The 47th annual Frameline Film Festival was back this year during the midst of pride month, because that only makes sense for a queer-centered film festival. As with most of these film festivals that I’m attending virtually, the selection isn’t quite as robust as attending in person, but there were still some gems to be found.
The Mattachine Family – We are looking at Thomas’ life through his own eyes where he first introduces us to the love of his life, Oscar. They have a seemingly perfect life and then Oscar manages to convince Thomas that they should have a kid. And by a kid, I mean they foster a young boy named Arthur. Even though Oscar is the main driver in this want for their family, it is Thomas whose world is ripped to pieces when Arthur’s mother gets him back. Thomas can’t shake it, and it’s ruining everything good that Oscar has going in his career at the moment. Thomas is faced with the impossible decision of wanting a child, but also wanting to be with the love of his life who doesn’t seem to be budging on the situation. Thomas is lucky in that he has some great friends as a support system and a sort of makeshift family, but I know I wouldn’t want to be in his shoes.
Lie with Me – I have heard of this novel over the years without actually knowing anything about it. I just know that I like the cover art and it’s still on my ‘to be read’ list. I suppose I could actually follow my rule of thumb this time around and watch the movie before I get sucked into the (probably better) source material. Stephane Belcourt is a successful French author, whose novels center all around losing the love of your life. We don’t get too much more color until he comes face to face with a young man who looks just like his clandestine lover from his senior year in school. From there we are treated to flashbacks as Stephane gets to know this doppelgänger. The young man may be tied closer to Stephane’s past than he ever realized was possible. The flashbacks were captivating, although the story didn’t offer a whole lot of fresh ground. It made me excited to get my hand on the novel sooner rather than later though!
I had also purchased a ticket to stream Golden Delicious, but apparently that was only available to stream within California. Not sure why they even let me purchase it. I’ve had this happen to me in the past and I’ve learned that I am dumb and can’t read the film’s whole information page where it tells me it’s only available regionally, but I went back to the page after I discovered I couldn’t watch it for that reason and found no such information. Such is life, I suppose. Anyways, it was another nice year to be a part of this virtual film festival.