Outfest 2008: Where Do We Go From Here?

A JIHAD FOR LOVE (USA) “Muhammad was a feminist,” says an unapologetic young dyke in AJihad for Love, Parvez Sharma’s documentary about the struggles of queer Muslims around the world. Worth noting is the woman’s unapologetic attitude about both her sexuality and her faith. Sharma spent almost six years traversing a dozen countries to capture the stories of Muslims struggling to reconcile queer sexuality with Islamic teachings. The rigor with which some of the film’s subjects have studied the Quran and can draw distinctions between bigoted cultural practices and religious text is impressive, though the presence of additional Islamic scholars with nuanced, progressive readings of the Quran would have bolstered their arguments. The film’s considerable power lies in its emotionalism: As we watch a quartet of gay Iranian men await verdicts on their asylum applications to Canada, or listen as a young Egyptian lesbian couple wrestle with their love for one another and for Islam, the urgency of their dilemmas is palpable. (DGA, Thurs., July 17, 7 p.m.) (EH)

THE NEW TWENTY (USA) In his sleek and accomplished debut film, writer-director Chris Mason Johnson tracks the lives and loves of a cadre of 29-year-old Manhattan college friends who betray themselves and each other by abusing the Big Three — sex, money, drugs. At the center is Andrew (Ryan Locke), a lean, blond alpha-dog investment banker whose beautiful Asian fiancé (Nicole Bilderback) may be his match in the world of business. Among those circling this golden couple are Ben (Colin Fickes), who’s gay, overweight and addicted to online sex sites (there’s a great moment when a trick comes over to Ben’s apartment and the two men reject each other on sight), as well as the drug-addicted Felix (Thomas Sadoski) and commitment-phobic Tony (Andrew Wei Lin). We have been here many times before (see 1966’s The Group), but Johnson and co-writer Ishmael Chawla have a light touch that keeps things from turning overly melodramatic — no vases get thrown. Supported by veteran New York actors such as Terry Serpico and Bill Sage, the strong ensemble of young actors create fully defined personas, thanks in large part to their director’s willingness to linger after a dramatic peak and observe the characters in private, take-a-breath moments. He’s got something, this guy, and although I’m surely overpraising The New Twenty, I’d hate to see a movie this ethnically and sexually diverse fade away on today’s dead-end gay release circuit. After all, for better or worse, every generation deserves its own St. Elmo’s Fire. (DGA, Sat., July 12, 9:30 p.m.; Monica 4-Plex, Tues., July 15, 7 p.m.) (Chuck Wilson)

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• Fairfax
• Richard Berkowitz
• Jeffrey Schwarz
• GLBT Issues
• Documentary Films

A PLACE TO LIVE (USA) “It’s a perfect storm of high land value and low median income. We’re in the midst of one of the worst housing crises in modern history.” So says talking-head Councilman Eric Garcetti in this documentary about the struggle by queer senior citizens to find housing in Los Angeles. Director Carolyn Coal follows seven elderly gays and lesbians from the time they first hear about the building of a housing complex for senior LGBT folk in early 2006, through the excruciating wait a year later to hear if they’ve won the lottery for admittance. As the seniors share their stories of illness, poverty and homophobia, they prove themselves heroes and heroines whose humor and resilience are as inspiring as their hardships are heart piercing. (Fairfax, Sat., July 12, noon.) (EH)

READY? OK! (USA) Year-10 Catholic-school student Joshua Dowd (Lurie Poston, a real natural) believes in “picking people up, not knocking them down,” a philosophy that for Joshua has a literal interpretation — he’s desperate to be on the cheerleader squad. Neither his mom (Carrie Preston) nor the principal, Sister Vivian (Tara Karsian), will sign off, however, so Joshua is stuck on the wrestling team, where one day he can’t help but cheer a teammate on — complete with syncopated hand gestures. In these moments, writer-director James Vasquez displays a real flair for the comedy of eccentricity. He and Preston and her husband, Michael Emerson (Ben on TV’s Lost), who plays a gay neighbor, are longtime collaborators, and in the film’s broader moments there’s a sense of play and improvisation. As Joshua’s beleaguered mother, Preston is terrific, and has a moving confessional monologue. But in the home stretch, the pathos gets a bit thick. A prerelease re-edit might be in order, for which the wise and wonderful Joshua can surely provide a cheer. (Fairfax, Fri., July 11, 7 p.m. and Sat., July 12, 11 a.m.) (CW)

SEEDS OF SUMMER (Israel) The brutality of the Israeli Defense Forces training program for female troops pales in comparison to the brutality of emotional upheaval as lesbian identity flowers and wide-eyed crushes turn serious. Documentary filmmaker Hen Lasker’s camera is allowed extraordinary access both on the training grounds and into the hearts and heads of the fresh-faced young women who are clad in military gear, wielding massive firepower. Though various Hollywood-ready subplots fill the screen (one woman’s escalating and debilitating anxiety attacks; a pretty-girl fuckup evolves into a team leader), it’s the flirtation between Lasker and one of her subjects, commander Smadar, that crackles, particularly when Smadar is so overcome by emotion that she forces Lasker to jettison what little is left of her professional distance. (DGA, Sun., July 13, 8 p.m.; Fairfax, Tues., July 15, 7:30 p.m.) (EH)