'Patrik, Age 1.5'
Today starts the big weekend for Portland’s 13th Annual Lesbian and Gay Film Festival with a whopping 8 films. How that fits into a weekend I’m just not sure.
Tonight begins with Patrick, Age 1.5 at 7:30. A picturesque gay couple attempt to adopt a baby boy, only to have their white picket fence world upturned when a brooding teenager shows up. A perfect opening night film. I’m sure we’ll all be ready for a drink at the afterparty at Crush (1400 SE Morrison) by the time its over.
Saturday afternoon’s Shank will be quite a shocker for it’s 3pm timeslot. Cal, an 18-year-old British gang member lives a life of crime and voilence, and it is only through an online hookup that he finds any love and tenderness. Not lighthearted fare…
Off and Running, playing directly after at 5:15 tells the story of an adopted African American girl in search of her birth parents. An intense questioning of race, identity and family, this one is sure to be a tearjerker.
Saturday night’s primetime 7pm slot belongs to Pornography (which also replays Sunday at 3:45pm). This creepy dreamlike David Lynch-ian flick follows a porn star, Mark Anton, who disappeared at the height of his career and the writer and actor that become obsessed with him 14 years later. A creepy thriller that combines the mystery of what happened to Anton with the supernatural connection to a present day porn star, Pornography is likely to be the most original and interesting film of the fest. Director David Kittredge will be in attendance.
The late night 10pm screening will be a sing-a-long Hedwig and the Angry Inch. Great music, great fun, we all know this is just self indulgent Saturday night madness.
Sunday afternoon has a nice mellow start with Out Late at 2:30pm. A documentary that follows several individuals and couples who came out later in life, it will serve to be a nice reminder that October is LGBT History month.
But don’t get too complacent but at 6pm you must be ready for The Big Gay Musical, a wacky comedy about a duo of guys putting on an off Broadway play called “Adam and Steve, just the way God made them.” Tap dancing angels, a retelling of Genesis, and tele-evangelists assure me that this will be an entertaining romp through religion, theater, and knowing who you are.
Another gritty Brit-flick, the weekend ends with Greek Pete, at 8pm. Part documentary, part narrative this often graphic film draws on the actual life experiences of its cast: men who work within and around the world of London-based gay escorts, or “rentboys.” As ambitious as any CEO, Pete wants to become the best of the best. Tragic or triumphant Greek Pete doesn’t say. You’ll have to decide for yourself.
