From the South Florida Sun-Sentinel

Something for everyone

The MGLFF offers a wide range of films. Following are reviews of 12 of them.

by Barbara Lester

April 19 2006

The Blossoming of Maximo Oliveros: This street-smart drama from the Philippines tells the story of a 12-year-old boy whose homosexuality is already blossoming. He is the little drag queen of his Manila ghetto. This is not a lighthearted movie but one that delves deeply into the soul of the ghetto. It is a well-scored, beautifully filmed and exquisitely acted tale about the loss of innocence. (10 p.m. Saturday at South Beach Cinema 18)

Boy Culture: In this film featuring Darryl Stephens, star of the Logo network's Noah's Arc, pretty boys fall in and out of love in a trendy Seattle setting. It's oh, so superficial and silly. (9:45 p.m. April 28 at South Beach Cinema 18)

Eleven Men Out: This dated comedy from Iceland concerns a soccer star who comes out to a reporter, causing an uproar in his family and on his team. The movie is goofy and rather boorish, but it does offer an interesting look at the social mores of Iceland. (7:30 p.m. Monday at Gateway Cinema in Fort Lauderdale)

A Love To Hide: This plaintive war drama transcends gay issues and presents yet another look at the Holocaust. Set in France, it tells the story of lovers Jean and Phillipe and their friend Sara, a Jewish refugee. This heartbreaking movie effectively dramatizes the use of the pink triangle that the Nazis forced gays to wear. (7:15 p.m. April 29 at South Beach Cinema 18)

Loving Annabelle: With the smarmy aura of softcore porn, this downer centers on the persuasive crush that a bratty Catholic-boarding-school student has on her English teacher. Even though lead actress Erin Kelly is mighty hot and the movie should be congratulated for its uncompromising ending, Loving Annabelle is extremely uncomfortable to watch. (8 p.m. Saturday at South Beach Cinema 18)

The Masseur: Erotic and refreshingly honest, this superb drama from the Philippines looks at the unusual world of massage parlors in which handsome young men often service married men. Strong, handsome actor Coco Martin brings subtlety to the role of a masseur who is mourning his father's death and attempts to ease his pain by having sex with a client. The film is a gorgeous, aesthetic treat. (10 p.m. April 29 at South Beach Cinema 18)

Red Doors: This pleasantly quirky movie tells the story of a dysfunctional Chinese-American family. The father's attempts to commit suicide are interrupted by his three busy daughters. One of them is a lesbian and medical student who meets and dates an actress researching a role as a doctor. (7 p.m. Sunday at Gateway Cinema in Fort Lauderdale)

Reinas (Queens): Could this Spanish movie, the festival's opening-night film, be any more colorful or hyper? It's like a 1950s farce but with gays. Director Manuel Gómez Pereira (Boca a Boca) salutes the legalization of gay marriage in Spain by finding hilarity in the clash between mothers and their gay sons prior to the country's first mass same-sex wedding. It's a great choice for an opening-night film, but Pereira needs to cut back on the caffeine. (7:30 p.m. Friday at the Gusman Center for the Performing Arts in Miami)

Say Uncle: Queer as Folk's Peter Paige (see interview) wrote, directed and stars in this sensitive look at a heartbroken gay man who is accused of pedophilia after his godchild moves away and he seeks out the company of other children. This is an intelligent look at the hysteria in which parents sometimes engage and the prejudices experienced by some gays who want to have children. The film's ending is untenable, but the remainder of the movie tells a valuable story. (7:15 p.m. Sunday at South Beach Cinema 18)

20 Centimeters: This unusually gritty Spanish musical is one of the festival's best films. It follows the journey of Adolfo (the transcendent Mónica Cervera), a narcoleptic transsexual prostitute looking for love in all the wrong places. When she finally meets her dream man, her desire to proceed with her sex-change operation muddies the relationship. (7 p.m. Saturday at the Colony Theatre in Miami Beach)

Whole New Thing: This must-see Canadian film tackles the difficult subject of a 13-year-old (Aaron Weber) beginning to recognize signs of his emerging sexuality. Rarely do movies plunge into the psyches of adolescents this courageously and with this much room for ambiguity. Weber is an amazing young actor. (7:30 p.m. April 26 at the Colony Theatre in Miami Beach)

A Year Without Love: Set in Buenos Aires, Argentina, in the 1990s, this dark and desperate movie about a writer with AIDS who lives a shallow life in dangerous S&M dungeons is shockingly harsh and certainly not for everyone. The drama puts its viewer through much misery with no payoff and a weak ending. (9:15 p.m. Sunday at Gateway Cinema in Fort Lauderdale)