In my fourth year covering Outfest, I couldn’t believe how many great films there were. I started my coverage of the Los Angeles based festival during the pandemic, and they have continued a hybrid of in-person and virtual screenings ever since.
This year might have been the hardest for me in terms of ordering this list, because my mood changed every time I watched a new film or shorts film program. Outfest’s short film programs remain some of the best and most diverse I have ever seen.
Honorable Mention
- Complicated Order taps into those palpable jitters when you don’t want to see your ex again. I love seeing Midori Francis in anything, but seeing her re-examining her relationship with her ex-girlfriend on an empty stomach is charming.
- Blaine Morris’ horror short, The Ciguapa, cleverly uses Dominican folklore to explore the breaking points between a queer couple. I rarely think short films should be expanded into features, but it would make a great companion to Jennifer’s Body.
- Prince Ivan and the Clockwork Heart is a very brief animated short about a prince wanting to be seen as an equal to his brothers who are looking for love. The animation is gorgeous and it reminded me of a storybook that has been around for generations.
- The Exchange turns the body swap comedy on its head by exploring desire in a whole new way. When Mateo hooks up with Lucia, he wakes up to a shocking discovery: they have exchanged equipment. As he hunts for his one night stand, his best friend, Lucas, thinks it’s a good opportunity to push the boundaries of their friendship.
- 100% USDA Certified Organic Homemade Tofu is a film that I loved from last year’s HollyShorts Film Festival, and I am happy to have caught it again. Nikki reluctantly agrees to work in her family’s restaurant in order to save up for breast augmentation surgery, but a recipe turns the business into a viral sensation to the delight of her mother, Mama Kim.
21. Christopher at Sea
Tom CJ Brown’s melancholic, gorgeous short film taps into the loneliness we all feel, especially when we sense we are close to connection. A young, attractive man takes a ride on a cargo ship in order to discover why so many men are drawn to the sea. This film is so stunning, and I honestly haven’t been able to stop thinking about since I saw it last year. The deep, varied shades of blue envelop you and indicate a cool sense of longing.
20. Brush
A bathroom mirror serves as a voyeur in Summer Sveinson’s short that captures high and low points between Olivia and Kristen as they brush their teeth in the morning. We see flirtation as well as bickering and it’s proof that we can truly be ourselves when we are at our most comfortable. Clocking in at just five minutes, Brush packs in a lot of depth and nuance without using a lot of dialogue.
19. Stay Lost
“We’re going to have an amazing fucking day,” says one of the characters early in Chris Coats’ curious and alluring short film. Keiynan Lonsdale plays a young man who plays by the rules. He listens to his father and he would never buck against authority. When his job asks him to come back into work right after he leaves his shift, he runs into Lukas Gage’s character on the street. There is an implicit trust between them immediately, even though it’s clear that Lonsdale’s character has never done anything so impulsive or free. We often think of the negative repercussions of bucking the rules, but Coats’ film is a thing of beauty in how it embraces the unknown. All who wander are not lost.
18. Studio One Forever
We have all heard of Studio 54, but why haven’t we known about West Hollywood’s Studio One? Marc Saltarelli’s documentary traces back the origins and history of the beloved nightclub as it faces being torn down with first-hand accounts from Bruce Vilanch, Chita Rivera, Julie Budd, and the men who populated the dance floor year after year. We often celebrate people and historical figures but we must protect our sacred spaces for they carry so much history and the love of those that we have lost. Saltarelli could develop an entire documentary series about Studio One, and his film is exciting, sexy, and vital.
You can read an interview with Saltarelli about his film here.
17. Imoan
When one finds a lifelike sex doll washed up on the beach, your first instinct might not be to take it home, right? Sarah is excited to clean the doll up and use it in an art project, but her partner, Beth, is understandably wary, especially when it seems that her partner develops an obsession with it. As Sarah dresses the doll up, she becomes alarmingly entranced by it. Director Catherine Kelleher has fun with commenting on every day desires and how these dolls are normally never seen outside the bedroom. Move over, M3gan and Annabelle!
16. Egghead & Twinkie
Two best friends are on the cusp of adulthood and have to figure out where to leave their friendship before college in Sarah Kambe Holland’s charming coming-of-age film. Twinkie (Sabrina Jieafa) comes out to her parents right before hopping in the car with her bestie, Egghead (Louis Tomeo), to meet her online DJ girlfriend that she has never met. Unfortunately, Egghead harbors romantic feelings for his friend that he needs to learn to shake. Some audiences think that we are beyond the coming out era of queer filmmaking, but Holland’s film is an exuberant case for it with its light tone and animated touches.
You can read a full review of the film here.
15. You Can Stay Over (If You Want)
Zach Siegel’s short film questions a lot about queer male intimacy and communication than I ever expected. John and Alex are laying in bed together after hooking up, and they are swapping TMI stories. When they acknowledge that they should call it a night, John offers Alex to stay over…but Alex is wary. It’s not that he doesn’t want to, but something happens to him for one hour every night (I don’t want to spoil it)–can John handle it? Yes, online dating is easier, but does it afford people the opportunity to build trust and true communication. Siegel’s film is so thoughtful in how it lines the set-up with realistic troubles of dating and intimacy.
14. Headdress
When a young, queer Native American sees a white girl wearing a large headdress, it sets all the voices in his head into battle mode. Literally. As Tai decides if Professional Tai, Queer Tai, Bougie Tai or even Goth Tai should take the reins to formulate a response, the clock is ticking to say the right thing and make sure enough people see it. Tai Leclaire’s script is whip-smart and the editing is fast-paced and quick.
13. He Watches
Would you be able to sleep in a haunted house? What if that ghost was a raging queen who seemed to want to make a connection from beyond the grave? Tom and Mikey are experiencing some paranormal activity: porn starts playing on an open laptop and a bottle of lube opens up on its own and starts oozing out (a great nod to Ghostbusters). Is a spirit trying to push them apart? Or is Mikey trying to introduce things into their relationship that Tom doesn’t want? Director Joshua Conkel flexes his muscles as a director here in the same way that his writing mashes together horror, camp, and comedy.
12. As You Are
“I love my body–I feel powerful in it,” is a line that I haven’t stopped thinking about from Daisy Friedman’s tender short film. The film opens with Millie and Piper relaxing in the park before we realize that Millie uses a wheelchair. Millie’s experiences with relationships and love have made her cautious but Piper also shares a sad story about being young and realizing who she was. You don’t get honesty like this very often, and Friendman wisely gives both of these characters room to breathe to allow them to open up. It’s refreshing and alive.
11. Pornomelancolía
Yes, Pornomelancolía features a lot of sex, but the underlining sorrow is always present. Lalo Santos grapples with his existence as he works a thankless factory job, but he begins exploring the idea of becoming a porn star. He will sneak a picture of himself at work after everyone leaves, and, before he knows it, he is cast as a lead in his first porn film. We watch Santo observing a lot whether it be other performers’ scenes or just watching people on the street, and there is a sense of emptiness washing over him. What does it feel like to be an object solely used to get off to? The film opens with Santos weeping as strangers pass him by on the street, and that image has haunted me ever since I saw it. We are so used to consuming, consuming, consuming, but Pornomelancolía has a on its mind about connection and how it is just out of reach for so many of us.
10. Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe
Based on the much-loved novel, Aristotle and Dante proves that you need to find just one person who totally understands you in order to survive. Set in El Paso in 1987, Dante offers to help Ari learn how to swim and a friendship blossoms. Dante’s parents are vocally supportive of everything their son does while Ari’s family remains more distant, and one of his fears is becoming too much like his brother. When Dante’s father accepts a temporary job in Chicago, the two young men stay in touch and they grow with the encouragement from the other. As the title characters, Max Pelayo and Reese Gonzales share a sweet, essential chemistry with one another. When they are reunited, that bond carries into the performances, and the film explores how identity is strengthened with the help of unconditional love. No matter if that love is formed by blood or friendship.
9. Mutt
Feña is having the worst day. Not only is he stressed about his father coming into town, but his ex-boyfriend, John, has just been spotted. When his little sister arrives, Feña has to help with her first period, and the bank won’t cash Feña’s check because his ID still says the name he was given at birth. Lio Meheil gives Feña an unwavering strength but never plays him as a saint, and his scenes with Cole Doman’s John are both seductive but guarded. “I didn’t disappear for no reason,” he tells Zoe as they discuss their unsympathetic mother. If this is just one horrible day, imagine what other trans people go through on a day-to-day basis.
8. Passages
Misery sure loves company in Ira Sachs’ latest film starring Franz Rogowski, Ben Whishaw, and Adèle Exarchopoulos, and their chemistry will burn a hole through the screen. Rogowski, wearing some clingy, sweat-inducing shirts, plays Tomas a film director who doesn’t really know what he wants. Whishaw plays his husband, Martin, who is shocked to discover that Tomas’ dalliance with Agathe (Exarchopoulos) is becoming more and more serious. Rogowski brings an insatiable hunger to his portrayal of a selfish man who responds to every whim and rise below his belt, and he bring naivete to Tomas since he thinks everyone should explore what they want at all times. As Agather tried to find her footing in his orbit, Martin ponders what is truly important in his life. Passages is about embracing confusion as much as it is about sex and raw, earnest emotions. These are truly memorable, remarkable performances.
7. Love, Jamie
Karla Murthy’s film feels like a miracle.
Jamie Diaz is a trans artist incarcerated for a crime in Texas, but her letters reach Gabriel Joffe, a volunteer for Black & Pink’s pen-pal program. Gabriel was entranced by the artwork that Jamie included on the margins of her letters, and these two individuals strike up a meaningful relationship even though they have never out in the free world.
Murthy’s film is about art, yes, but it’s about how queer and trans people need lifelines to survive. Even if you are reading a letter from someone you haven’t spent a lot of time with, it can truly be a tool to inspire you to live another day.
You can read a full review of the short here.
6. The Mattachine Family
We often think that gay people should shy away from the traditional ideals of family and parenting, but The Mattachine Family is about a man who realizes that his heart is larger than he expected.
Nico Tortorella and Juan Pablo Di Pace play Thomas and Oscar, a married couple living in Los Angeles whose foster care to a young boy named Arthur comes to an end when Arthur’s mother gets her act together. Thomas, a photographer, cannot shake the idea that he should become a parent while Oscar is on location shooting a television series. This film is very thought-provoking but it never loses sight that there is not one way to be gay and love those who need it.
You can read a full review of the film here.
5. After Sunset, Dawn Arrives
Andy Yi Li’s film utilizes stolen glances and silence beautifully in this short. Wan, a sixty-five year old Chinese man, becomes attracted to a man, Ken, thirty years his junior when he sneaks into a dance class. When he sees Ken at a sauna later, Ken tells Wan, “You remind me of my dad…but better tempered.” Wan’s wife died years before, but he fears that she won’t forgive him for his homosexuality even though she is gone. It’s a beautiful, mournful film about self-acceptance and desire, but it retains a flickering light of hope.
4. Down Low
Rightor Doyle’s pitch black comedy has a soft, cushy center, and it’s a fucking great ride getting to it. It’s the best movie you will ever see that begins with a happy ending.
Lukas Gage’s Cameron connects with Zachary Quinto’s Gary during a routine massage, but Cameron is shocked when he finds out that Gary’s wife left him after he came out of the closet. This chaotic twink is determined to help Gary make up for lost time. “I’m human poppers–I open anyone up,” he cheekily tells his massage client. What starts as drug-fueled exploration soon turns into Very Bad Things on poppers, and I mean that as the highest praise. Judith Light is on Ambien. There’s Sex and the City references and the dark web. Audra McDonald shows up–helllllo! This is a rollicking, aggressive romp of depravity and debauchery. I loved it.
3. Hidden Master: The Legacy of George Platt Lynes
Why are so many queer and gay artists unknown or unheard of? Like with Coded: The Hidden Love of J. C. Leyendecker a few years back, audiences are re-acquainted (or merely introduced) to the photography of George Platt Lynes in Sam Shahid’s illuminating and ravishing documentary, Hidden Master: The Legacy of George Platt Lynes. If you Google Lynes’ photography, your jaw will drop. Shahid takes us all the way back to 1925 to when Lynes’ parents sent him to Paris and show how he became a part of Gertrude Stein’s inner circle, and reveals how he left Yale because he was bored. ‘This place is so dull. Neutral. Intellectually timid,’ he says in a letter. What’s so jaw-dropping is how we see hundred and hundreds of photographs (trust me, I am ordering as many books as I can get my hands on) and we realize that Lynes was a self-taught photographer. Shahid delves into Lynes’ relationship with Glenway Wescott and Monroe Wheeler and how be became the premiere photographer for the New York City Ballet for decades, and the film even shows how Alfred Kinsey became a savior to a lot of Lynes’ work. It’s a loving tribute.
2. Big Boys
We all remember that moment when we “knew” we were gay. We could sense ourselves wanting another person of the same gender or identity, but then we didn’t know what to do with it. That moment is specifically pinpointed in Corey Sherman’s gentle and cringey feature film debut, Big Boys.
Isaac Krasner’s Jamie is excited to spend time with his cousin, Allie, on a cousins-only camping trip, but he is way when she brings her boyfriend, Dan, along. Jamie’s brother, Will, is pushing him to have sex even though he’s too young to know what he’s doing either. Dan quickly goes from object of derision to object of desire when Jamie meet him. He’s a masculine mirage complete with a backwards baseball cap and deep, booming voice. Sherman’s film expertly hones in on that moment where we decide to embrace adulthood even if we aren’t aren’t ready. Krasner is a star.
You can read a full review of the film here.
1. Chasing Chasing Amy
For some of us, we don’t realize that a piece of art, media, film, or television is saving our life. For transgender filmmaker Sav Rodgers, that film came in the form of Kevin Smith’s Golden Globe nominated film, Chasing Amy. Smith’s 1997 comedy received praise from critics, but it sat in an uncomfortable place for queer audiences for how it supposed that its title character (portrayed by Joey Lauren Adams) just had to find the right man in order to love authentically. What begins as an exploration into queer audience criticism transforms into something entirely personal as Rodgers’ connection with Smith grows over time. A super-fan rarely has the opportunity to connect with the filmmaker and show appreciation, but we witness that appreciation transform into respect as Rodgers’ odyssey continues. Smith’s participation is key here, as well as he offers Rodgers the space he needs to continue his personal journey. More straight, cisgender men should take a note from Smith’s openness, warm, and communication.
What could have been an easy celebration of an obsessed-over film from the ’90s shifts before our very eyes to become one of the most personal explorations of art and self ever committed to film. It’s not just one of the best films at Outfest but one of the best films of the year.
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