‘What’s up, faggots?’ is the first line of Elliot Tuttle’s buzzed about new flick, Blue Film. The two-hander, starring Kieron Moore and Reed Birney, has courted some controversy before its release this weekend, but the reviews have been really solid so far. Frank and I are always talking about the queer films that don’t get as much attention as the ones that enter the realm of the awards conversation, and it got us thinking about how some films don’t get the attention they deserve.
For our first foray into analyzing new queer filmmaking, Frank and I talk about Tuttle’s film in addition to Rachel Mason’s My Brother’s Killer and Steve Bache’s No Dogs Allowed. All three films have brought on some chatter about their subject matter. Blue was rejected from several film festivals, because of implications involving Birney’s character. Mason’s film, which debuted at this year’s South By Southwest Film Festival, centers on the decades-old murder of adult film actor Billy London in West Hollywood, and Bache’s film skipped a theatrical release in the States since it focuses on a controversial bond between an adult and a confused teen.
Not only do we talk about what we admire about all of these films, but we ponder why audiences have such a knee-jerk reaction to the subject matter when each offers something insightful and intelligent to dig into. Mason’s crime documentary allows us to consider how a community can untangle an insidious web of uncertainty while the films by Tuttle and Bache ask us to stretch the limits of our own empathy.
Each one of these films is worth seeking out. Don’t sleep on them!
Blue Film is now playing in limited release. My Brother’s Killer is seeking distribution. No Dogs Allowed is available to watch on Prime Video and Tubi.
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