PIGLFF 2008, Part 4

Guess I need to count Mamma Mia as part 3 since that early screening was part of the festival, so this is part 4.



The first movie I saw this weekend is about two short films about art and bumped into a colleague of mine at the theater and that was kinda cool. The first short film is a documentary about photographer James Houston's project called Move for AIDS fundraising for education and prevention targeting youth. It is interesting to see a photographer using his own creativity to capture motions and body structures of dancers. Although the concepts are interesting, I still find it doesn't quite translate in stills and also you get a sense of awkwardness to have naked dancers and hiding their bodies in the documentary.

The main documentary is about Keith Haring, I have been a big fan of his even though I didn't know about him until after he died. The first time I've seen his work is through some street vendors selling his T-shirts in Hong Kong, bootlegged no doubt. Afterwards, I read about his work from a bookstore and gained more information about his motives. Soon I'm imitating those simple bold lines and colorful figures on my high school chalkboards. His images seemed so simple and easy to draw but yet it can convey so much. The documentary interviewed his family and friends to talk about Keith's life.

Although a little arrogant as any young talents would be, he's also generous or maybe he has a tagger mentality in which he not only signs autograph but he draws a picture in every kid's shirt or paint murials everywhere. In his early years, he provokes people by painting sex themed drawings on the wall, but later in life turned into painting angels and ballerinas for kids. Too bad AIDS took him away, we don't see any people like him in the art world anymore. Well, I have some faith in Banksy. Anyway, people who like Keith should probably give this short film a gander. C



When I think of a gay zombie film, in my mind it would either be a comedy or it could be a horror, if I'm really, really lucky it would be a combination of both, like Shaun of the Dead or at least do it a bit B-movie like make it campy or give me some flesh and make something like Hellbent. I did not like Otto; or, Up With Dead People.

Maybe I just don't get it, it's trying to theorize zombies and make it serious like a term paper. It's way pretentious and surreal, it's almost like the old SNL parodies on Calvin Klein perfume. "No... Yes...! Obsession by Calvin Klein" It's nonsense and ridiculous and worst of all boring. Although I have to say, I have never seen a zombie fucking a corpse from a hole in the gut before. That was the highlight of the parts I've seen, I walked out after about half and hour and decided not to waste my time with it anymore. I don't walk out on a movie often, but the whole mumble jumble, the pretentiousness, the boredom and it being so ridiculous repelled me from it. It's very upsetting but I'll have to swear off Bruce LaBruce movies from now on. F (ugh... never scored a movie so low before. I left Freaky Friday on TV for this?)



I'm glad I've got to see Dog Tags. It is a very well made film about two guys falling in love despite their surroundings being less than ideal. Nate joins the marine by the persuasion of his cheating and controlling girlfriend and his manipulative mother. Emo boy Andy is inspires to live a carefree life traveling the country in his beat up car but his life is tied down by his toddler son. The two met under some interesting circumstance and Andy helps Nate to find direction for his life and looking for Nate's father. It is a cute film despite some depressing details and the boys looked pretty good. C



The last film consists of a very sweet 18 minute short film from Brazil called You, Me & Him. I thought this was about polyamory as I thought the main feature The Houseboy was about that too. But this short was about a pair of lovers were about to move out and live together and all the sudden the parent of one of them, Danilo, died in an accident. Danilo is left to take care of his very young brother while balancing work and the boyfriend. His priorities changed and his relationship has to take the backseat as he's taking care of his young brother. I really liked this short film.

The Houseboy is about this kid Ricky who's in a pseudo-polyamory relationship in which he's more like a plaything and as the couple left for X'mas with their family, Ricky was left behind to take care of the house and the animals in it. Being kicked out of the house by his mom for being gay and knowing that his existing relationship will not last, Ricky is out looking for signs that his life matters to someone by having sex with strangers and telling them that he'll be committing suicide on X'mas eve. Most people were freaked out by his revelation, others don't care or believe Ricky. As X'mas is getting closer and closer, Ricky is desperate to find someone who would care.

The film is pretty dark but sexy and it struck a chord within me. I've always thought living is a bit meaningless and I'm sure I'm not the only one who thinks that there are too many people out there for me to make an impact but I'm starting to learn that meaning comes from being with the people around me instead of the work that I can accomplish. I guess it's part of why I'm getting more desperate as I age. To give some things away, Ricky finds a boy that cares about him at the end but then Ricky is 20, skinny, white and cute, while I am not. To have a meaningful life I'll have to surround myself with people I care for and people that would care for me as well. Create a social safety net, something for support and something that I can fall back on. C-



Although the festival has its ups and downs, I still really like the whole experience.