The beginning of the Inside Out festival is always so exciting: a program book chock full of international feature films, with photos of gorgeous people who can't wait to get it on with each other (and the odd documentary too). By the end I'm usually strung out after 70 screeners in a row and a few events, but that never stops me from looking forward to it a year later.
This year there's a vast improvement! All screenings are at the new, still gleaming Bell Lightbox cinema (except where noted below), which should provide an even better experience for festival-goers.
Here's my roundup of what I've seen so far.
The Opening night film Loose Cannonsshows director Ferzan Ozpetek (His Secret Life/Ignorant Fairies, Facing Windows) leaving behind some bad dramas in the last few years and embracing delightful comedy, one about a young man who finally resolves to come out to his wealthy industrialist family and is trumped when his brother announces the same news just ahead of him. LIGHTBOX: Thursday, May 19, 8pm.
House Of Boys is a gay Burlesque, a sweet and touching look at the early days of the AIDS crisis through the eyes of a young man who runs away from home and becomes an exotic dancer, with Udo Kier filling in for Cher (and looking fabulous in drag. LIGHTBOX: Friday, May 20, 7.15pm
Last year's success of The Secret Diaries Of Miss Anne Listerinspired the BBC to create an hour-long documentary on the subject which, with the help of a delightful Sue Perkin and some wonderfully passionate interview subjects. The Real Anne Lister is short but compact and manages to get more mileage out of the fascinating subject than the melodramatic, badly directed costume drama did. Screens with Lares Feliciano's short film Push On. LIGHTBOX: Friday May 20, 7.30pm
Man At Bath is a sexy, sweet French drama by Christophe Honore (Love Songs) starring porn star Francois Sagat and Chiara Mastroianni. LIGHTBOX: Friday, May 20, 10pm
Mary Lou is the better of two musicals in the festival, the other being the cloying, overly cute Miss Tacuarembo from South America. Uruguayan Pop star Natalie Oreiro plays two parts and sings a bunch of uninspired pop songs as a young woman from the sticks who dreams of being famous. Go to the Israeli miniseries instead. LIGHTBOX: Saturday, May 21, 2.30pm
Following Loose Cannons is another charming gay comedy from Italy; Different From Whom features the yummy Luca Argentero as a gay mayoral candidate who squares off with his ultra-conservative female deputy mayor…and ends up in love with her. Uncomfortable blend of satire and sentiment, but very enjoyable thanks to gorgeous actors who perform extremely well. LIGHTBOX: Saturday, May 21, 4.45pm
Harvest is a super subtle, very affecting drama about two young men who meet while working an internship on a German farm. Lots of resonant silence that leads to a sexy connection, and none of it is packaged or sentimental. LIGHTBOX: Sunday, May 22, 7pm.
* TOP PICK * The slot for Centrepiece Gala has been deservedly awarded to Weekend, Anthony Haigh's excellent romantic drama about two men who meet on a club hookup and end up spending two days connecting despite their best efforts not to. Great atmosphere, terrific balance between the personal and political and marvelously sexy chemistry between leads Tony Cullen and Chris New. LIGHTBOX: Tuesday, May 24, 9.30pm.
Two gay men escape Iran and make their way to France where they hope to find asylum in the politically important but otherwise unremarkable A Few Days Of Respite. Great performances, but there is very little subtlety and the film is so busy sledge-hammering in the message that it forgets to entertain. LIGHTBOX: Wednesday, May 25, 7.30pm
The Guide makes up for an unimpressive screenplay and unappealing cast of supporting characters by its charming lead and gorgeous photography of Athens. Tour guide Iasonas escorts a group of international students on a tour of the Greek capital's architecture; what a shame the film hardly shows any of it. LIGHTBOX: Wednesday, May 25, 10pm
Renee is a superb documentary about the notorious transsexual tennis player who rocked the world when she insisted that she be treated like a real woman athlete (the nerve!) One of the most enjoyable screenings in this year's festival, don't miss it. LIGHTBOX: Thursday, May 26, 5.15pm
Another Movie Of Love is another coming-of-age tale, where a young man once again starts to deal, ever so subtly, with his burgeoning feelings for his sexy best friend. Nothing special, or worth seeing, though there are moments of sexual tension that are truly titillating. LIGHTBOX: Thursday, May 26, 7.15pm
A Brazilian literature professor is practically in a living coma following her breakup with her longtime girlfriend, and it is only a summer spent sharing a vacation home with two friends that she starts to find her way back. Heavy and joyless, So Hard To Forget is also absorbing and honest. LIGHTBOX: Thursday, May 26, 7.30pm
A couple struggling to pay the mortgage discover the cash that can be made in amateur porn in Buffering; it isn't long before the cameras in their bedroom start to cause problems between them. This much talked-about British comedy isn't nearly as funny as it should be, but it most definitely is sexy. LIGHTBOX: Thursday, May 26, 9.45pm
I had difficulty sitting through Off Beat, a dry and unmotivated tale from Switzerland of a young musician who gets out of rehab only to discover that his younger brother has taken over his career and his sugardaddy boyfriend. LIGHTBOX: Friday, May 27, 7.15pm
Florent: Queen Of the Meat Market is an exuberant documentary focusing on the famed NYC diner whose closing is cause for a deep orgy of nostalgia. Interview subjects include Julianne Moore and Isaac Mizrahi. LIGHTBOX: Saturday, May 28, 5.30pm.
The gorgeously photographed Black Field takes place in a remote monastery in 17th century Greece, where a group of nuns take in a Turkish soldier who falls in love with one of their youngest members…whose identity turns out to be something of a surprise. It's beautiful, but its characters are listless and the heavy pace is cause for boredom more than reflection. LIGHTBOX: Saturday, May 28, 7.15pm
* TOP PICK * Mary Lou follows its screening at the Toronto Jewish Film festival in Inside Out, and is not to be missed. Two and a half hours fly by (it was originally a miniseries) as cute young Ido Rosenberg goes in search of his mother to the tune of a plethora of Svika Pick songs. It's the Israeli Muriel's Wedding. LIGHTBOX: Sunday, May 29, 4.15pm
