LGBTQ+ movies

Call Me By Your Name: An ode to being young,  gay and in love

Luca Guadagnino’s 2017 drama centers around a whimsical summer romance between two young men, set in the blissful Italian Toscana of the 1980s. But behind beautiful beaches, infinite sunshine and endless olive trees lies the ever-lingering question: Is it safe to just be who we are?

Story

In the summer of 1983, the 17-year-old boy Elio lives a peaceful life with his parents in idyllic Northern Italy. This is when his father, a professor of archeology, decides to invite Oliver, a 24-year-old American grad student, to stay with them over the summer to help him with his paperwork. At first, one has the impression that the calm Elio and the confident Oliver don’t share many similarities, and even when Oliver first implies interest in Elio, the young man doesn’t pursue it. Elio’s attitude changes over time, as they spend more time together by going on bike trips or ice cream dates in the city. After all, temptation and passion arise and they come closer, still hidden from the eyes of others and still unsure what to make of their young love. The story explores their desires and struggles with their sexual identity and their limited time together, as fall is approaching swiftly. 

What message is told?

When it comes to deciding on what emotions and messages should be expressed through the movie, the regisseur is the drawing force. In this case, the Italian regisseur Luca Guadagnino stated that he intended to transmit the feeling of an unbiased and uncynical desire, hand in hand with a sense of “joie de vivre”, to live life to the fullest in every moment. This is also the overall vibe the movie possesses, it feels like a collection of warm memories and anecdotes both Elio and Oliver keep to remind themselves of the summer they experienced together, even when the leaves have already fallen from the tree long ago. The movie also shows the importance of being true to oneself instead of trying to suppress one’s feelings and shying away from dealing with unexpected love. A message that appeals to everyone and has universal relevance but is especially relatable for LGBTQ+ audiences. 

What makes “Call Me By Yor Name” a good movie?

There are a plethora of reasons which make CMBYN a good and critically acclaimed movie. On one hand, the performances of Timothée Chalamet (Elio) and Armie Hammer (Oliver) are superb, with the former even receiving a nomination in the category “Best Actor” at the Oscars and the Golden Globes. With their talent, they let the viewer fully empathize with the complex sorrows and wishes of their characters. The story is carried by the emotional soundtrack and its secluded, magnificent apolitical setting in Italy of the 1980s, which gives their relationship more time to shine and permits the viewer to be fully encapsulated in the story. Based on a novel with the same name by André Aciman, it even won the Oscar for “Best Adapted Screenplay”, perfectly outlining that besides the beautiful imagery, the writing doesn’t fall flat at all. Even though CMYBYN is one of my favorite movies, it is by no means enjoyable for me, since recent cannibalism accusations against Armie Hammer came up, the age gap between the lovers is big and I can’t possibly enjoy a movie which leaves me with a gut-wrenching feeling and tears after every watch.  

written by Pius Hartmann

The Handmaiden: lesbians scamming men and staying together is my favourite movie genre

As it turned out, it was quite a difficult task for me to find a piece of gay cinema I mostly enjoy and which doesn’t leave me crying or worked up after the end credits start to come up. The Handmaiden, however, is one of these rare movies. Even though there are many scenes that aren’t enjoyable to watch, seeing how the story plays out and its fascinating character dynamics are what makes it one of my most rewatched movies.

So what kind of movie is The Handmaiden exactly? It’s one of the many masterful original Korean movie productions which received international spotlight in the 2010s. It is undoubtedly also a great drama and a prime example of complex storytelling, which hooks you from the first plot twist on until the satisfying ending. 

Story

The story is divided in three acts, all set in the 1930s in a Korea occupied by the Japanese. The protagonist of the first act is Sook-hee, a young female delinquent, who gets approached by the impostor Fugiwara at the begin of the story. Fujiwara offers her a job as a handmaiden at the estate of Lady Hideko, a rich young countess, who is permanently supervised by her uncle, who plans to marry her to get to her money. As her personal handmaiden, Sook-hee should influence the countess to fall in love with Fujiwara, who pretends to be a count himself. In return, she would get the countess’ jewels and money. At first, their plan seems to succeed, but Lady Hideko turns out to be mentally unstable and by comforting her, Sook-hee and she come closer, which is where the original plan begins to crumble. In the second act, a complete change of narrative occurs, before all elements tie together in the final third act. It is by no means an easy watch in the first two acts or even a no-brainer, The Handmaiden is a movie that demands your full attention and psychological durability, but the happy ending makes up for it. 

Why rewatch it?

After watching The Handmaiden for the first time, there are multiple reasons that make you want to rewatch it immediately. First off, the plot is filled with so many unforeseeable twists you’ll want to find out more about, since it’s almost impossible to catch everything during the first watch-through, which makes the characters and their behavior even more entertaining. Besides that, you’ll know when to skip the gruesome and explicit scenes of the movie and will not be caught off-guard by its violence anymore, as those scenes are not pleasant for the majority of viewers. Nevertheless, the harmless scenes, especially between Sook-hee and Lady Hideko, overweigh and there is nothing more enjoyable and comforting than watching two women who have been mistreated, underestimated and abused getting their well-deserved revenge and burning down a library in the process, for example.  

written by Pius Hartmann