TV

Soldier’s Girl

Photo by Ken Woroner/Showtime

Based on the true and tragic story of a young soldier beaten to death for falling in love with a transgender person, Soldier’s Girl recounts the story of Barry Winchell, a 21-year-old private first class and his relationship with Calpernia Addams, a beautiful transgendered nightclub performer. Antigay sentiment in the barracks ultimately leads to Winchell’s beating death by fellow soldiers in 1999.

Troy Garity (son of Jane Fonda and Tom Hayden) plays Winchell, and Lee Pace (click here for an interview with Pace) plays Addams. This love story between Winchell and Addams is truly enhanced by the superb performances of Garity and Pace (Emmy talk is already in the wind), both of whom appear to have inhabited their characters. The ending—which ties up loose ends with quick spurts of dialog and overlapping narration—seems to have been tacked on and is the only part of the film that looks as though a different crew assembled it. But please don’t let that inhibit you from seeing this noteworthy film.

Soldier’s Girl was written by Ron Nyswaner, who gave us Philadelphia, and directed by Frank Pierson, who has given us other gay-related fare: HBO’s Citizen Cohn (1992), Showtime’s Dirty Pictures (2000), and the 1976 version of A Star Is Born (if you’re wondering how it’s gay-related, well, it does star Barbra Streisand).

Soldier’s Girl premieres Saturday, May 31, at 8 p.m. on Showtime, with repeat airings throughout gay pride month. Check later in May at www.showtimeonline.com for the June schedule. —Blase DiStefano

Daddy and Papa

Two toddlers (black brothers) are adopted by a single white male. A black baby boy is adopted by an interracial male couple. A woman bears a child (a girl) for a male couple who are friends. A single white male takes in an abandoned black boy, whom he can’t adopt because of Florida’s antiquated adoption laws. Throw some Judaism into the mix. What’s this world coming to?

Daddy and Papa expertly conveys a world of love, which is interwoven throughout this profound and very political documentary. Even after one of the couples goes through a painful divorce, their major concern is their daughter. “I certainly wouldn’t choose to have [my ex] Philip around at this point in my life, but, you know, he’s there and he’s a great father for Fanny. I mean, ultimately, it comes down to Fanny and how she’s doing, and she’s completely surrounded by love.”

One doesn’t have to have children to appreciate the struggles, challenges, and triumphs of gay fathers and their children portrayed in Daddy & Papa. Airs locally on Independent Lens, June 3, at 10 p.m. on PBS (www.houstonpbs.org). —BD

The Triumph of Love

Clare Peploe’s fast-paced and witty adaptation of Pierre Marivaux’s 1732 gender-bending romantic comedy (2001) features Mira Sorvino as a princess who dons men’s clothing to infiltrate a secluded estate. Her goal: to woo the hunky true heir (Jay Rodan) to the throne.

However, her many disguises bring about countless complications as she additionally manipulates the amorous desires of both her beloved’s stuffy philosopher teacher (Ben Kingsley) and the tutor’s dour scientist sister (Fiona Shaw).

May 10, 8 p.m.; 15th, 10 a.m. & 8 p.m.; 16th, 4:45 a.m.; 21st, 8:30 a.m. & 6 p.m.; 25th, 8:15 a.m. & 11:30 p.m. on Sundance Channel. To confirm schedule: www.sundancechannel.com. —Troy Carrington

The Roman Spring of Mrs. Stone

Helen Mirren (Oscar nominee and Golden Globe- and Emmy Award-winner), Anne Bancroft (Oscar- and Emmy-winner), Brian Dennehy (Tony- and Golden Globe Award-winner), and Olivier Martinez (Cesar Award-winner) make up the cast of the Showtime Original Picture The Roman Spring of Mrs. Stone. Based on Tennessee Williams’s novella, Mrs. Stone is the story of a recently widowed middle-aged American actress and her affair with a young Italian gigolo.

The entire cast is splendid, but Mirren is a marvel. As Karen Stone, Mirren evokes the pathos of a woman advancing in age, no longer married, and adrift in a sea of loneliness.

Written by Martin Sherman, who also scripted two gay films: Alive & Kicking (1996) and Bent (1997).

Premieres Sunday, May 4, at 7 p.m. on Showtime (www.showtimeonline.com), with repeat airings on the 12th (10:30 p.m.), the 24th (9 p.m.), and the 28th (7 p.m.). —BD

Dark Roots: The Unauthorized Anna Nicole

Directed and produced by Randy Barbato and Fenton Bailey (The Eyes of Tammy Faye, Party Monster), along with Gabriel Rotello (Monica in Black and White), this documentary will confirm some of the rumors and explode some of the myths about this larger-than-life character.

Although Anna Nicole Smith does not suffer from a lack of exposure, who she really is remains a mystery. Why? Because she has been careful to distance herself from her family. In Dark Roots, her estranged aunts and cousins speak out for the first time as the film attempts to uncover the little-known origins of this blonde bombshell whose dreams surpassed the small town of Mexia, Texas, her birthplace.

The openly gay team of Barbato and Bailey present her story of sex, money, and drugs in the inimitable style that they have come to be known for.

Premieres Sunday, May 25, 9 p.m., on Showtime (www.showtimeonline.com), with repeat airings on the 29th at 8:30 p.m. and the 31st at 10 p.m. —TC

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