Knight at the Movies: Chicago International Film Festival Preview
Richard Knight, Jr Richard Knight
Shortbus. Broken Sky. Nina's Heavenly Delights. Love Sick. True Blue. Fall approaches, which means—in addition to the unpacking of sweaters and corduroys—that it's film festival time in Chicago. First up is the 42nd Chicago Internation
Windy City Times
Shortbus. Broken Sky. Nina’s Heavenly Delights. Love Sick. True Blue. Fall approaches, which means—in addition to the unpacking of sweaters and corduroys—that it’s film festival time in Chicago. First up is the 42nd Chicago International Film Festival (CIFF), which runs Oct. 5-19. Reeling, the gay and lesbian fest, follows in November. Highlights of the CIFF line-up include the star vehicles Stranger Than Fiction (the opening-night film with Will Ferrell-Emma Thompson-Dustin Hoffman), Babel (with Brad Pitt and Cate Blanchett), The Queen (starring Helen Mirren), Th e Fountain (with Hugh Jackman and Rachel Weisz) and Venus (with the legendary Peter O’Toole). The usual assortment of movies (about 10) with specific GLBT-themed content will screen out of the almost 100 being showcased. Ferrell, Hoffman, Spike Lee, Ruby Dee, André Benjamin and other movie stars are expected to attend. And did I mention Liza Minnelli’s going to be on hand for a film retrospective?

A legendary Tony, Emmy, Grammy and Oscar winner as well as longtime friend of Our People, Minnelli makes a rare appearance in an intimate one-on-one conversation with journalist John Russell Taylor for ‘Liza Minnelli: Her Films, Her Life’ at Northwestern University’s Thorne Auditorium, 375 E. Chicago, on Oct. 17. Cabaret, Arthur and New York, New York will obviously be discussed, but hopefully other lesser-known Minnelli vehicles will be on the program as well, such as The Sterile Cuckoo, A Matter of Time and Stepping Out. In another special event, Ruby Dee will be the recipient of a Lifetime Achievement Award and Andre Benjamin will receive the Emerging Artist award as part of Black Perspectives, the fest’s continuing program of African-American films and seminars. Spike Lee will host the gala presentation ceremony. This event will also be held at Thorne Auditorium (375 E. Chicago Avenue, Evanston), although it will take place on Oct. 13.

In addition, the fest, in what is becoming a nice tradition, is premiering another movie hotly anticipated by the gay community. Two years ago it was Kinsey (which had the additional honor of being the opening-night selection) and last year it was Transamerica. Now, it’s Shortbus, John Cameron Mitchell’s follow-up to Hedwig and the Angry Inch. The movie (which wasn’t available for screening before deadline) follows Sonia, a sex therapist unable to achieve orgasm and her gay client, James, who wants his boyfriend to OK an open relationship. Both head for the pansexual title salon/nightclub, where everyone meets for in-depth conversations, witty banter and lots of graphic orgy action. From all reports, it’s an Altmanesque look at the sex lives of a disparate group of characters (played by actors all new to the screen) that pushes the envelope into hardcore—and has musical numbers to boot.

All the films will screen in three locations—at the Landmark Century Centre Cinema (2828 N. Clark), AMC River East 21 (322 E. Illinois) and Thorne Auditorium (375 E. Chicago). The opening-night gala takes place at the historic Chicago Theatre, 175 N. State. In addition to Shortbus, which Windy City Times is sponsoring (including an after-party), other GLBT-related titles include:

1. Broken Sky (Mexico): Jonas and Gerardo are united by a ‘shared ravenous lust’ until Jonas meets a handsome stranger at a disco, prompting Gerardo to do the same. But will their love conquer all in this ‘cinematic dance of sensuality?’ (Sponsored by Windy City Times)

2. DarkBlueAlmostBlack (Spain): This is a complex character study of two brothers coping with responsibility for the long-term care of their father, the woman they both love and the coming-out process of one brother’s gay best friend. A sort of male version of Marvin’s Room is enhanced by a sweet yet melancholy piano-based score.

3. King and the Clown (South Korea): South Korea’s most successful domestic film of all time, this nimble period piece follows a pair of wandering minstrels in 1506, the macho Jang-sang and his beloved transvestite counterpart, the demure but bewitching Gong-gil, who endeavor to make their fortune by amusing the king.

4. Love Sick (Romania): Young innocent Alex is in love with the lovely, worldly Kiki and vice versa. But the love of the two women is threatened—especially by the insane jealously of Kiki’s brother, in what becomes a really complicated love triangle. (Sponsored by Windy City Times)

5. Nina’s Heavenly Delights (United Kingdom): It’s a delightful, crowd-pleasing romance comedy—of the lesbian variety. Lushly photographed and set in Scotland, the movie features Nina (at the urging of her gay best friend) falling hard for Lisa as the two join forces to save Nina’s family restaurant in a reality show cook-off. A delightful mix of Bollywood and Chocolat, it’s formulaic but tasty.

6. A Soap (Denmark/Sweden): The emotionally detached Charlotte becomes attracted to her downstairs neighbor, a pre-op transsexual and dominatrix named Charlotte. This melodrama, which intentionally borrows from soap-opera plotlines, won the Best Debut Film award at this year’s Berlin Film Festival.

7. True Blue (Greece): After exploring his bisexuality in Paris, Yargo returns to his native Greece to confront a deep-seated Oedipal crisis. He turns to prostitution and work as a drag performer before deciding to have a sex change when tragedy intervenes.

8. Twilight Dancers (Philippines): Set in the gay bars of Manila, this is the story of ‘macho dancers’ Dwight, the rising, still innocent star of exotic dancing; Alfred who, at 28 is past his prime; and the flesh-lusting Madam Loca. Their stories are all told amid the spectacle of ‘throbbing music, pulsating lights, and barely-clad bodies.’

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Three other offbeat films I suggest checking out are Dixie Chicks: Shut Up and Sing, a documentary on the popular but outspoken singing group by Oscar-winning documentarian Barbara Kopple and Cecilia Peck; Steel City, a working-class family tale with Tom Guiry, John Heard, Laurie Metcalf and ‘Ugly Betty’s’ America Ferrera filmed entirely in Illinois by native writer-editor-director Brian Jun; and The Bridge, the gorgeous yet unsettling documentary that tracks a year’s worth of suicide jumpers off the Golden Gate Bridge. The latter film mixes incredibly beautiful scenic footage of the national landmark, mournful interviews with victim’s survivors (including the friends of a middle-aged gay male) and, most disturbingly, actual footage of many of the suicide victims caught on camera as they are leaping to their deaths. Not surprisingly, the film has been the subject of some controversy because of the latter.

Complete information on tickets, show times and special events are available by calling 312-332-FILM (3456) or online at www.chicagofilmfestival.org

Check out my archived reviews at www.windycitytimes.com or www.knightatthemovies.com.