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BFI Flare is an annual film festival focusing on queer stories and voices, hosted by the British Film Institute. Normally films are screened across a couple of weeks at the BFI in central London with Q&As and events but this year everything was done via streaming due to pandemic restrictions, which meant it was pretty easy to attend.
This is more of a record for myself of what I watched but maybe you'll find a film or documentary here that interests you âśż
Director: Alexa Bakony
Against the challenges of an increasingly conservative Hungary, where trans rights are currently being stripped back, this insightful documentary generously shines a light on the journey of Tobi's mother as much as Tobi themselves. Having come out once as male in his mid- teens, Tobi later shifts towards a non-binary identity. It's a steep learning curve for the family to re-evaluate the deeply ingrained gender binary in this rural corner of Central Europe, but for this caring and communicative group, love wins the day.
A sweet and thoughtful documentary. Tobi's parents are beyond supportive (financially, emotionally, practically) and not only try to understand their child but to celebrate them. This should be the norm, not the exception.
Director: Zaida Bergroth
A lyrical and romantic biopic of the beloved creator of the Moomins featuring an incredible central performance by Alma Pöysti.
This is the standard kind of European biopic that does well in UK arthouse cinemas. It's beautifully filmed and the main cast are good (Alma Pöysti has played Tove Jansson before on the stage) but it didn't particularly move me. I was suprised at how quickly the film got made - they were supposed to shoot scenes in Paris but couldn't because of pandemic restrictions!
Directors: Harri Shanahan and Siân Williams
A heady mash-up of animation, archive footage and interviews tells the story of a radical scene: squatters, BDSM nightclubs, anti-Thatcher rallies, protests demanding action around AIDS and the fierce ties of chosen family.
I don't know much about lesbian history and sub-cultures so this was definitely an illumunating documentary about the early/mid-1980s. We're still arguing about the same stuff decades later, navigating the intersections of the political and personal. The film felt more like a zine than a documentary but I think that's the spirit and aesthetic the filmmakers were going for.
Director: Martin Kraut
A nurse questions the intentions of his handsome new colleague in this taut and chilling psychological thriller.
The control of pace, the dream-like nocturnal atmosphere and the lead performances were fantastic. I wouldn't call it homoerotic really but it has queer characters. The ending left me feeing very unsettled so I think that's a win for the filmmaker! It's based on a true case in Uruguay.
Directors: Michael Seligman and Jennifer Tiexiera
When a cache of letters written by 1950s New York drag queens was discovered in 2014, filmmakers Michael Seligman and Jennifer Tiexiera tracked down the authors to hear their story.
It's kind of miracle that they managed to track down the letter-writers and make this film. The interviews and all the amazing archive footage make this documentary an exceptional and historically-important window onto a generation of queer folks who have almost disappeared. Loved it.
In the US, you can watch the film on Discovery+.
Director: Thomas Wilson-White
Grieving the loss of her mother Lillian, Beth stumbles across a portal to the past where she can revisit happier times, but soon finds it hard to stay away.
The film's dreamy, soft-focus look was well-suited to this story about the dangers of nostalgia. Beth, the main character, internalises the homophobia of the outside world and rejects her own burgeoning relationship because she doesn't want to repeat the life her mothers led, fighting for acceptance. I found that really interesting.
Director: Oskar Roehler
Documenting key moments and relationships in Fassbinder’s life from his theatre beginnings through to the production of his final film Querelle, Enfant Terrible is no straightforward exercise in hagiography. Instead, Roehler has crafted a heady evocation of an artist fuelled by addiction, whose undeniable genius was matched only by his cruelty to those around him.
I saved this one to close out the festival and was not disappointed. I loved the stylised stage lighting and sets, and the fantastic performance by Oliver Masucci who plays Rainer Werner Fassbinder. The film only really focuses on Fassbinder's male relationships – I'm not sure if that was a deliberate decision or whether the women refused permission to portray them. I've only seen a few of his films so I know I am certainly missing out on the richer nuances and details.