His House (2020)

The best horror is always about something else, some real horror, not the ghosts or monsters or even killings. It is about something deeper in our real culture, and uses the terrors and fears of the horror genre to tell those truer terrors. Writer director Weekes' "haunted house" film isn't about ghosts in a literal sense. It's about the ghosts that haunt us, our mistakes, our regrets. It is also about the refugee experience and how horrific that experience can be.

Weekes doesn't spend a lot of time on the journey from Africa to the UK. He gives us a few glimpses but mostly focuses on Mosaka and Dirisu settling into their new home, a run down condo in suburban London, and lets their exhaustion, their resignation, and their nightmares tell the story. Both do an amazing job of inhabiting their characters and giving them a very lived in trauma, showing us the way trauma lives with us.

It's the haunted house motif, where all the demons of the past start arriving, which tells their story and brings what they have survived to "life." Their isolation, their losses, their nightmares are vivid. It is a brilliant analogy and a great way to get into the shoes of these characters. And it is rather scary, working as a horror movie as well as something more. And when the film reaches its gut wrenching conclusion, it hits you so powerfully.

I believe this is Weekes' first feature and I am very curious to see what he'll do next.

His House

Starring: Wunmi Mosaka, Sopi Dirisu, Matt Smith

Writer/Director: Remi Weekes

 

Over the Moon (2020)

Director Geln Keane is a legend in animation. Known for his work animating some of Disney's biggest characters (The Beast, Ariel, Aladdin, Pocahontas, Rapunzel) he has recently branched out to directing animated films including the Oscar winning Dear Basketball and now this feature, Over the Moon. Pairing with Pearl Studios, who debuted in Western countries with Abominable, he has produced a beautiful looking film with a story that only feels rather average. 

 

There is a lovely little story here about learning to love again after loss and letting new people into your life and for big parts of the beginning of the film and the end, there is a sweet poignancy. But the film attempts a little adventure narrative in the middle which feels rather perfunctory and never really captures the imagination despite how visually spectacular it gets. 

What really works for Over the Moon are the visuals. Keane's talent clearly lies here and he's painted an extraordinary canvass. Plus designer Guo Pei's designs for the Moon Godess are awesome. But I kept being bored by a story that felt like it was going through the motions, never quite being as magical as it looked. 

Also the film is a traditional animated musical filled with rather bland, forgettable songs which, like much of the story, never capture your heart. I doubt anyone will be humming the tunes afterward. I love a good animated musical but the secret to any musical is the music and when it's just average it makes the whole thing feel average. 

So there is good and bad to Over the Moon, but like Abominable, Pearl Studios still hasn't found it's breakout hit yet. 

Over the Moon

Starring: Cathy Ang, Robert G Chiu, Phillipa Soo, Ken Jeong, John Cho, Margaret Cho, Sandra Oh

Directors: Glen Keane, John Kahrs

Writer: Audrey Wells

 

On the Rocks (2020)

I'm not a big fan of Sophia Coppola. I usually find her films interesting but rarely do they hold any lasting impact for me. Yes this includes Lost in Translation. On the Rocks falls squarely into what I would expect from her. I honestly enjoyed it and found moments quite interesting, but overall it's unlikely I'll are to watch it again. 

What works? Rashinda Jones is magnetic as the person at the centre of the story. I loved her relationship with her father, a truly flawed but lovable man played by Bill Murray in a role that feels like he's just being himself. I loved the film told a story about a woman and a much older man that wasn't a romance, but still explored the way they love each other, the complicated, challenging, and lovely ways this father and daughter care for each other. The script was funny and the chemistry between them worked.

What didn't work? Well for one the hackneyed is he cheating plot that goes no where. The tired trope of the marriage in a rut. Nothing in On the Rocks felt original or inspired on that front. I kept hoping for something more, something interesting but the film never offered it. Instead it focuses on the father daughter dynamic, to it's credit, that's what it gets right. 

Coppola is very skilled and she knows how to both tell a story and film a story. On the Rocks looks great, and the narrative is efficient. It doesn't wear out its welcome, even if it isn't offering anything remarkable or new. But overall it still feels forgettable. Despite some really good lines the film doesn't feel like it will inspire anything quotable. Although Jones' facial expressions are priceless. So while charming and touching, On the Rocks remains rather vanilla.

On the Rocks

Starring: Bill Murray, Rashida Jones, Marlon Waynes, Jenny Slate

Writer/Director: Sophia Coppola

 

Borat Subsequent Moviefilm: Delivery of Prodigious Bribe to American Regime for Make Benefit Once Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan (2020)

You know Cohen's Borat schtick, he acts absurdly in character as a racist/sexist/homophonic Kazahk testing how far the real people he encounters (who don't know who he is) will play along with him, often revealing their own ugliness. His prank targets include the rather benign people with whom he generally just enacts silly bits, to those forwarding an agenda he wants to reveal for its heinousness whom he usually allows to just show off their own ugliness without needing hardly any help. It's hard to feel sorry for a lot of these folks as they often seem quite willing to be rather disgusting. His act is an interesting and often revealing social experiment presented as comedy, yet often I find it hard to laugh. Underlying this experiment is q very disturbing culture which we've seen rise to even more prominence since he began his work.

By making a sequel to his hit 2006 movie 14 years later, Cohen has to tackle on the problem with the fact that he has become too famous since the last time to get many people to fall for it. There is a scene near the beginning where he acknowledges that many people know him and follow him around asking for autographs. He has had to come up with further disguises so he isn't recognized, he can't just be Borat. He also has to deal with a far more emboldened and prominent subset of racists and bigots who feel more comfortable putting their ugliness on display. His tricks are the same, but the results display a  shamelessness that is extremely off-putting.

I know many find this hilarious, and I understand Cohen's mission is to make fun of the kinds of people he targets, to criticize them, to uncover the rocks and leave the insects underneath scrambling. But for me it's often so upsetting to see people acting this way, that even the catharsis of the humiliation they are facing by being exposed isn't enough to make me feel like laughing at the horrors he is exposing. Often the jokes are barely funny enough to overcome the darkness he is shining a light on. For me this Borat sequel made me more sad than happy. 

 

There is a beautiful moment in the middle which is both inspiring and quiet sad. He (a Jewish man himself) dresses up as a caricature of a Jew through the eyes of an anti-Semite. He enters a synagogue and meets two elderly Jewish women there, one who identifies as a Holocaust survivor. He plays his shtick as a bigot and they embrace him and show him love and understanding, feeding him, all despite the game he is playing. I understand he broke his own rules and revealed to the women who he really was so they wouldn't think he was for real. It is a powerfully poignant moment but it also highlights the nastiness which pervades this gimmick. I understand the one woman in question has passed away and her family is not happy about the film's use of her. I have so many mixed feelings about this scene and the rest of the movie, mixed feelings that make it hard for me to enjoy it. 

There is another woman who appears in the film who does her best to try to counter a lot of Borat's (and his daughter's) put on racism and sexism and God bless her for going through all that. But more often than not we are shown truly deplorable people acting without shame. And I worry we've got to the point where they won't even see their own ugliness even when presented in this context.

So while I get the point of this film and Cohen's mission, and while there are moments that did make me laugh a little, for me the film is far more sad than fun. It's like watching a tragedy play itself out and trying to laugh a little. I admire Cohen's goals and I'm glad that other gets enjoyment from this but it just doesn't work for me. 

Borat Subsequent Moviefilm: Delivery of Prodigious Bribe to American Regime for Make Benefit Once Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan

Starring: Sacha Baron Cohen, Maria Bakaloa, Tom Hanks, Mike Pence, Rudy Giuliani, Macy Chanel

Director: Jason Woliner

Writers: Sacha Baron Cohen, et al.

 

The Witches (2020)

Robert Zemeckis' adaptation of Roald Dahl's classic, The Witches, is an opportunity for the director to show off his signature visual style. Filled with vibrant colour, lush art direction, lovely costumes, and eccentric special effects, The Witches is a treat to watch. I've always found this story rather disturbing for a "children's story" and Zemckis, for all his attempts to make it fun, still captures the horror underlying the story, with the help of co-writer Guillermo Del Toro.

I've always understood this story to an analogy, about a secret society plotting the domination of and extermination of another group of people. How groups like this walk around among us looking normal and espousing unthreatening values while advancing their evil plans. As I've grown I've seen just how real world such a situation is. This film adaptation, with it's 1960s setting and casting of a black central protagonist, highlights this analogy, making it even more poignant and frightening.

The film leans into its family horror esthetic. The witches here are horrifying with their claws, their sore bald heads, and especially their toothy, humungous mouths. The designs here will be frightening for younger children, especially with Hathaway, clearly enjoying herself, camping up her villain role, chewing the scenery with those disgusting teeth. She and her witches are true monsters, designed to look like regular people, but truly evil in every way. 

This does remain a story of triumph over evil, and it does remain a story filled with adventure and fun. The second act is more of a focus on the fun side so while the first half may be a bit intense for younger kids, the movie on a whole remains accessible and has important messaging. This is the sort of story that teaches children they can overcome. I love how Grandma is demonstrated to be a force for justice and vengeance. I also love the message of being true to you are inside regardless of the way you look outside or how the world sees you. All in all, The Witches captures this story in a wonderfully entertaining way. 

The Witches

Starring: Anne Hathaway, Octavia Spencer, Jahzir Kadeem Bruno, Stanley Tucci, Chris Rock, Kristin Chenoweth

Director: Robert Zemeckis

Writers: Guillermo Del Toro, Kenya Barris, Robert Zemeckis

 

Random Acts of Violence (2020)

Jay Baruchel's adaptation of the self aware graphic novel of the same name has been polarizing. Violent movies that critique violent movies (or stories) walk a fine line of not becoming what they are deconstructing and Random Acts of Violence is no different. I've read as many negative responses to this film as positive ones. For me the film generally succeeds in its balance of being a truly scary film while also exploring the nature of violence in our culture in practice and in media. . It tackles the catharsis vs. glorification problem head on and while it may stumble a bit through that minefield, in the end I felt it worked more than it didn't.

 

Baruchel finds a stylish way to film his story that is lush and fascinating to watch but also creates the deeply unsettling mood needed for this sort of tale. His only previous directing feature was the Goon sequel but I think he's show he's got a great knack for visual storytelling. Violence was sufficiently creepy in a slasher film sort of way while also feeling like he was striving for something more thoughtful throughout. He plays into the tropes of the genre but also undercuts them at the same time. The film is just violent enough, but Baruchel cuts away, never lingering, except when there is a point for us to see. 

Violence doesn't offer a simple message of violent-media-promotes-real-life-violence critique. The message is more complex than that. There is an idea of the imagined violence and the real violence stemming from the same place. It's less cause and effect than it is a product of our culture, a culture that devalues women's experience and treats their suffering as a narrative journey for men. It also examines the self-perpetuating nature of violence and trauma. 

If anything Random Acts of Violence's falls short because it is often very on the nose. Perhaps this is being careful. By being such a violent film, especially one trying to explore the roots of violence, you want to be sure you are being clear what you are espousing, and not send the wrong message. But sometimes Violence feels a bit clumsy in doing so, sometimes holding our hands a bit to tightly, despite how gorgeous the cinematography and art direction is.

Still, for me Random Acts of Violence mostly worked and gave me quite a bit to think about. It also disturbed me, which a good horror movie should.

Random Acts of Violence 

Starring: Jessie Williams, Jordana Brewster, Niamh Wilson, Jay Baruchel

Director: Jay Baruchel

Writers: Jesse Chabot, Jay Baruchel

 

The Wolf of Snow Hollow (2020)

Actor/Writer/Director Jim Cummings made the fascinatingly awkward Thunder Road. He takes a sharp left turn with The Wolf of Snow Hollow, a horror-comedy which has little in common with his last film, except for also being fascinatingly awkward. Cummings is crafting a unique film making signature that will likely not work for many audiences but will find a cult following amongst those who enjoy something a little off, or at least appearing to.

At it's heart The Wolf of Show Hollow is a straight forward monster movie. A brutal killing happens at a ski resort town and one by one the monster attacks again while the town's local cops try to solve the crimes. It works on the simple monster movie level but it is also a comedy. Cummings' script weaves an absurd, dark humour throughout which some audiences will find funny while others might find eye rolling. This is purely a taste question and one that might divide audiences.

But buried in Cummings' film is an acknowledgement and critique of male violence towards women that he threads through ancient werewolf mythology giving this a bit of a fresh take on these stories. Snow Hollow's main innovation is this analysis. Cummings does a nice job of working it in without making it feel preachy. It all feels rather organic.

 

Which worked for me. It ends up being a fun little monster story that is short enough not to "were" out it's welcome, while managing to give us something interesting to think about, even if it is just a little off.

The Wolf of Snow Hollow

Starring: Jim Cummings, Robert Forster, Ricki Lindhome, Marshall Allman
Writer/Director: Jim Cummings

Trial of the Chicago 7 (2020)

Chicago 7 is classic Sorkin. It's a courtroom drama (a la A Few Good Men) that exposes the deep seeded fissures and corruption in the American political system (a la The News Room), filled with clever, rapid dialogue (a la... well pretty much all his work), all wrapped up in an extremely entertaining package that you just can't take your eyes off of. 

First and foremost, Sorkin has made a fun film to watch. He has crafted something completely engaging. He hooks you by being entertaining and making something worth watching. Then as you're hooked, he works his magic story telling to tell us a story that is worth telling, perhaps one we've forgotten, because we want to forget, or perhaps because we have been told something different about this story, something they want us to think. Sorkin breaks all that down through this glossy little history lesson.

Sorkin's approach, as it often is, is to find and inspire hope amongst some of the darkest moments in history. Sorkin is a patriot and can't help weaving into his narratives, a belief in the American democratic, that it can overcome all the roadblocks Americans themselves put up against it. So as the trial winds it way to its conclusion, a conclusion which doesn't got well and then gets appealed and thrown out, he stops his film in this moment of dramatic patriotism. The music swells, the crowd rises to its feet applauding. It was a moment that just seems to perfect, too constructed. But in reality the trial didn't end well, and despite the appeals America didn't heal itself from this.

I get that historical dramas need to embellish for dramatic effect. And I don't believe any of Sorkin's embellishments take away from the historicity of the events. I think his take is quite and accurate capturing of what was going on in this trial. But I didn't buy his hopeful ending.

The Trial of the Chicago 7 deals with very real 20th century problems. By looking back at this 1960s event, he is exposing the political attacks on democracy that are currently happening. But his answers in the end just feel too easy. I think, for me, Chicago 7 never faced the sad reality of the decline of American democracy. So while he does an amazing job of capturing this moment, and he does so in such a way that the audience will be completely entertained and engaged, he never quite captures the warning that these events are asking us to consider. And instead, as the film reaches its rather saccharine crescendo, it feels like we are being told everything will just work out if we stand up for what's right. But if anything this story really is teaching us the opposite.  

Still, this is a remarkable work. The ensemble cast (of pretty much all men) are all excellent from Langella's villainous judge, to Cohen's hilarious radical, to Gordon-Levitt's tortured prosecutor. But for me the stand out was Abdul-Mateen in a role that was just not given enough time to shine. He's excellent and his scenes are by far the most powerful. And in many ways, his story feels jilted at the end.

I do recommend this film for the history is brings to light, for the wonderful performances, and for Sorkin's signature sceenplay magic which is always enjoyable. You won't regret watching it and in the end it gives us all so much to think about.

The Trial of the Chicago 7

Starring: Sacha Baron Cohen, Eddie Redmayne, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Yahya Abdul-Mateen, Michael Keaton, Frank Langella, John Carroll Lynch, Mark Rylance, Alex Sharp, Jeremy Strong, Kelvin Harrison Jr., Ben Shenkman

Writer/Director: Aaron Sorkin

Batman Death in the Family (2020)

When the iconic storyline A Death in the Family appeared in Batman comics in 1988 it was controversial and groundbreaking. It allowed readers to decide the fate of one of comics' biggest characters. Would Robin live or die? It all depended on call in votes. Long before the American Idol phenom, DC tried a similar idea. And the story turned out not to be just a gimmick, or at least it produced a legacy beyond the original intent. The story of this Robin's death, and his rebirth, have become some of the most told stories in the Batman oeuvre.

 
Now it's been adapted into animation and in the spirit of the original story, viewer still get to decide. This is an interactive feature (similar to that tried by Netflix with a Black Mirror episode and a Kimmy Schmidt reunion) meaning as you watch it, Death in the Family asks you to make decisions that then influence the outcome of the story. This also allows you to watch it numerous times without following the same story. 

The film makers here have done a good job or giving us some interesting plot threads through the different narratives even if they all remain rather bleak. This was never going to be an optimistic story even if some of the choices lead to more hope than others. It does feel a bit like things will go bad no matter what you decide. But I do think that's part of the point of this story, as it's more about how we respond to the horrors we face than about the horrors themselves. 

Tied into the 2010 animated feature Batman Under the Red Hood, one of DC Animation's strongest films, this film acts as a sort of prequel with the same cast and animation style. And (sort of *spoiler*) if you chose Robin to die the story leads right into that other movie as this is basically the background to it. 

While the film is based on a gimmick, much like the first comic, it's story ends up being much more and very much worth the experiment. 

Batman Death in the Family

Starring: Bruce Greenwood, Vincent Martella, John DiMaggio, Gary Cole, Zehra Fazal

Writer/Director: Brandon Vietti

The 40 Year Old Version (2020)

I love a good triple threat. Writer/Director/Star Radha Blank knocks it out of the park with her breakout film The Forty Year Old Version, her story of a fictionalized version of herself, a formerly more successful playwright finding herself at a crossroads, and turning to making hip hop. Version is damn funny, honestly vulnerable, and entertaining as all hell.

Blank is a star. She is impossible to look away from in every scene. She gives such a rich, remarkable performance. She made me laugh out loud, and tear up a little. And what's great is that despite being such a presence she makes time in her film for other characters, also strong (from Kim as her long time best friend, to Lewis and Velazquez as up and coming artists in their own right) to shine as well. 

The 40 Year Old Version sneaks some rom-com tropes into it's coming of age story. It is undeniably about a woman finding herself but also gives her the right to find love in the way women like her often are never allowed in film. So seeing her take on some of those gimmicks is joyous. Yet she never makes her journey about that. The love story is a bit of sideline, a byproduct of her own journey. 

Blank also litters her film with quite a few targeted and precise critiques around gender, race, and class in NYC. She does this deftly so they can go subliminally under the surface yet still strike, but they can also be clever little bombs of truth throughout a story that doesn't feel like it's lecturing you. It's a brilliant construction throughout. 

 

Yes she gives a star making performance, and she writes a story that is the whole package, but then she also directs this film (which I believe might be her first feature) by making it look like she can do all this in her sleep. The way she crafts her tale to the way she shoots it, lights it, just gives her Radha's story life, is remarkable.  This is the sort of film that will have you clapping along with a big grin on your face. And it makes me want to see whatever Blank decides to do next.

The 40 Year Old Version

Starring: Radha Blank, Peter Kim, Oswin Benjamin, Imani Lewis, Haskiri Velazquez, Antonio Ortiz, TJ Atoms, Reed Birney

Writer/Director: Radha Blank

 

Yellow Rose (2020)

Writer/Director Diane Paragas has shot out of the gate with a truly impressive debut narrative feature with Yellow Rose, one of those inspiring indie films about someone on the margins who finds liberation through their passions. In this case it's the story of an undocumented girl from the Philippines living in Texas who realizes her dream of becoming a country music singer. 

 

At the heart of this is stage star Eva Noblezada who gives a star making turn as the young Rose and captures our hearts with both her singing and acting. She is strong and vulnerable and independent and sings so beautifully you'll cry. It is a tour de force. 

Balancing her tale of following her dreams against the backdrop of ICE raids and immigration issues, Yellow Rose will break and inspire your heart at the same time. Filled with gorgeous songs and a lovely, compelling story, all filmed with a gentle, lush tone, Yellow Rose is just one of those films that impossible not to enjoy.

Yellow Rose

Starring: Eva Noblezada, Lea Solanga, Dale Watson, Princess Punzalan, Libby Villari, Liam Booth

Director: Diane Paragas

Writers: Annie J Howell, Celena Cipriaso

Vampires vs. the Bronx (2020)

This fun, solid little horror comedy is a great romp, setting out a fun little vampire mythology, telling a joy ride of a story, and making a nice little critique of gentrification at the same time. Just scary enough to be fun for pre-teens, teens, and adults, and filled with a cast of charismatic young actors, Vampires vs. the Bronx is a great way to spend 90 minutes. 

 Capturing a very Bronx feel, Vampires tells quite a straight forward analogy for the way rich white developers take over poorer neighbourhoods of colour and threaten the lives of those who live there. The vampires are a great metaphor for this, sucking blood and all that. It's a very clever conceit and it's all wrapped up in a fun little story that will entertain both kids and adults. 

The cast has a few recognizable faces (include Saldana in the Drew Barrymore role - if you get my Scream reference) but most of the film hangs on a young cast of ingenues who light up the screen. All in all Vampires is fun enough that I'd love to see more stories set in this borough. 

Vampires vs. the Bronx

Starring: Jaden Michael, Gerald W. Jones III, Gregory Diaz IV, Sarah Gadon, Method Man, Shea Whigham, Coco Jones, Chris Redd, Joel Martinez, Zoey Saldana

Director: Oz Rodriguez

Writers: Blaise Hemingway, Oz Rodriquez

Possessor (2020)

Well there should be no doubt Brandon Cronenberg is not just riding his father's coattails. He is a stunning visual film maker and horrifying story teller all on his own. Possessor is the kind of story that gets under your skin and its images will stick with you long after the credits roll.

Cronenberg's script is tight and efficient, giving us just what we need without being overbearing. It allows us to fill in the missing pieces in ways that are likely more disturbing than what they could have shown us. He weaves his tale of an assassin, and the perfecting of that assassin, deftly ensuring that the real journey is told through emotions. 

Possessor is a stunning visual film. The uncut version which played in theatres is gory but only in so far as it should be. Nothing felt egregious, instead the gore is there so we can feel its impact, its efficacy. But the gore isn't what Possessor is about. Cronenberg uses colour, light, and a vibrant visual style to express modes of being, transitioning so brilliantly. I think the thing that rang so true for me while watching Possessor is how viscerally honest it felt.

It is a dark film because of what it is telling us about pursuing... what, perfection? Success? This is a narrative that makes us face certain realities that are ugly to face. Perhaps that is what is terrifying about Possessor. 

In duel leads, Andrea Riseborough and Christopher Abbott are both strong, rising to the demands of their roles. There is a great deal of exciting potential on display here from a young writer/director to strong potential leading actors. But before watching what they might do next I may want to revisit Possessor to have it punch me in the gut again.

Possessor

Starring: Andrea Riseborough, Christopher Abbott, Tuppence Middleton, Sean Bean, Jennifer Jason Leigh

Writer/Director: Brandon Cronenberg
 

The Boys in the Band (2020)

I love talky movies. You know the kind where a bunch of actors trade barbs and witty bon mots, usually while breaking down emotionally and then working themselves back together? Usually there are drinks dramatically poured and cigarettes seductively sucked. Regretful things are said and we get a chance to examine our souls through the characters' arcs. Something reminiscent of Tennessee Williams or Eugene O'Neill, adapted for the screen but only ever so slightly so it still has that claustrophobic staging feel. Something that wrecks me a bit as I watch it. 

I have long been drawn to Mart Crowley's The Boys in the Band, a biting examination of pre-Stonewall, pre-AIDS queer men from their own perspective. Really it's the chronicle of one gay man's breakdown surrounded by his friends no matter how self-destructive he becomes. It can be a difficult film for modern queer audiences, who prefer inspirational stories that affirm their gayness, often giving us the love stories we so often feel denied. Or at least cast us as the tragic victims of the horrible heterosexist society. But what can be so powerful about The Band is the way it so adroitly focuses on self-loathing and the stubborn refusal to connect, while, in the end offering some hope for the connection the characters (and the audience truly) is desperate for. Some find it bleak but for me I see the hope and possibilities for the kinds of affirmation we all want so badly.

With his film adaptation director Joe Mantello has pulled off something straight director William Friedkin wasn't able to do with his original film version. There is a self-awareness and honesty to this film, one which says I'm going to show it, warts and all, and I'm going to find in the wreckage the pieces of love that grow out of all that. He makes a very queer film, from the way it loves the physicalities of the men in it, to the way it explores their vulnerablilities. It shows them closeted, slutty, bitter, caring, loving, nurturing, angry, jealous, selfish, witty, racist, sexist, effeminate, hurt, bruised, and redemptive. I love the way the men in this film feel so real, so infuriating, so relatable, so honest, and not resolved or redeemed by the end of the story.  They remain human.

The time is 1968. It's a different world than it is now and the characters live in a different reality than we currently do. They live under constant threat of arrest, of loss of income, of violence. Crowley, before he died, reworked the script slightly to handle a few issues better than the original draft such as examining some of the racism and sissy-shaming present in this group of mostly white queer men. Not to remove it but to examine it and call it out. The central character, Michael, played in a tour de force performance by the likable Jim Parsons, is revealed to be far less likeable than we originally think as he moves through the night, descending into his own self-loathing and trying to take everyone with him. But the beauty of this story is the way he fails to do so. There is a pre-Stonewall resiliency to these men that actually is inspiring. From the lengths Emory goes in his forgiveness, to Donald's refusal to give up despite his own emotional instability, to the way Larry and Hank build a real relationship outside of the norms put upon them. I am drawn to this refusal to give in to the darkness. Instead, The Boys in the Band is about learning how to love.

Probably my personal favourite part of this story is the relationship between Larry and Hank, who appear to be stereotypically on the brink of breaking up but the film shows us they have something truly special together. Like the way it shows us how much the friendships between these men, dysfunctional because of the general abuse they suffer in the world, remain as valid and probably life saving, as any. Even the frenemy battle of wits between Harold and Michael is seen as something truly connecting for the two men who, under the resentment and bitterness truly care about each other. There is a real sense in the end Harold will check on Michael tomorrow. I love how Mantello gets all this and makes it real. 

I also loved how beautiful the film was. From the gorgeous costumes which evoked every fantasy I have about 60s fashion to Michael's dream apartment, the film is awash in lovely colours and beautiful pieces of art direction. Mantello's visual style stands out, especially in a story that mostly happens in one room. He also, through his use of flashbacks to the moments of inspiring love these men each experienced, creates these gorgeous visual memories like looking into Harry Potter's queer pensieve. Mantello hasn't just put the play on a set and filmed a play, he has created a truly cinematic visual language which captures the amazing beauty of gay love and sex and connection. 

While I thought the entire cast was wonderful, another standout is Robin de Jesus as Emory, a character I've seen played mostly for laughs, who here owns every scene he is in. He gives Emory a real gravitas and power, without ever diminishing his sassy, sissy style.

The Boys in the Band is hard cause it looks unflinchingly at the way gay men hurt themselves and each other, but it does so much more than that, especially in this film which, with its all gay cast and queer director/writers, finds the ways queer men take care of each other, imperfectly and fabulously and yes, queerly. 

The Boys in the Band

Starring: Jim Parsons, Matt Bomer, Zachary Quinto, Andrew Rannells, Robin de Jesus, Michael Benjamin Washington, Charlie Carver, Tuc Watkins, Brian Hutchison

Director: Joe Mantello

Writers: Mart Crowley, Ned Martel