The Sum of Us (1994)

The Sum of Us (1994)


Directors: Geoff Burton, Kevin Dowling
Writers: David Stevens (play), David Stevens (screenplay)
Genre: Drama
Country: Australia
Language: English
Duration: 100 min


Stars: Jack Thompson, Russell Crowe, John Polson







Review by Queer Beacon

Good movie. You'll feel all good and hoping the world could be like the movie, with fathers getting along with their gay sons. Here, Russell Crowe, yes him, plays a big gay. Jack Thompson plays his father. They have an awesome relationship. Jack is extremely supportive and accepts Crowe's homosexuality like I've never seen in a father-son relationship before.

There are constant reminders that the father is super supportive. He pushes for safe sex. He keeps hoping Russell will find Mr. Right. He tells Russell how lucky he is to have him for a son, it goes on and on. Seriously, see the movie with someone you like because you'll want to kiss someone.

To top it all off, Russell's grandmother was a lesbian and she is remembered fondly, and Russell plays footy. He's just a nice and ordinary guy. You will also get to see various types of gays in the movie. Queens, older gays, butch gays (like Crowe) etc. It's great when movies reflect the wide range of gays available.

Forget that you hate Russell. If you see this movie you might actually like him. The movie was shot in 1994, he was 30 then.

There was some homophobia elsewhere in the movie but not inside Crowe's house, and the homophobia was portrayed as something bad.After the jump there is a little discussion on the mentioned homophobia (which will sort of give away part of the plot).

Nunzio's Second Cousin (1994)

Nunzio's Second Cousin (1994)

Director: Tom DeCerchio
Genre: Short movie
Year: 1994 Country:USA
Language: English
Runtime: 17 min
Stars: Vincent D'Onofrio, Miles Perlich and Eileen Brennan

Često dok pričam gej ljudima iz Novog Sada i Beograda čujem priče o huliganima koji naveče idu po parkovima i traže pedere da bi ih prebijali. Mnogi su pederi ostali bez zuba, slomljenih rebara ili sa ožiljcima koji će ih zauvjek podsjećati na to.
Sada u vrijeme interneta većina pedera meso za noćne bahanalije nalazi na romeo ili drugim sajtovima, te je time poprilično pošteđena maltretiranju od strane bolesnih homofoba.
Da li bi se ti huligani olako odlučivali na organizovane noćne hajke u cilju zaštite "tradicije" da sa druge strane mogu očekivati otpor? Vjerovatno ne bi! Na žalost većina pedera se ponaša kao pičkice, i to ne samo u krevetu , već i po načinu na koji žive. Vjerovatno je razlog tome jer nisu nikada ni pokušali da iskoriste svoje muške gene koji ipak svakog muškarca podsjećaju da mora da se bori za svoju teritoriju kako bi mogao da se ponaša baš onako kako želi.
Pogledajte ovaj kratki film i vidite šta se dešava kada neko adekvatno uzvrati na napad huligana.
Gej policajac koga su napali huligani se postavio baš onako kako huligani nisu očekivali. Jednom od njih je naredio da sutradan dođe kod njega kući na večeru. Pogledajte lekciju koju će pamtiti dok je živ!

      

Vincent D'Onofrio portrays Sgt. Randozza, a beefy and gay Chicago cop. One night, as he's leaving a bar with his lover, a gang of high-school punks with baseball bats decide to do some "fag-bashing". Tony's gun cools them off, and after giving them a brutally verbal dressing down, he forces the leader of the gang, the leather-jacketed Jimmy, to come to his house the next night for dinner. Jimmy shows up, frightened out of his wits, and in a wild scene that includes Eileen Brennan as Tony's ditzy mother, the young tough gets a harsh lesson in sexual tolerance  

Visit New Site: Orvel.Me

The Disco Years (1994)

The Disco Years (1994)

Director: Robert Lee King
Writer: Robert Lee King
Genre: Short movie
Duration: 30 min
Country: USA

Stars: Matt Nolan, Gwen Welles and Dennis Christopher

Iako je ovaj film snimljen prije 18 godina, neke stvari se kod nas nisu promjenile od tada. Možda je homofobičnost na balkanu još i veća nego u USA prije 20 godina.
Da li vam se kad desilo da ste sa nekim završili u krevetu , imali strastven seks i taman kad ste pomislili da ste pronašli nekoga sakim možete podijeliti dio svojih emocija, čitava stvar bude završena.
Naprosto ima ljudi koji bi rado imali seks sa muškarcem, ali nakon što to sebi dopuste, najradije bi da dožive potpunu amneziju na taj događaj. Nakon toga im se ponovo oće, pa neće, pa se ožene, pa onda opet oće i dok shvate na koji način da usklade sami sebe prođe im pola života.
Kada naiđete na takve ljude, moj vam je savjet da ne živite u lažnoj nadi nego jasno recite šta želite. Život je pun mogućnosti, izazova i šansi koje treba iskoristiti.

Druga stvar o kojoj možete razmišljati kako sebe uklopiti u homofobičnu sredinu.
Teško je dati neki univerzalan savjet. O tome morate sami razmisliti i donijeti odluke na koji način će te se postaviti prema okruženju. Možda da sve zadržite za sebe, da se javno izjasnite o svojoj seksualnoj orjantaciji ili nešto treće. Šta god odlučili - ISPRAVNO JE!

Pogledajte film OVDJE.

Watch this movie HERE.

Coming of age in the 70s, 16 September 1999
Author: Matthew Ignoffo (mermatt@webtv.net) from Eatontown, NJ, USA

This is a bittersweet story of a teen coming of age and realizing that he is gay in the 70s. He has a brief sexual experience with his handsome tennis team mate, but then the team mate gets cold feet and turns homophobic. The main character must deal not only with the rejection of this person on whom he has a crush but also with his shame at realizing that he is gay and the threat of being discovered, especially in light of the homophobia directed to another classmate and a gay teacher. His single-parent mom is supportive until she learns what is bothering him.

The story is touching, funny, sad, and true to the pain of coming out. The performers are all excellent. The film is short and to the point -- an excellent production.

Visit my site: www.Orvel.me

Priest (1994)

Priest (1994)

Director: Antonia Bird
Scenario: Jimmy McGovern
Genre: Drama
Country: UK
Year: 1994
Duration: 98 min | Argentina:98 min
Rating: 7.1/10

Actors: Linus Roache, Tom Wilkinson, Robert Carlyle, Cathy Tyson, Lesley Sharp, Robert Pugh, James Ellis, Christine Tremarco, Paul Barber, Rio Fanning, Jim R. Coleman, Bill Dean, Gilly Coman, Fred Pearson, Jimmy Gallagher

Description:

Volim ga, želim da je stalno pored mene, je li to grijeh?
Ako ste sveštenik onda je zasigurno taj grijeh još veći!

Biti gay, a biti svešenik za crkvu definitivno nije nešto što bi trebalo biti u božjoj milosti.
U božjem oprostu ima mjesta za svaki grijeh, a svako iskupljenje ima svoju cijenu. To zna svaki hrišćanin i to nije diskutabilno sa stanovišta vjere.
Diskutabilno je da li je ljubav između dva muškarca grijeh? Ima li crkva pravo da pogriješi i može li priznati grešku staru hiljadu i više godina?
Ako je bog učinio da ljubav bude pokretač čovjeka i najjača snaga čovječanstva, da li je onda svaka ljubav vrijedna poštovanja? Ako je iskrena i čista ma kojem obliku bila ispoljena, ljubav je nešto što može biti samo dar od Boga.
Sdruge strane crkveni fanatici ljubav između dva muškaraca pripisuje sotoni, zaboravljajući da Sotona nije u stanju da podari bilo kakvu ljubav, već samo mržnju, bijes i jad.
Greg Pilkington je katolički sveštenik koji dolazi u parohiju da zajedno sa Ocem Matthewem okuplja ljude u vijeri i propovjeda ljubav prema bogu i crkvi. Zatiče Oca Matthewa sa ženom i ošto ga prekorijeva što je prekršio zavijet celibata. Međutim Greg i pored toga ostaje tolerantan prema Matthewu i njegovo sagrešenje oprašta.
Ono što Grega dovodi u istinsko iskušenje je ispovijed djevojčice Lise koja mu otkriva da je njen otac seksualno zlostavlja. Ispovijed je nešto što prema crkvenim zakonima mora ostati tajna, pa ma kako teška bila. Greg koji se lomi da prekrši zavijet ćutanja uz nebrojene molitve bogu da spasi malu Lisu patnje i sam podliježe neoprostivom grijehu! Skidajući svešteničku odoru odlazi u gay barove i u jednom od njih upoznaje protestanta u kojeg se iskreno zaljubi.
Za tvrdokorne katoličke crkvene pristaše ovo je dovoljno da cijela filmska priča sagori na lomači.
Međutim realan život nam nudi opciju da prosudimo šta je u svemu tome istinski grijeh, a šta ne! Voljeti muškarca to zacijelo nije, a ne učiniti ništa da se prekinu patnje male Lise u srcima većine ljudi ipak jeste!
Dileme, osijećaj bespomoćnosti, griža savijesti i nedozvoljena ljubav prema muškarcu su emocije koje će nas pratiti kroz cjeli film i nametnuti nam da preispitamo sami sebe i pomjerimo granice između dobra i zla ali i grijeha i blagoslovljenog življenja!
Film me je na trenutak vratio u vrijeme kad sam se zadnji put vidio sa voljenom osobom. Ovaj poslijednji balkanski rat je uspio da nas razdvoji i nametne nam sopstvena pravila. Iako sam ja pravoslavac , a on katolik , sjedeli smo u istoj crkvenoj klupi i molili se da naša ljubav pobijedi sve strahote i iskušenja oko nas!
Nakon što smo sa suzama u očima izašli iz crkve, uputili smo se na autobusku stanicu gdje su nas čekali autobusi koji su nas zauvijek razdvojili! Iz tog iskustva sam naučio da je ljubav jedini razlog zbog kojeg se treba odricati i boriti. Voljeti nekoga je najsvetije i najljepše u našim životima!

 

PETER STACK, Chronicle Staff Critic

Because film by its very nature is steeped in images of the real world and oriented in action, it has trouble capturing a sense of the spiritual. But it is precisely that elusive sense, emerging from the mire of sin and guilt, that makes ``Priest'' an exceptional movie.

There has been a smattering of complaint about ``Priest,'' opening today at the Bridge in San Francisco (it's due later at other Bay Area theaters) from conservative Roman Catholics. The complaint seems misplaced. This powerful drama looks at the tortured soul of a gay priest and comes up with a curiously inspiring statement about faith and morality.
``Priest,'' from Britain's Antonia Bird (``Safe''), won the Audience Prize at this year's Toronto International Film Festival. Set in inner-city Liverpool, it stars the hot young British actor Linus Roache as the Rev. Greg Pilkington, a dutiful, idealistic diocesan priest assigned to a tough parish to replace an older clergyman who has lost his marbles because of the pressures of working in grim, poor neighborhoods.

PARISH PASTOR
Full of a desire to do right in his new job, Father Greg hits a snag almost the minute he arrives. He discovers that the gregarious parish pastor, the Rev. Matthew Thomas (Tom Wilkinson, who plays Mr. Pecksniff in the PBS serial of Dickens' ``Martin Chuzzlewit''), is living an essentially married life with the parish housekeeper, Maria, played by Cathy Tyson (``Mona Lisa'').
Tyson has one of the film's best lines when she steps forward to confirm that celibacy is no longer part of Father Matthew's calling.
This discovery opens a painful rift between the two men. Father Matthew is a progressive whose approach is to bend the rules to serve the wild cards of humanity. But young Father Greg is adamant that church doctrine, however severe, should be followed to the letter in service to God.
Greg's ideals are thrown into a spinning
hell of self-doubt and guilt after he dons a leather jacket to venture into a gay club and gives in to his sexual desire for a young man he meets named Graham (Robert Carlyle).
Things get worse when the next day a young girl confesses to Father Greg that she is being abused by her father. Bound by the seal of confession, and tormented by the evil around him and his guilt about his sexual identity, Greg's moral convictions begin to unravel. But he keeps his troubles to himself.

 

FAITH AND MORALITY
Fans of novelist Graham Greene may recognize a touch of the tortured discussions of faith and morality that crop up in his books -- at one point Greg weighs the agonies of his soul in a rambling speech during a seaside walk with his gay friend. But he's essentially talking to himself.
Roache plays the priest so deftly you get a rare sense of a man's inner struggle, and of his inability to ease up on himself because he takes his responsibilities as a clergyman so seriously. It's an amazing performance that makes utterly human a man's quest for spiritual truth while he tries to hide from the truth about himself.
This film is extraordinary for the themes it explores -- sometimes with delicious humor -- beyond the obvious. It's one thing to see a man struggle to find himself, another for a film to carry the fight to a luminous moment that brings that struggle into the larger world where differing visions of truths contend.
All of this is played out against a background of a working-class parish filled with strong characters who make their mark, for better or worse, in telling moments on the screen.
The movie becomes a fascinating glimpse at a vast subject -- intolerance vs. understanding. There's some preachiness in ``Priest,'' and yet you go away feeling the embrace of

Death in Venice, CA (1994) short 30 min

Death in Venice, CA (1994)

Director: P. David Ebersole
Scenario: P. David Ebersole
Genre: Drama, Short
Country: USA
Year: 1994
Duration: 30 min
Rating: 7.0/10

Actors: Robert Glen Keith, Shirley Knight, Nick Rafter, Shawm Brydon

Ova kratka priča kojoj je uzor čuvena novela Tomasa Mana "Smrt u Veneciji" me je ostavila nekako zatečenog. Iako živim u svjetu zabrana za sve i svašta, često me nagon i emocije natjeraju da preskočim nametnute barijere. Naravno, sve to dobro sakrijem na samo meni dobro znanom mjestu na kojem piše "MOJE TAJNE! "
Dok sam gledao ovaj film , javio mi se jedan momak iz Irana. kaže da je ovaj blog u njegovoj zemlji zabranjen i kada bi ga uhvatili da ga posjećujemogao bi da nastrada. Kaže da u njegovoj zemlji zvanična politika tvrdi kako tamo ne postoje pederi. Pa kad ne postoje zašto brane posjete ovakvim sajtovima?! Momka sam učlanio u grupu i dobijaće sve moje postove u e-mail. To je maksimum koji mu mogu pružiti.

Inače ovaj film me je asocirao na jednog momka koji me je svojevremeno opsjedao. Čekao me ispred stana kda se vraćam sa posla,pratio sa kim se družim i kuda se krećem. Jako me je to sve nerviralo, posebno zato jer je momak imao samo 16 godina, a ja skoro 30. Uvjek sam bio ljubazan prema njemu ali na distanci. Jednom kada sam se vraćao sa posla, sretnem ga i pozovem kod mene da popričamo.
Pitao sam ga zašto je uvjek oko mene i šta ga to nagoni da prati svaki moj korak. Rekao mi je da me voli i da sanja o tome da ga zagrlim. Užasnuo sam se i rekao mu da je on još mlad, da treba da traži društvo svojih godina i da prođe još po neka godina dok postane zreo čovjek. Na to se on skinuo go ko od majke rođen i pitao me: Zar misliš da nisam dovoljno zreo muškarac! Zbunjen , rekao sam mu da se obuče i da fizički izgled nije mjerilo za takvu konstataciju već način na koji razmišlja i kako se ponaša. Na jedvite jade je izašao od mene, pri čemu mi je rekao da ako ga zagrlim da mi nikada neće smetati! Zagrlio sam ga 2-3 minuta i on je otišao.
Nakon 3-4 godine sam ga sreo, bio je u društvu cure. Obradovao mi se i ponosno rekao :Ovo je moja djevojka. Nasmijao sam se i rekao mu da nije ni svjestan koliko mi je drago da to čujem. Samo mi je namignuo!

U ovom filmu 17-gododišnji momak Sebastian, zavodi starijeg muškarca Carvera. Zaljubljuje se u njega. Ovaj, iako je opčinjen mladićem odbija da dopusti da stvari izmaknu kontroli i udaljava se od njega.
Da li je pogriješio? Nezahvalno je da ispričam film do kraja, ali volio bih da čujem vaš komentar. Šta bi ste vi uradili da ste na mjestu Carvera?

Description:
Multiple award-winning short film DEath In Venice, CA evokes the memory of Thomas Mann’s novella in order to tell a tragic parable about repression, obsession and the haunting threat of catching one’s death through falling in love. Starring British actor Nick Rafter, two-time Academy Award-nominated actress Shirley Knight and introducing Rob Keith as 18-year old Sebastian, Death In Venice, CA centers around the summer vacation of Mason Carver, a scholar of romantic love who finally finds the passion he has studied but never known. Will Mason discover the courage to match Sebastian’s passion for life- -to embrace this last opportunity to become the man he might have been? Or will he retreat back into the security that comes with an interminable existence of measured out unhappiness? As Mason says in his narration, “When a man finds himself asking such questions, he is doomed to find out the answers, whether he wants to or not.”

Written by {jhailey@hotmail.com}

Mason Carver is an academic suffering from stress. His wife arranges for him to spend a summer lodging at the Venice home of one of her relatives, Mona Dickens. Mrs. Dickens has a 17-year old stepson, Sebastian, a muscular, moody, and seductive young man who soon captures Carver's fantasies. Carver wants to resist, but temptation is strong. As Carver tries to summon the resolve to turn away from the boy, and with the rough trade of Venice's beach, board-walks, and public toilets at hand, it becomes clear that Sebastian is playing with fire, too. Is there a way out for Carver that also helps Sebastian find a safe passage to adulthood?

The Disco Years (1994)

The Disco Years (1994)


Year: 1994
Genre: Short
Director: Robert Lee King
Duration: 30 min
Country USA

Actors: Matt Nolan, Gwen Welles, Dennis Christopher, Russell Scott Lewis, Robin Stapler, Robb Willoughby, Bojesse Christopher, Wendy Brokaw, Steve Rally


Pa gledajući ovaj film vidim koliko sam mator! disco muzika? Pa ko se toga još sjeća? Ja i No1 iz Alan Forda!
Stvarno kada malo bolje razmislim pederi jako vole muziku uz koju mogu plesati, čak i oni koji se ponašaju kao ukrućene metle!
Jednom sam pio kafu sa jednim drugom i dok smo pričali o budalaštinama na tv puste jedan spot iz 70-tih godina. Ovaj odmah pojača i kaže uz ovo sam volio igrati! Ja ostadoh zaprepašten jer se radilo o totalnom str8 liku! Kažem mu nešto u stilu ma daj ja sam mislio da samo pederi to vole! On me nekao začuđeno pogleda pa keže, ne postoji muzika koju samo pederi vole! I jeste tako jedino što neko voli da uz nju i igra, a neko samo da sluša.
Inače kada smo već kod igre sjećam se jednog lika koji me je maltretirao da imam sex sa njim i ja da bih ga ohladio rekao mu da treba da najmanje pola sata izvodi striptiz za mene i onda može! Igrao je momak kao da je profesionalac i na kraju pošteno naplatio svoj trud! Neki dan sam ga vidio kako šeta klince kroz grad i pitam ga šta se radi, kaže vodi klince na folklor. Ja ga onako usput podsjetio kako se sjećam da im je ćaća svojevremeno bio izuzetno talentovan! Po smjehu sam vidio da se jako dobro sjeća što sam mu to rekao!

The Disco Years je iz serije kratkih filmova Boys life 1. Simpatična coming out priča hrabrog momka koji se nesrećno zaljubio u školskog drugara!
Curice bi rekle "Iskoristio me, pa otišao!" heh


Coming of age in the 70s, 16 September 1999
Author: Matthew Ignoffo (mermatt@webtv.net) from Eatontown, NJ, USA

This is a bittersweet story of a teen coming of age and realizing that he is gay in the 70s. He has a brief sexual experience with his handsome tennis team mate, but then the team mate gets cold feet and turns homophobic. The main character must deal not only with the rejection of this person on whom he has a crush but also with his shame at realizing that he is gay and the threat of being discovered, especially in light of the homophobia directed to another classmate and a gay teacher. His single-parent mom is supportive until she learns what is bothering him.

The story is touching, funny, sad, and true to the pain of coming out. The performers are all excellent. The film is short and to the point -- an excellent production.

Part 1:

Part 2:

Threesome (1994)

Threesome (1994)

Slatko sam se nasmijao gledajući ovaj film. Podsjetilo me na jedan dio mog života u kojem sam se našao u začaranom krugu između mog dečka i njegove djevojke. Doduše nije bilo baš sve kao u ovom filmu ali jeste nešto slično.
Kada joj je on rekao da voli i mene, ona mu je rekla pa i ja ga volim. On joj onda kaže:" Ja ga volim i onako....znaš !" A ona posle dva minuta ćutanja: " A ko koga.....ono?" On joj nije direktno odgovorio na to pitanje. Nakon nekog vremena mučnog ćutanja ona kaže:" To je divno, pa mi se toliko volimo da smo savršena trojka."
Sutradan kada mi je rekao šta je uradio ja sam toliko poludio i posramio se da sam se zaključao u kuću i nisam htio izlaziti vanka.
Jedva sam skupio hrabrost da se ponovo vidim sa njom.
Ipak nakon tog događaja više ništa nije nije bilo isto!

U ovom filmu je prikazana savršena trojka, jedan je "gay" , drugi str8 a između njih ona. Ovaj "gay" ustvari nije načisto sa sobom, dali voli muške ili ženske? Zbunjen totalno! Jedino je siguran da mu se jako dopada guza od njegovog cimera!

Film se lagano može odgledati u dokolici uz poslijepodnevnu kafu!


Director: Andrew Fleming
Writer: Andrew Fleming (writer)
Release Date: 8 April 1994 (USA
Genre: Comedy / Romance / Drama


Plot Keywords: Gay Crush / Female Nudity / Room Mates / Roommates / Catcher In The Rye

Cast


Lara Flynn Boyle... Alex
Stephen Baldwin ... Stuart
Josh Charles ... Eddy
Alexis Arquette ... Dick
Martha Gehman ... Renay
Mark Arnold ... Larry
Michele Matheson ... Kristen
Joanne Baron ... Curt Woman
Jennifer Lawler ... Neighbor
Jack Breschard ... Priest
Jillian Johns ... Partygoer
Amy Ferioli ... Partygoer
Jason Workman ... Medical Student
Katherine Kousi ... Laundry Girl
Kathleen Beaton ... Girl at Registration


Runtime: 93 min
Country: USA
Language: English



Wikipedia:

Threesome is a 1994 film, written and directed by Andrew Fleming. The film is an autobiographical comedy mixed in with some social commentary, and is based on the college memories of Fleming. It was given an R rating by the Motion Picture Association of America.

Plot:

The film starts out with two college students, the shy and intellectual Eddy (Josh Charles) and the All-American jock Stuart (Stephen Baldwin), ending up with a female roommate. The university thought that Alex (Lara Flynn Boyle) was a man (based on her name) and thus the three students are forced to live with each other until the university can move Alex to a female residence hall.

Alex falls in love and tries unsuccessfully to seduce Eddy; Stuart is in love with Alex, and Eddy falls in love with Stuart. The trio become good friends and scare off anyone who tries to seduce the other. Eventually, Alex, Stuart and Eddy agree to have an actual threesome and that seems to destroy the friendship, and raises the possibility that Alex might have become pregnant.

After the threesome they start to drift apart. Three weeks later the semester ends and Alex is finally moved to a female dorm. The next year Eddy got a single dorm with no roommate and the three continue to drift apart. Eddy (who acts as the film's narrator) eventually finds a boyfriend, Stuart finds happiness in a monogamous relationship with a woman and Alex remains single. While they drifted apart, only to see each other for lunch occasionally, they do not seem to regret the friendship they had while in college.

Criticism

Upon release, the film received mixed reviews. Critics such as Roger Ebert felt that film was unfunny, and that "Like many kids their age, these three are more bold in talk than action, and the movie sounds right; it sounds like undergraduate human dialogue, intended to shock, to liberate, to amuse." Yet, even Peter Travers' review for Rolling Stone magazine wrote, "We're supposed to get all teary when kinkiness threatens to break up a friendship that was hard to swallow in the first place. There's lots of glossy cinematography, courtesy of Alexander Gruszynski, as the three lovers wander the campus separately, looking contemplative. Now there's a laugh. Eddy, a film student, actually makes reference to François Truffaut's ménage ŕ trois classic, Jules and Jim. Eddy, you wish."

Post-Threesome

The film has been viewed in a new light as one of a group of films marketed at Generation X, that were released in the early 1990s and which helped to pave the way for more openness in American cinema about human sexuality and more positive portrayals of gay characters.

In the years after the film, Baldwin became a born-again Christian, a member of the Republican Party, and occasionally makes public appearances with Republican officials. He has distanced himself from the film in interviews and has stated that he is not bisexual or interested in threesomes.

Fresa y chocolate (1994) aka Strawberry and Chocolate

Fresa y chocolate (1994) aka Strawberry and Chocolate


Naša svakodnevnica je prepuna homofoba. Ustvari većina ljudi se može svrstati u tu kategoriju, ali neki su veći homofobi nego što je to normalno!
A ko su najveći homofobi? Upravo oni koji nisu sigurni u svoju seksualnost. Koji se boje da ne upadnu u zamku nekog ovejanog homoseksualca i preko noći postanu pederi.
Nekako kada razmislim sve moje velike ljubavi su ispočetka imale dvojbe prema tome. Prva ljubav je tu bila i najhrabrija te me je startovala riječima: "Šta kažeš poslije zdravo?"
Druga ljubav, je onako feminizirano rekla: " Nikada nisam bio sa muškarcem!"
Treća: "Možemo sve raditi osim seksa!" ( seks je pri tome smatrao samo anal - sve ostalo je dozvoljeno.)
I četvrta koja još traje i trajaće do kraja života mi kaže: " Želim samo da te zagrlim i da tako ležimo, ćutimo i češkamo se!"

Ovaj film , koji se prije nekoliko godina vrtio i na našim televizijama, snimljen je na Kubi u Špansko-Meksičko-Kubanskoj produkciji. Govori nam o prijateljstvu između mladog strejtera studenta Davida i feminiziranog homoseksualca, književnika i umjetnika Diega.
Priča počinje "slučajnim susretom", ta dva lika u jednoj Havanskoj poslastičarnici i sada već čuvenoj sceni u kojoj Diego opisuje Jagode i čokoladu kao nešto po čemu se prepoznaju homići.
Diego inače spada u one feminizirane pedere koji izgledaju jako dobro, zgodno i privlačno, te da nema te feminističke crte bili bi meta mnogih žena i muškaraca.
David, kome je pederluk velika nepoznanica, pomisli da je Diego špijun zapadnih kapitalističkih sila i da kao takav predstavlja opasnost za komunizam na Kubi.
Diego inicira prijateljstvo sa lijepim Davidom i zaljubljuje se u njega......
Film nam na jedan prelijep način opisuje kako se iskrenošću i neposrednošću razbija homofobija. Diego naravno nije uspio od heteroseksualnog Davida napraviti pedera, ali je uspio steći prijatelja koji ga prihvata i razumije takvog kakav jeste.

Directors: Tomás Gutiérrez Alea, Juan Carlos Tabío
Writers: Senel Paz (screenplay), Senel Paz (story)
Release Date: 20 January 1995 (USA)
Genre: Drama / Comedy
Plot Summary:
Diego, a cultivated, homosexual and skeptical young man, falls in love with a young heterosexual communist full of prejudices and doctrinary ideas...

Plot Keywords: Havana Cuba / Loss Of Virginity / Male Full Frontal Nudity / Communist / Female Full Frontal Nudity
Awards: Nominated for Oscar. Another 22 wins & 1 nomination

Cast
(Complete credited cast)
Jorge Perugorría ... Diego
Vladimir Cruz ... David
Mirta Ibarra ... Nancy
Francisco Gattorno ... Miguel
Joel Angelino ... German
Marilyn Solaya ... Vivian
Andrés Cortina ... Santeria priest
Antonio Carmona ... Boyfriend
Ricardo Ávila ... Taxi driver
María Elena del Toro ... Passenger
Zolanda On'a ... Passenger
Diana Iris del Puerto ... Neighbor


Also Known As: Fresa y chocolate (Mexico) (Spain)
Strawberry and Chocolate

Runtime: 108 min
Country: Cuba / Mexico / Spain
Language: Spanish

Strawberry and Chocolate (Spanish: Fresa y Chocolate) is a Cuban-Spanish-Mexican co-produced film, directed by Tomás Gutiérrez Alea and Juan Carlos Tabío, based on the short story "The Wolf, The Forest and the New Man" (in Spanish, El Lobo, el bosque y el hombre nuevo) written by Senel Paz in 1990. Senel Paz also wrote the screenplay for the film.

Synopsis

The story takes place in Havana, Cuba, 1979. David (Vladimir Cruz) is a University student who meets Diego (Jorge Perugorría), an artist who is apolitical and homosexual. David's heterosexual classmate, Miguel, encourages the friendship, thinking David can then spy on a person they see as aberrant and dangerous to the communist cause, while Diego initiates the friendship with sexual intentions. Reviewer Roger Ebert comments that "nothing unfolds as we expect. Strawberry and Chocolate is not a movie about the seduction of a body, but about the seduction of a mind. It is more interested in politics than sex — unless you count sexual politics, since to be homosexual in Cuba is to make an anti-authoritarian statement whether you intend it or not."

The title refers to a comment by David that he knew immediately that Diego was gay when he chose strawberry ice cream even though chocolate was available.

Awards and nominations

1995

* Goya Award for Best Spanish-Language Foreign Film (Mejor Película Extranjera de Habla Hispana)
* Premio ACE awards: Cinema—Best Film, Cinema—Best Director, Cinema—Best Actor (Perugorría), and Cinema—Best Supporting Actor (Cruz)
* Sundance Film Festival: Special Jury Prize:Special Mention

1994

* Berlin International Film Festival: Silver Berlin Bear—Special Jury Prize, Teddy—Best Feature Film
* Gramado Film Festival (Brazil): Audience Award, Kikito Critics Prize, and Golden Kikito awards in the categories of Best Latin Film, Best Actor (tie between Cruz and Perugorría), and Best Supporting Actress (Ibarra)

1993

* Havana Film Festival[1]: Grand Coral—First Prize, Audience Award, FIPRESCI Prize, OCIC Award, ARCI-NOVA Award, and the categories of Best Direction, Best Actor (Perugorría), Best Actress (Luisina Brando), Best Supporting Actress (Ibarra), and Best Screenplay.

Nominated

* Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film, 1995
* Golden Berlin Bear, 1994 Berlin International Film Festival