Movies by Lawrence Ferber SUNDANCE'S QUEER CROP

Flicks ranged from a Gina Gershon rocker to a Charles Busch star turn

Diversity might be an overused term, but it certainly applies to the 2003 Sundance Film Festival.

"Serious dramas, hedonistic partying, important documentaries, and films that couldn't have been made any other time," reels off out programmer Shari Frilot of the selections.

Frilot says this year marked a higher quantity and quality of gay-themed film submissions, with many titles boasting a studio or company attachment/affiliation. And, signaling an "evolution toward films that happen to have gay characters rather than films that are about gayness," other films incorporated gay characters and themes without necessarily placing them center-stage. Unfortunately, not many gay-themed works originated from gay minority filmmakers this year, which Frilot attributes to the fact that "it's just harder for them to make movies." Tragically, one such celebrated filmmaker, Native American queer Clint Morrill (a.k.a. Clint Alberta, Jules Karatechamp), who had seen his films bow at Sundance in 2000 and 2002, committed suicide last year.

AIDS issues, meanwhile, surfaced prominently in several works, including a pair of documentaries: State of Denial, a look at South Africa's crisis and response, and To Live Is Better Than to Die, a portrait of a harshly affected family in mainland China.

Although many of this year's queer films were strong, provocative, and just plain campy, the awards didn't come rolling in for them. That said, Andrew Jarecki's controversial Capturing the Friedmans snagged the Grand Jury Prize for Best Documentary. And Charles Busch won an Outstanding Performance honor for his hysterical and nuanced (in the grandest sense, mind you) portrayal of a demented has-been singer/actress in Die Mommie Die.

This rundown of the Sundance queer crop, this is a de facto preview of the films you will see at gay film festivals, on cable, and in theaters later this year.

AKA

The Story: Presented in a visually busy three-screen format, AKA imagines Dean, a lower-class UK teen (Matthew Leitch) escaping his hellish, abusive home life by impersonating the posh son of an art gallery owner. Residing in Paris under this false identity, he is taken in by a gay sugar daddy and his American hustler lover. A credit card fraud investigator and a gnawing sense of identity displacement, however, threaten Dean's new life.

The Scoop: A queer twist on Catch Me If You Can, AKA is based on the surprising, real-life story of director Duncan Roy. For five years, Roy posed as the son of Lady Rendlesham, an aristocratic London socialite.

Brother Outsider: The Life of Bayard Rustin

The Story: Bayard Rustin was a black civil rights leader on par with Martin Luther King Jr. in gumption and achievements. However, due to his open homosexuality, Rustin was shunned by his peers and goes largely unremembered today. In this touching, archival material-rich documentary by Nancy Kates and Bennett Singer, Rustin-who was responsible for organizing the 1963 March on Washington-gets his well-deserved due.

The Scoop: A must-see that, hopefully, school systems will incorporate into their curriculum. While screening at the festival, Brother Outsider aired on PBS on Martin Luther King Jr. Day.

Camp

The Story: A rousing Fame-esque musical set at the fictitious performance arts camp, Camp Ovation. During one summer, a sexy and possibly straight camper, Ivan (Daniel Letterle), rattles the lives of a sweet girl (Joanna Chilcoat) and gay boy (Robin de Jesus).

The Scoop: Camp was based on and shot at the Catskills theater camp, Stagedoor Manor, which director Todd Graff attended in the '70s. He wasn't the only Stagedoor alumnus at the festival. Others included Girls Will Be Girls producer Michael Warwick, actor Robert Downey Jr., and yours truly.

Capturing the Friedmans

The Story: In the 1980s, police in Great Neck, New York, arrested Arnold Friedman and one of his three sons, Jesse, for the alleged sexual abuse of children in a computer class they taught. Director Andrew Jarecki probes the case, facts, evidence, and lack thereof, unearthing a series of ambiguities and doubts regarding their guilt. In the process, we witness the family crumble from the inside through extensive home video footage.

The Scoop: This Sundance award-winner sparked off a fiery Q&A session one evening. A woman whose child had been in the Friedmans' computer class stood up and lobbed allegations at Jarecki, whom she believed to be in support of the Friedmans' innocence. Jarecki, who researched his subjects exhaustively, shot back facts that contradicted her accusations. Asked why she even came to see the film, the woman responded, "From the title, I thought it was going to be about capturing the Friedmans."

Die Mommie Die!

The Story: Based on Charles Busch's play of the same name, this homage to women's movies of the '40-'60s combines camp, high production values, and omnisexual action. Busch reprises his role as Angela Arden, an aging has-been with a constipated hubby (Philip Baker Hall), homo son (Stark Sands), angry daughter (Natasha Lyonne), bisexual lover (Jason Priestley), and a murderous tendency. When daddy dies from a poisoned suppository, everyone pursues mommy for revenge and a few dark secrets.

The Scoop: Busch is brilliant as ever, while Priestley plays for both teams onscreen. A nude pool scene with Priestley was tragically lost after a waterproofed camera proved not quite waterproof.

The Education of Gore Vidal

The Story: Produced for the American Masters television series, this entertaining documentary mixes interviews with the gay scribe/political thinker, archival footage, and readings of his work by the likes of Paul Newman and Susan Sarandon.

The Scoop: The Education of Gore Vidal isn't the first queer documentary by three-time Academy Award-nominee Deborah Dickson. The director was responsible for last year's equally delightful Ruthie and Connie: Every Room

in the House. Her new film will air on PBS stations this summer.

The Event

The Story: An assistant district attorney (Parker Posey) investigates a possibly connected rash of suicides in Chelsea. One of the recently deceased is Matt (Brent Carver), a musician with AIDS whose mother (Olympia Dukakis), sisters, and friends are hiding a secret that could solve the case.

The Scoop: A serious, politically tinged tearjerker that left even a press screening audience-which is infamously unmovable-audibly sniffling and sobbing. Dukakis's maternal performance is possibly her best.

Girls Will Be Girls

The Story: Three Hollywood ladies-fallen star Evie (Jack Plotnick), whipping dog Coco Peru (Clinton Leupp), and starlet wannabe Varla Jean Merman (Jeffery Roberson)-clash in the same apartment, bound by betrayals, men, and abortions.

The Scoop: This comedy is anything but a drag. And the quotable, bitter zingers are plentiful, including the advice, "A little less binge, a little more purge" and "Feelings are like treasures, so bury them."

Irreversible

The Story: Unraveling in reverse style a la Memento, French director Gaspar Noe's revenge film sees a rape victim's lover pursuing the sleazy bisexual perpetrator.

The Scoop: A nine-minute rape scene and a brutal fire extinguisher bludgeoning made this movie a wave-maker at Cannes. At Sundance, audiences also fled, traumatized. One audience experienced 15 adverse reactions, including vomiting and fainting.

Laurel Canyon

The Story: Frances McDormand plays a bisexual record producer living in California's Laurel Canyon. When her son and his begging-for-adventure girlfriend (Christian Bale and Kate Beckinsale) visit, sexual sparks go wild.

The Scoop: Directed/written by out lesbian Lisa Cholodenko (High Art), this quiet yet well-reviewed selection sees McDormand lock lips with another lady.

Madame Sata

The Story: Set in 1930s Rio de Janeiro, director Karim Ainouz' stunning debut feature stars Lazaro Ramos as a real-life legendary local figure, Joao Francisco dos Santos, a.k.a. Madame Sata. A feral, violent, and charismatic black man, Santos transforms from bitter fringe criminal to beloved cross-dressing performer-and, tragically, back again.

The Scoop: Distributor Wellspring will release this feverish stunner, which brings us a stereotype-defying, ass-kicking queer of color, come summer.

The Mudge Boy

The Story: Emile Hirsch stars as Duncan, an emotionally distant farmer's sensitive son. A social reject whose only comforts are a chicken and his dead mother's clothes, Duncan finally manages to connect with Perry, a rowdy older neighborhood teen.

The Scoop: Director Michael Burke developed The Mudge Boy from his 1999 Sundance award-winning short film, Fish Belly White. Showtime is hoping to secure a theatrical release for The Mudge Boy, and Purdue will sponsor the chicken's Oscar campaign. (OK, I jest).

Nightstalker

The Story: Crack-smoking serial killer Richard Ramirez (Bret Roberts) is on the loose in 1980s Los Angeles, and only Gabriella Martinez (Roselyn Sanchez), a lesbian detective, can stop his rampage.

The Scoop: While the lesbian status of Gabriella is downplayed to the point that it isn't even acknowledged onscreen, the character was always envisioned as queer, says director Chris Fisher. Frilot vouches for its "dyke vibes."

Normal

The Story: Midwestern couple Roy and Irma Applewood (Tom Wilkinson and Jessica Lange) are celebrating their 25th anniversary when Roy comes clean with a shocking revelation: He wants to have a sex change. Irma flips out, as does the church, family members, Roy's factory co-workers, and even thrift-store clerks. Can love conquer all?

The Scoop: Jessica Lange works every moment of this Jane Anderson-directed HBO production like it's an Oscar-winner. Kudos to Hayden Panattiere as the couple's adorable baby-dyke daughter. Debuts March 16 on HBO. [For more Normal, click here.]

Party Monster

The Story: Based on Fenton Bailey and Randy Barbato's same-name documentary, Party Monster stars Macaulay Culkin as famed club-kid killer Michael Alig. Seth Green portrays flaming best friend James St. James (from whose memoir, Disco Bloodbath, the script was based).

The Scoop: If only the film was as good-and explicitly gay-as the Sundance party held in its honor. Green, Chloe Sevigny, Culkin, and brother Kieran showed up at Park City's The Shop for the stunning shindig, which featured a Salt Lake City Mormon boy stripping naked onstage. Not one to abstain from kooky club antics, the real James St. James jammed his fingers into the lad's very special, blessed place. As for the film itself, Green steals it, although the sight of Culkin parading around with a surgical mask as makeshift jockstrap is priceless.

Prey For Rock and Roll

The Story: Gina Gershon stars as Jacki, the bisexual front woman of an all-girl rock band. Now 40, Jacki realizes she has to shit (read: get signed) or get off the pot (read: break up the band). Her girlfriend is hoping for the latter, while the band's resident lesbian couple, Faith (Lori Petty) and Sally (Shelly Cole), are angling for the former. Add tragedies, ex-convicts, drugs, and plot twists.

The Scoop: At long last, Gershon and her lips are back in lesbo mode. And can she sing, as proved at a party for the film at Cisero's nightclub.

Soldier's Girl

The Story: This movie is based on the true story of soldier Barry Winchell and transsexual performer Calpernia Adams. Troy Garrity plays Winchell, who falls for Calpernia (Lee Pace) after meeting up in a drag bar. When a nosy superior and chemically imbalanced roommate interfere, tragedy results.

The Scoop: A Showtime production, Soldier's Girl is a sublime and affecting work that further affirms the network's progressive stance. Few audience members were able to hold back tears at screenings, including Calpernia Adams, who attended the festival. [Soldier's Girl is scheduled to air on Showtime in the next few months.]

Lawrence Ferber's writing has appeared in Entertainment Weekly and The Advocate. He reported on the newly out Rawhide Kid in the February issue of OutSmart.

If you have any comments about this article, please email them to letters@outsmartmagazine.com.