Frameline50: Fab Queer Titles Include ‘Trial of Hein,’ ‘Test,’ ‘Before I Do’ & ‘Downtown’

Frameline, San Francisco’s International LGBTQ+ Film Festival, the largest, longest-running queer film exhibition in the world, is celebrating 50 years! From June 17th through the 27th, the fest will offer over 140 films from 35 countries. Frameline is the first LGBTQ fest to reach the 50-year milestone.

Frameline boasts a ton of special events, screenings and fab retrospectives, beginning with opening night at The Castro Theatre with D’Arcy Drollinger’s Lady Champagne.

You can peruse all the exciting films and events, and get tickets at FRAMELINE50.

The Contending saw a slew of the films world premiering and programmed into the fest. Many were seen at other festivals (see below). And there were four gay-themed gems, recently viewed, that stood out as highly recommended.

Firstly, tons of props to the dynamic and unlikely combo of Olivia Wilde and Cooper Hoffman in Gregg Araki’s sex-positive comedy, I Want Your Sex. 

And I also loved the long overdue tribute to writer-director Colin Higgins (Foul Play, Nine to Five) who we lost way too soon in Nicholas Eliopoulos’ loving doc Celebrating Laughter: The Life and Films of Colin Higgins. 

And now some other outstanding titles….

Trial of Hein

Hein is a good-looking young man who has decided to return to the cloistered island community he escaped from 14 years ago, ostensibly because he now feels like he belongs there. But the real reason for his return home has everything to do with someone he left behind–someone who was supposed to join him in venturing to the less suffocating mainland. But when Hein arrives, no one recognizes him, including his mother, sister and close friends. So, the elders of the community decide to hold a trial to determine if he’s really who he says he is. Of course, the confounding question is why would anyone pretend to be from this dubious land of small-minded dolts?

Kai Stänicke’s exquisite debut feature, Trial of Hein, is set in an unspecified location at an unspecific time in history (although not contemporary), using a semi-abstract, facade-like set design, often  evoking Lars von Trier’s brilliant Dogville, not just in its look but in its isolated, small town harsh and stifling feel.

The film has a great deal to say about identity, memory and belonging as well as the damaging and destructive coercion to conformity that pervade most small towns. And the end result is rather profound.

Paul Boche buoys the parabolic film with a spellbinding performance as Hein continuously navigates the strange circumstances he finds himself in. Are the villagers all in on some elaborate ruse? Do they truly not recognize him? Or is it that he no longer recognizes himself in this surrounding?

Hottie Philip Froissant is the initially frosty Friedmann, who pretends not to know Hein, but it’s obvious that something a lot more repressive is going on. “I think about you constantly and at the same time I want you to disappear,” Friedman finally confesses to Hein.

Emilia Schüle is quite impressive as Greta, Hein’s old girlfriend, now married with a young boy (who may also be “different”), but she obviously still carries a torch for Hein.

Julika Jenkins is excellent as the formidable, focused town leader Gertrud who runs the trial, which is an event in the otherwise humdrum village.

The film won the Teddy Jury Award at this year’s Berlin Film Festival and is currently seeking distribution.

FYI: the German title, Der Heimatlose, translates as ‘a person without a place of’ belonging,” a far better title.

Interview with writer-director Kai Stänicke

Test

Of all the gay bodybuilding feature films out there, oh wait, there aren’t any gay bodybuilding feature films out there—none that I can think of, anyway—well, that makes Test an extra special addition to the queer canon.

This taut, visceral, intense drama, grittily directed by Sam McConnell, follows Eddie (Brock Yurich), an affable, amateur competitive bodybuilder who dreams of the big time and strives for physical perfection. Eddie lives with his loving but clinging alcoholic mother Joanne (a fierce Tammy Blanchard). Their codependency is established in the very first scene where she is enthusiastically helping to ready him for a competition. As the camera pulls back, we see he is only wearing a sock—pretty odd for a mother/son scene. They are barely making ends meet. He waits tables and moonlights as a cam boy. When Eddie seeks out the help of reputable trainer (Mike Edward) his life opens to many new and different possibilities, including a taboo desire he’s been forced to repress.

Test is another testament to the horrific damage religious fundamentalism can do to queer people living in small towns and is rather unrelenting in its portrait of just how trapped poor Eddie is in a world he can’t seem to escape, and a society that rigidly defines masculinity.

The supporting actors are all aces, especially Paloma Garcia-Lee who invests Eddie’s high school girlfriend, Abby, with an authentic city savvy but also an awareness of just how priggish the town they grew up in can be. She managed to escape.

Yurich, who also wrote the impressive screenplay, is terrific as Eddie, a guy chock full of self-doubt, neediness, desire and hope. Yurich commands the screen and, thankfully, did not make the same mistake too many multi-hyphenates do, he smartly handed over the director hat so he could focus on immersing himself into the character he so painstakingly created. And it pays off.

Interview with director McConnell & writer/lead Yurich

Before I Do

A quintet of fine actors collectively sparkles in writer-director Gary Jaffe’s sweet and affecting ode to queer friendship, Before I Do. We’ve seen this type of film many times before, but Jaffe has some interesting things to say about this particular gen of gay and bi dudes and their observations on love, sex and all the stuff in between.

The setting is a lakeside cabin where a bachelor party is being thrown for adorable but confused John Michael (Cole Doman) who reunites with his first love and now bestie Alex (Michael Hsu Rosen) at the place where they made memories many moons ago. Alex has just parted ways with his abusive boyfriend and both guys seem to be moving towards some kind of rekindling despite John Michael’s upcoming nuptials.

Also in tow are Luís (Robin de Jesus) and the hyper-sexual Simon (smoldering Jared Reinfeldt). Rounding out the queertet is hunky, newly admitted bisexual Kit (Nico Greetham), who both Luis and Simon have the hots for and who grew up with John Michael.

The actors, who have all appeared in queer-themed work before, are uniformly excellent with Doman, exceptionally moving as the conflicted attorney in line for partner, who confesses his unhappiness to Alex, “Sometimes I just wanna burn it all down.” A quite telling line.

There’s a lot of gay fun to be had here, including a drag Merylpalooza (I’ll let you figure that one out, any good gay can!) and a lot of angst, longing and even a little sex—too little for a film with this many yummies! Reinfeldt has a terrific speech he gives when toasting the groom all gay men should heed, that he delivers perfectly.

Jaffe, an impactful director, plays it way too safe narratively in his final chapter, bringing the wrong two people together and missing a great opportunity—one that he so perfectly set up. Regardless, Before I Do is a celebration of being queer/gay/bi and being proud. And that is always a wonderful thing to behold.

Interview with Doman and Jaffe

Downtown

Dutch director Michiel Van Erp crafts a touching look back at the AIDS ‘80s with Downtown, written by Frank Houtappels.

The film opens in Amsterdam in 1986 when the titular club is at its peak and a new generation of gay men are living proudly and enjoying themselves, sexually. Of course, there’s a scary new terror out there known as AIDS that will soon decimate an entire generation.

Kindhearted Ronnie (Daniel Cornelissen) works at the Downtown where he meets sexy Lennart (Sebastián Mrkvicka), who is not looking for any kind of commitment. The two twentysomethings hook up and then become fast friends, although it’s pretty clear Ronnie would like more. Enter adorable 20-year-old Bas (Thor Braun), who Lennart instantly wants and gets and falls for. But things take a grim turn, effecting all three characters and then one of them vanishes.

The non-linear narrative ping pongs back and forth from the 1980s to 2021, with the COVID pandemic at its peak. Now much older, a frail Lennart (Hans Kesting) meets up with Ronnie (Yorick van Wageningen) at his home. And guess who also shows up? Yep, Bas (Roeland Fernhout). They reminisce about the times they spent together and thrash out a few unfinished and unexplained matters.

Van Erp exceptionally captures the joy-into-dread milieu of the gay ‘80s. And while the film doesn’t really have anything new to say, it’s still a vital piece of time-capsule cinema and, I’m happy to add, a hopeful one.

The Contending covered the following recommended films via other Fests which are also featured at Frameline this year (listed alphabetically):

Coverage links below.

Bookends   Interview with writer/lead Noam Ash

Drunken Noodles   Review

Enzo   Review

Labrador: Autopsy of Silence   Review

Leviticus   Review

Interview with star Joe Bird

Mineshaft: The Cruising Murders   Review

On the Sea  Interview with star Barry Ward

Strange River   Review

We’ll Find Happiness   Review