Gay Trilogy
Last year Brokeback Mountain became a kind of milestone for gay subject matter in mainstream films, in part by lending an aura of class because of all the critical praise and Oscar nominations. This year we have three gayish films of an allegedly strong distinction -- for lack of a better term I'm calling them the Gay Trilogy -- opening during award- contender season, plus a couple of second-tier so-sos.
None are on Brokeback's level -- not even close -- but they all have same-sex encounters woven into their fabric, and I'm wondering how much of this is a Brokeback legacy thing, if at all, or are gay-tinged films simply becoming more common or...? I haven't figured it all out yet, but there's some kind of wave underway.
First out of the gate is Ryan Murphy's Running With Scissors (Columbia, 10.20). This isn't a gay-relationship-driven film -- it's primarily about neuroticism and family dysfunction, and I'm hearing it's a kind of Less Than Zero-type thing -- but it does have a gay lead character (Joseph Cross) and a thread of a relationship with a secondary gay character (Joseph Fiennes).
Next up is Nicholas Hytner's The History Boys (Fox Searchlight, 11.22), which has all kinds of homoerotic posturing and ball-fondlings and whatnot, although the spirit of the piece is in another realm ("Pass it on, boys") altogether.
The final entry is Richard Eyre's Notes on a Scandal (Fox Searchlight, 12.22), a heavy-duty relationship drama from the pen of Patrick Marber (Closer) involving a strong emotional attraction on the part of an older instructor (Judi Dench) at a school for a youngish art teacher (Cate Blanchett). This situation is complicated by an "illicit" affair that Blanchett's character has with (I think) a student. The film has been rated R by the MPAA rating due in part to "some aberrant sexual content."
On top of which are two lesser efforts in this vein -- Douglas McGrath's Infamous (Warner Independent, 10.13), the "other" Truman Capote-writes-In Cold Blood movie that isn't nearly as rich or refined as Bennett Miller's Capote but is certainly shows Capote in a more flamboyantly gay light, and John Cameron Mitchell 's Shortbus (THINKFilm, 10.4), which delves into the lives of several Manhattan characters caught up in the usual hunt forsexual-emotional satisfaction, although most of it is gay-flavored.
Posted by Jeffrey Wells on September 22, 2006 at 4:36 PM
comment #1
Mike Schaefer
says ...
Well... y'know... "Queer Cinema" has been around since roughly 1989. ("Longtime Companion" more or less kicked it off.) Granted, that movement involved indie films written and/or directed by gay people, but there've been a LOT of 'em over the years. 17 years of gay films is bound to have a culmulative effect in terms of influencing the mainstream. Not every gay-themed film can be BBM or Capote or even Transamerica (last year's "trilogy"), but we'll keep trying.
Posted by Mike Schaefer
at September 22, 2006 7:52 PM
comment #2
Joseph
says ...
Considering that at least 2 of those films (Running and History Boys, I don't know about Scandal) were in production before Brokeback was even released, I think it's more or less coincidence.
Also, it needs to be pointed out that the trailer for Running with Scissors doesn't even mention the fact that Augusten Burroughs is gay or that he has a relationship with the Joseph Fiennes character.
And it's telling that the British trailer for The History Boys clearly indicates that there's a homosexual aspect to the film, but the American trailer completely buries the gay topic, painting the film as a Brit-com version of Dead Poet's Society. As a gay man, I find the latter development rather frustrating and somewhat offensive--does Fox think, even in this day and age, that Americans can't handle a positive gay reference even in a trailer?
Posted by Joseph
at September 22, 2006 9:52 PM
comment #3
jeffreywells
says ...
Wells to Joseph: Thanks for pointing out the differences between the British and American trailers for "The History Boys". You asked, "Does Fox think, even in this day and age, that Americans can't handle a positive gay reference even in a trailer?" Answer: Fox knows that they can sell it as "Dead Poet's" without a gay element so they've tried to do that, knowing full well that a pronounced gay element in a trailer will limit its appeal.
Posted by jeffreywells
at September 23, 2006 1:37 PM