NewFest’s 36th Annual New York LGBTQ+ Film Festival - 2024
Reviews are posted alphabetically by film. Please check back for more reviews.
Note: While I tried to view every film at the festival, there were some I was unable to see, so if you don’t see the one you were looking for, my sincerest apologies.
Carnage for Christmas
⭐️⭐️⭐️
Drip Like Coffee
⭐️⭐️⭐️
Throuple
⭐️⭐️⭐️
A Nice Indian Boy
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
High Tide
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Review by Cinephile Mike
Carnage for Christmas
⭐️⭐️⭐️
Film Production Companies: One Manner Productions
Rating: TBD / Run Time: 70 minutes
Language: English
Director: Alice Maio Mackay
Writer(s): Alice Maio Mackay and Benjamin Pahl Robinson
Starring: Jeremy Moineau, Dominique Booth, Zarif, and Tumelo Nthupi
“You told. So I came back.”
Lola (Moineau) is a true crime podcaster who loves to dish on everything true crime. Now, as she prepares to go home for the holidays for the first time in 16 years, and let her family see the new trans woman she is for the first time, she decides, before she signs off, to share the true crime story from her own home town or Purdan in Australia. This of course is the story of The Toymaker, a killer with whom Lola has some personal history. She recounts the story, and then, sets off to return home for the holidays. No sooner than she knocks on the door, and is warmly greeted by her sister Danielle (Booth) that odd disappearances and murders begin to occur to Lola’s friends and she is left to find a note with the ominous, aforementioned quote. We the audience begin to see these violent deaths enacted by a killer dressed in a Santa costume and mask. However, Lola is not one to stand by, she is determined to help solve this thing, and especially because the police seem inept at doing so, well, until she meets the one who is willing to work with her, Constable Kent (Nthupi). Alongside her boyfriend Charlie (Zarif), Danielle and those remaining in the friend group, well, the ones who haven’t been taken out, set out to solve this crime. As Lola gets reunited with various individuals from her past that she hasn’t seen, we will see her strive to see who is behind that mask and be the hero of the stories she has become famous for talking about on her podcast.
Writer/director Maio Mackay is only 19, and Carnage for Christmas marks the trans director’s fifth feature film in the last three years. Maio Mackay proves to be an entertaining voice combining horror movie tropes with a nice level of larger than life camp that evokes slashers of the 70s. I would be remiss if I didn’t say that there was a lot crammed in here, and instead of a feature film, this almost played like the extended pilot of a procedural, and that would be just as entertaining to watch. Even the closing scene suggests that Maio Mackay would want a sequel to this piece. This is a testament to the strong performance by Moineau at front and center as Lola. As Lola, Moineau does her best Veronica Mars, and I don’t mean that as an insult, but as a complement in that she presents a strong character who isn’t going to be put down or have things put upon her. Additionally, Moineau’s voice seems made for the genre of podcasting with its silky smoothness and slight giggle under the tone. Although there is a lot of exposition to get through (and again, why this almost seems like it would make for a better pilot to a series than a feature film), Moineau gets through it and even if we are a little dissatisfied by the third act reveal, at least I was, it still provided some nice moments. The other challenge, given the stroy Maio Mackay is putting forth, there were a few too many characters to keep track of, and so when certain murders happened, you almost weren’t as invested with those characters as their deaths just seemed poised for shock value. That said, I don’t want to diminish the excellent work of editor and visual effects artist Vera Drew. The deaths were quite creative and full of just the amount of slasher gore that makes the genre work, and again, evoking some of those delightful elements from B slasher films of the 70s and 80s.
All in all, while a bit rushed and maybe anticlimactic towards the end, Maio Mackay shows that they are a voice to be heard and I look forward to what comes next, and am curious to check out what has come before.
Review by Cinephile Mike
Drip Like Coffee
⭐️⭐️⭐️
Film Production Companies: Indigo June
Rating: TBD / Run Time: 91 minutes
Language: English
Director: Anaiis Cisco
Writer: Anaiis Cisco
Starring: Iman Artwell-Freeman, Kashanie Lagrotta, Brittney Jenkins, Ralphy Lopez,
Daniel Vasquez and Deborah Singletary
“At the time it seemed like we wanted different things, and I couldn't risk being hurt.”
Kali (Artwell-Freeman) is a burgeoning barista at a local Brooklyn, NY coffee house who has dreams of a better life and making money to support her family, and at the pushing of her co-workers, such as Bev (Jenkins), she plans to enter a coffee making competition. Her personal life is slightly less than desirable. She is in a relationship with Lee (Lopez), a man who has no home, sneaks in to stay at Kali’s house when her Aunt Terry (Singletary) is asleep, or not cognizant of his comings and goings, and she wants to see what will happen with their relationship, but there is something missing. Enter Mel (Lagrotta) an up and coming photographer, who strikes up a friendship with Kali, and as we follow along with this relationship, we see there is an awakening in both women for something more. Like Kali, Mel is in a relationship with Gio (Vasquez), and yet, while she is happy with him, she wants for something more, and she finds that in Kali. As we see these two women discover who they are, and not just who they are, but how they feel about each other, we will see how this causes rifts in their pre-existing relationships and we will follow this journey to discovery that may or may not result in the happy ending that these characters so desperately are striving for.
Cisco gives a pointed look at the self-discovery journey Kali and Mel go through. At its center, Artwell-Freeman and Lagrotta give fully formed characters who just want to see how they can make this relationship work. Set against the backdrop of Brooklyn, it is easy to follow these two on their journey, if we get a little sidelined by the relationships with their significant others. While it is important to see these, they are a bit imbalanced in how much we see of each of them. Kali and Lee’s relationship is more at the front and center of the film as Kali is the protagonist, however, Mel’s is also unique in that at first, when she brings up the idea of being interested in another woman, her boyfriend seems into it - which is in and of itself an interesting side plot, but thankfully, Cisco doesn’t explore this choosing to keep Kali and Mel front and center. That said, we don’t fully see how that relationship tweaks as a result of Mel pursuing Kali, and almost feels there is a deleted scene on the cutting room floor we didn’t get to see. One nice element to this is that while it would have been easy to see Lee and Gio sidelined to be angry boyfriends as a result of their women leaving them, Cisco actually makes a nice move to have them be sympathetic to their respective partners and even being very open and honest at times. Yet, Cisco is clearly not trying to paint anyone in a negative light, which may have some feeling this is a little too Disneyfied, and yet, if we are to be the woke society we claim to be striving for, we can move on with things without falling into a stereotype. While all of the performances are solid, the film, oddly, felt a little long, even at 90 minutes. Perhaps because everything was seeming to flow towards a certain conclusion, and the drama a little bit sidelined, the stakes were not as high and as a result, a little disengaging. This is not to say we needed tragedy or an extra, larger than life sequence, but, there is a bit of struggle not present.
All in all, with her feature writing and directing debut, Cisco proves a voice with something to say and solid performances make this a grounded feature.
Review by Cinephile Mike
High Tide
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Film Production Companies: LD Entertainment
Rating: TBD / Run Time: 101 minutes
Language: English and Portuguese with subtitles
Director: Marco Calvani
Writer: Marco Calvani
Starring: Marco Pigossi, James Bland, Bill Irwin, Sean Mahon and Marisa Tomei
“It takes a lot of bravery to do what you did, but you did it.”
Lourenço (Pigossi) is trying to figure out his next move. A Brazilian immigrant, he left his more conservative village to follow the man he loved to the states. An undocumented gay man, he is trying to do all he can to stay in the states. Unfortunately, the man he followed here, left him to go back to a former lover. Now, Lourenço is staying in the back garage style apartment of a home owned by Scott (Irwin), who has become sort of a father figure for Lourenço, and he gets by cleaning vacation rentals and doing freelance construction for Bob (Mahon), a man who is quick to anger, probably because his wife Miriam (Tomei) recently left him for another woman. At one job, Lourenço is helping paint Bob and Miriam’s house which Miriam now lives in alone. Of course, what would a summer life be in P-Town without a summer romance, and enter Maurice (Bland), whose random encounter with Lourenço leads to a late summer romance. However, before you get swept into thinking this is a romantic comedy, it is anything but. This isn’t to say that there aren’t some comedic elements present, but this film is about Lourenço trying to find himself, and we get to see a subset of about 10 days or so. As we see Lourenço and Maurice begin to flesh out a relationship, we see that it isn’t as easy because there is a lot pulling on both men from different angles, and neither of them is ready for the commitment that may be necessary, on top of the other frustrations just brimming beneath the surface. The film is framed at the start and end with the same scene, Lourenço, in the ocean, and we are given just enough information to see how this metaphor plays out.
In his feature film debut as a writer/director, Calvani has crafted a genuinely, touching tale of an immigrant trying to reach the American dream. It isn’t without its challenges, but he has an excellent performer in Pigossi at the center. Pigossi has the movie star quality that demands you pay attention to him when he is onscreen, and not because he is going over the top or even making big choices, but, he fully envelops the character he is presenting and is able to convey more with a look or a tone in his voice that is sometimes no louder than a soft whisper. He has a commanding presence that takes you on an emotional ride that makes you want to reach out, hug him, and reassure him that everything is going to be okay. He doesn’t have to do much, and the subtle approach works well as we follow him. As a result, he is surrounded by a group of bigger characters, including Crystal (a delightful Mya Taylor), one of Maurice’s friends, Todd (an always enjoyable Bryan Batt), who plays a lawyer who while interested in helping Lourenço with his immigration status, seems a little too unhappy with some of his fellow LGBTQ+ peers, and to say nothing of Tomei and Mahon as Miriam and Bob who provide entertaining banter when it is called for. Additionally, Tomei shines when she has more quiet moments with Pigossi and helps him come to terms with the situation he is in. Calvani finds moments to let all of the characters have their moments to shine as they dance in and out of Lourenço’s world. It must also be said that Oscar Ignacio Jiménez’s cinematography is gorgeous. When we go back and forth between the action on screen, we are often treated to glorious wide shots capturing the wonder of the seaside town that we are in.
All in all, this is a touching film that may be a bit rushed in the third act, but is still a unique insight into a chapter of the immigrant experience with stellar performances.
Lilies Not For Me
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Film Production Companies: Wolflight, Paradise City, Cinetic Media
Distributor: TBD
Rating: Cert. 18 / Run Time: 99 minutes
Language: English
Director: Will Seefried
Writer: Will Seefried
Starring: Fionn O’Shea, Robert Aramayo, Erin Kellyman, Louis Hoffman and Jodi Balfour
“I cannot be cured, because I am not ill.”
Our film opens on Owen (O’Shea), in a stark prison-like environment being led to a “simu-date” with Dorothy, Dot (Kellyman) in a dining hall. It is the 1920s, and Owen is here under the auspices that he is to be “cured” of his homosexual affliction. Every day, he receives an injection, and then is to have his date. He explains to Dot that he is a novelist, his first book, An Unfit Soldier, chronicling the challenges as to why he was not able to serve in World War I. Dot asks about his new book, and he begins to explain that it is hard to write, but he begins to tell his tale, which takes us back a bit in time to where he was living in a small cottage in the English countryside. His friend Philip (Aramayo) has come to stay with him, having returned from the war and finished medical school. Owen and Philip have a romantic history, and Owen believes they can be left alone to be with one another as they wanted. However, Philip has a different idea in mind. He has been doing his research, and there is now a cure for both of them to be rid of this affliction that is keeping them from being ill. Philip wants to train Owen to perform the procedure on him and then vice versa. Owen reluctantly agrees, however, plans are thrown into upheaval with the arrival of a young man, Charles Green (Hoffman) the son of the cottage’s former resident shows up, and he is taken with Owen. From here, in this timeline, we will see a complicated love triangle of sorts and the implications this has on all of them, while we are also following the story of Owen and Dot in the treatment center as he recounts these events to her as they may be the influence for his next novel. However, one has to wonder how Owen has come to be here, in this hospital and this will unfold as delicately as a novel would progress.
Will Seefried, in his feature debut, has crafted a film that is as gloriously shot (kudos to cinematographer Cory Fraiman-Lott) and beautiful to look at, as it is grotesquely gut punching to watch as it presents an often undiscussed period of queer history. Seefried is not afraid to show all of the horrors that are present with these circumstances and the performances, especially by the trio of O’Shea, Aramayo and Hoffman, are so nuanced and layered, as each turn comes, you are pulled more and more into the story. While at times the film flips a bit too much between the two storylines at moments when you want to spend time in the other, a testament to editor Julia Bloch, you never disengage. Additionally, while not only focusing on this period, Seefried’s inclusion of Dot, a Black nurse who shares her own stories and challenges for being a citizen at the time, gives us yet another victim of their circumstances to follow, and we will see that she is not all that is expected when we are first introduced to her. As the film wraps to its conclusion there will be an almost dreamlike scenario that will make you question and ponder what is real and what is imagined and desire a rewatch.
All in all, while not easy to watch at times, this is a must see film for the performances and the historical context Seefried presents.
Review by Cinephile Mike
*NOTE*
This review was previously posted.
A Nice Indian Boy
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Film Production Companies: Levantine Films
Rating: TBD
Language: English
Director: Roshan Sethi
Writer: Eric Randall based on a play by Madhuri Shekar
Starring: Karan Soni, Jonathan Groff, Sunita Mani, Zarna Garg and Harish Patel
“The easiest thing to believe in is love.”
Naveen (Soni) is tired of always hearing, “You'll be next.” Next as is next in line to be married. An out gay male, Naveen's family is supportive (in a sitcomish “We watch OutTV,” way), but he has yet to bring the “perfect Indian boy” home yet, and he keeps his family at a distance. Jumping forward a bit, we learn that Naveen, a doctor, goes through his days at work and chatting with his one friend at work, until one day, at temple, he catches sight of Jay (Groff), not Indian as far as he can tell, but he catches his eye. A few days later, Naveen meets Jay again at his medical office as he has been hired to take staff photos. Asking Naveen out, Jay shares that he was in fact adopted by Indian parents, who are sadly no longer alive, but instilled strong family values in him. Through a series of events, and some awkwardly funny encounters, Naveen and Jay get together, and despite the cultural similarities, Naveen still keeps part of himself hidden. Jump to dinner with friends, and Naveen realizing he is in love, upon a proposal, they decide to get engaged. Now, all Naveen has to do is tell his parents. Needless to say, this does not go quite as planned. Naveen's parents, Megha (Garg) and Archit (Patel) make their best efforts known, but his sister, Arundhathi (Mani), has no problem making her thoughts known, and her disapproval is masking something else…we shall see, but needless to say, she is not on board.
While Randall’s script does follow many of the traditional romantic comedy tropes, it is refreshing to see that not only are we giving the opportunities to queer characters, but queer characters of color. The film won’t add anything new to the conversation, but sometimes a nice, light comedy is what the, pardon the pun, the doctor ordered. Soni, normally known for his supporting roles, does an excellent job carrying the story and with a look he shows everything he is feeling, which is often a series of complicated emotions trying to figure out what he wants and what he feels is right. Providing a nice juxtaposition to some of his nervous energy is a very smooth performance by Groff, who even when he attempts to flirt with Soni by way of singing on the street just helps make the “meet cute” moments more endearing to watch. The only unfortunate thing about his character is that we don’t get to see too much about what makes him, him. We accept that his family is gone, but we only get a few trickles of information from his friends in one scene where they are talking to Naveen, but it isn’t enough to provide a well-rounded character. In addition to these two, Garg and Patel as Naveen’s parents steal the scenes when they are on screen. Much in the way we have the overbearing family in My Big Fat Greek Wedding, they are here to provide the laughs, but also, we get insight into their relationship which makes them more rounded than we often get in the films of this genre. It is also worth highlighting the influence of Bollywood films on this story as we see that the films serve as motivations for the way Naveen and Jay approach the relationship, and there is a delightful moment towards the end where we get to see the influence dancing across the screen.
All in all, those looking for a joyous, entertaining film, will find just that. The chemistry between the two leads is endearing and the laughs are there for all to enjoy.
Review by Cinephile Mike
Throuple
⭐️⭐️⭐️
Film Production Company: Throuple the Movie
Rating: TBD
Language: English
Director: Greyson Horst
Writer: Michael Doshier
Starring: Michael Dorshier, Tristan Carter-Jones, Jess Gabor, Tommy Heleringer
and Stanton Plummer-Cambridge
“The new normal is whatever works for you.”
Michael (Doshier) is a young, gay singer-songwriter, who is trying to figure out his life. Comfortable in his sexuality, he tries relationships, but they don’t really seem to be what he wants. One relationship he is very comfortable in, is his quote-unquote throuple with his BFF Tristan (Carter-Jones) and her girlfriend Abby (Gabor). He is so comfy, he has no problems crawling into bed with his bestie and her girlfriend…not weird right? One night, while selling merch at the table for one of Tristan’s gigs, he meets Georgie (Plummer-Cambridge) and Connor (Heleringer). Before he knows it, Michael becomes involved in a different throuple as he is brought into a relationship as Georgie and Connor’s third. At first, all seems well. Georgie and Connor are happy, they have a new heat to their relationship in the form of Michael, provided they accept it for what it is, just an addition to the bedroom, but, when more feelings begin to get involved, this throuple begins to develop into an awkward love triangle that is headed for disaster. As this begins to unfold, Michael seels solace in Tristan, but this causes a rift no creating a different kind of frustrating triangle as Michael proves to be an uncomfortable wedge between Tristan and Abby as Abby feels left out, and she is the one with Tristan. As things come to a head, we see Michael try to work out what his life is going to be, and what will he need to do to not only make his relationships work, but come into his own as an individual.
There is a lot going on in this rapidly moving film that provides just as much heart as it does laughs, and Doshier in his writing and film acting debut, gives it his all. This film from the first shot screams, indie, small budget film, and it makes those elements work for it. There is a lot to be said for the “throuple,” a not so new concept that has been coming more to the front in recent years. The key to making this work is the need for communication, and Doshier is clever in the ways he introduces this and has those moments play out with some of the other characters, particularly in his relationship with Tristan and Abby. The other main throuple, does get the attention it needs, but at times feels a little rushed. This is more the core relationship of the film and it warranted a bit more attention, almost as if the film is about 15 minutes too short. That said, for a first time screenwriter, there is a unique voice present. Horst, in his feature directorial debut, pulls solid performances out of his cast which is predominantly made up of relative newcomers who are game to put this story out there. Doshier has a very kinetic energy that demands you look at the screen, and is tempered naively by more grounded performances by Carter-Jones and Gabor. As his new partners in love, Plummer-Cambridge and Heleringer have decent chemistry and present a couple that you can potentially relate to. Also, on the technical side, I would be remiss if I didn’t reference how, in very clever ways, cinematographer Martin Blanco and editor Boris Oswel use various techniques to keep things moving, whether long takes to allow us to see the world around our characters, or, interesting use of the split screen to see multiple perspectives.
All in all, an honest presentation of both monogamous and non-monogamous relationships that while a bit surface level, is a unique presentation that will excite viewers for what comes next from Doshier and Horst.
Review by Cinephile Mike
