Most gay independent films are forgettable, but every once in a while there are the rare gems that are the exception to the rule. Beautiful Something is one of them.

The film takes measure of what kindness and love for our fellow human beings can do in life, even where brassy, loudmouth drag queens are concerned.

Italian director Laura Bispuri’s debut film follows Mark (Alba Rohrwacher), an Albanian man who had renounced his female gender and taken a vow of chastity as a teen to escape a life of servitude.

Dreamlike and deeply sensual, The Summer of Sangaile relies primarily on evocative imagery to relate its story of first love and self-discovery. The film opens at an air show with 17-year-old Sangaile (Julija Steponaityte) watching in fearful longing as stunt planes perform vertical climbs, loops, and dangerous plunging dives. Auste (Aiste Dirziute) works the show […]

The Toronto International film festival is so vast that it’s hard to get a handle on it. With a selection of 288 feature films, TIFF is really about a dozen festivals under the umbrella of one. A viewer can only hope to taste a slice of the programming. Even if festivalgoers intend on solely exploring, […]

In the English-speaking world, Ruth Rendell hasn’t exactly made her mark on the big screen. In the Francophone world, however, the late mystery and thriller author’s effect continues to be felt. At fewer than 15 pages, Rendell’s Edgar Award–winning short story “The New Girlfriend” seems an odd choice for a feature film. But director François […]

Of all the films in the official Cannes Film Festival competition this year, Carol should have been awarded the Most Valuable Player. It ticks off nearly all the boxes: strong acting all around; a rich, muted, Edward Hopper–esque palette; impeccable period details, namely the prim and proper costuming; and, most importantly, the straightforward direction by […]

Written and Directed by Pat Mills Produced by Mike MacMillan and Alyson Richards Released by Strand Releasing Canada. 80 min. Not rated With Pat Mills, Zahra Bentham, Tracey Hoyt, Kevin Hanchard, Alex Ozerov, and Eleanor Zichy Guidance, a new comedy about a depressed ex-child actor posing as a high school guidance counselor, is the directorial […]

Written and Directed by Sophie Deraspe Produced by Isabelle Couture and Nathalie Cloutier Released by SundanceNow Doc Club English, French, and Arabic with English subtitle Canada. 84 min. Not rated Abduction can be a tool of terror, employed by political regimes to silence opposing viewpoints and conceal the truth. It is ironic that in the […]