendship. Both of them are otherworldly and naïve, and their companionship brings them great joy as it develops into love. Like last year’s German film Cocoon, this film is gorgeously steeped in nature – the pair lie in the grass, use plums to dye their sheets, and revel in a country summer. Nature, particularly water, has its dangers but these girls are finding their way in the world, making the most of it and beginning to hit against what society wants of them. With a gorgeous, ethereal vibe, this is a film to bask in and enjoy ...

BFI Flare, the UK’s biggest LGBTQ+ film festival runs from Wednesday 17 to Saturday 28 March. You can watch all of the festival film programme in the UK using BFI Player, the BFI’s video-on-demand service. You need to buy a ticket to watch a feature film on BFI Player – just as you would for a physical screening. Feature films will be available to watch at any time 17 to 28 March. You have 4 hours to finish watching the film after you have started. Short films are free to watch in the UK and can be watched without a BFI Player account and you can watch free events on BFI YouTube and BFI Flare Facebook anywhere in the world. So, from today, I’ll post a daily recommendation of a feature film worthy of your time and money. I’ll try to post about the shorts as well (it’s a scramble to fit i...