By Hans Pedersen, April 2017 Issue.
Almost Adults
Now playing on iTunes | 90 minutes | Comedy, Drama
Best friends – Cassie, who’s straight, and Mackenzie, who’s gay – are facing huge hurdles in life: one is breaking up with her boyfriend while the other is coming out of the closet. This quirky time of life when 20-somethings transition into adulthood is typically rife for comic fodder in both indie and LGBTQ cinema. But in this particular movie, despite some winning moments, over-rehearsed acting and clumsy editing seem to hamper the storytelling and the expression of fresh ideas.
Paris 05:59 Théo & Hugo
DVD release April 18 | 97 minutes | Drama, Romance
Two-time Academy Award-winning documentary director Barbara Kopple helms this film about a YouTube celebrity who demonstrates love and strength to millions while coming out as transgender. The documentary chronicles how Canadian diver Greg Lazzarato began sharing fashion and makeup tips on his YouTube channel, came out as gay and stood up to homophobia. Lazzarato amassed legions of fans and, in 2013, ultimately announced plans to transition to female. Kopple shows how a loving family and supportive community helped launch the meteoric rise of Gigi Lazzarato, aka Gigi Gorgeous, so it certainly seems appropriate the acclaimed filmmaker is premiering her latest work on YouTube.
Before I Fall
Now playing in theaters | Rated PG-13 | 99 minutes | Drama, Mystery
Popular high school senior Sam (Zoey Deutch) starts reliving the same day over and over again in this drama that can be cleanly boiled down to the concept: Groundhog Day meets Mean Girls. But director Ry Russo-Young’s young adult flick is also skillfully crafted. Sam learns, through the art of repetition, how her privileged suburban student clique is actually demeaning others, and her friends’ victims include a teenage lesbian. As Sam tries to change the minutiae of each day, she develops a big change of heart in this tightly-knotted, fantastical tale and realizes everything she’s in danger of losing.
Bromance
DVD release March 28 | 93 minutes | Drama, Romance
In this coming-of-age feature from Argentina that’s directed by Lucas Santa Ana, a girl and three guys head to a secluded seashore for a vacation. Young men who wrestle and sunbathe nude are sometimes just being flirty, but in this group, two of the guys who keep grabbing each another realize it’s more than just male bonding and find they have the hots for one other. Javier De Pietro stars in this indie that contains homophobic epithets, which are mercifully balanced out with scenes of shirtless dudes making out on the beach.
