It’s been a long year, and as 2017 draws to a close with marriage equality a reality at last, it’s worth noting that it’s been an uncommonly good year for queer cinema.
From the glorious Oscars triumph of "Moonlight" on to new Oscars hopeful "Call Me By Your Name", here are 12 of the very best dramatic features released this year:
Moonlight
Narrowly averting another Crash moment ("Brokeback Mountain" was so robbed), director Barry Jenkins deserved the Best Picture statuette he received after a short . A beautifully rendered depiction of three seminal chapters in the life of African American man Chiron (Alex Hibert, Ashton Sanders, Trevante Rhodes) and the halting emergence of his queer identity, "Moonlight" is one for the ages, not just 2017.
Alex R. Hibbert and Mahershala Ali in 'Moonlight'. Image: Roadshow Films Source: Roadshow Films
Pulse
Truthful depictions of disability in film are still incredibly rare, let alone in queer cinema. Directed by Stevie Cruz-Martin, affecting Australian movie "Pulse" stars , who also wrote the film. A confronting fictionalised version of Monks’ very real teenage desire to wish away both his disability and sexuality by deploying a science fiction body-swap plot, "Pulse" then tackles the consequences.
A Date for Mad Mary
Winning the audience award for best feature at the Irish filmmaker Darren Thornton’s rousing debut feature "A Date for Mad Mary" hinges on an incredible star turn by Seána Kerslake. Fresh out of prison, Mary is a big drinker and an even bigger fighter. Hurt to realise that her about-to-be-wed best friend has moved on from their once-intertwined life together, Mary ends up falling for a girl, further confusing her feelings, but also offering a shot at elusive happiness.
A Fantastic Woman (Una Mujer Fantástica)
Chilean director Sebastián Lelio’s ("") . "A Fantastic Woman" features a luminous performance by trans actor and singer Daniela Vega. Thrown out of her home by the family of her older lover following his untimely death, Marina is a woman on a mission: regaining custody of their dog, woe-betide anyone who stands in her way. It scooped three awards at the and has a national release early next year after working the festival circuit.
The Wound (Inxeba)
Screening at the 2017 , South African writer/director John Trengove’s breathtakingly beautiful, thought-provoking debut feature "The Wound" - set for limited release early next year - . Exploring secretive male initiation rite Ulwaluko, out gay singer-turned-actor Nakhane Touré is a revelation as closeted guide Xolani, concealing his love for aggressive fellow guide Vija (Bongile Mantsai), and challenged by a young initiate (Niza Jay).
BPM (120 Battements Par Minute)
Audiences at this year’s were spoiled with an advance screening of "Eastern Boys" director Robin Campillo’s latest queer masterpiece. Taking home an armful of awards at the Cannes Film Festival, including the Queer Palm, "BPM" is equal parts a that depicts the lives and loves behind HIV activist group ACT UP, facing down a heel-dragging government and big pharmaceutical companies in late ‘80s Paris.
Beach Rats
Another MIFF hit, "Beach Rats" writer/director Eliza Hitman’s woozy depiction of a working class lad’s first fumbling experiments with older men - mostly played out in online chat rooms - . Set in the neon haze of dusty summer days amidst Coney Island’s blaring nightclubs and blinking fairground attractions, English actor Harris Dickinson nails the Brooklyn accent in a compellingly physical turn that challenges self-defeating notions of masculinity.
The Ornithologist (O Ornitólogo)
One of the strangest queer films to hit the festival circuit this year was writer/director João Pedro Rodrigues’ dreamy "The Ornithologist". Paul Hamy is dishy as the bird watcher who finds himself lost in remote Portugal. His trials go on to loosely mirror those of the saints, though with a good deal more man-on-man action. A trippy vision quest that willfully breaks narrative structures, it will leave you mesmerised with its meditative pace.
Seventeen (Siebzehn)
Teenage tribulations and identity equations test the boundaries of friendship in Austrian writer/director Monja Art’s . An impressive breakthrough performance by Elisabeth Wabitsch as Paula, a boarding school girl nursing an unrequited crush on her best friend Charlotte (Anaelle Dézsy) while being pursued by both a guy and a girl underpins the heartfelt film’s canny depiction of refreshingly fluid, youthful exploration.
Battle of the Sexes
Emma Stone won the Best Actress Oscar for "La La Land", but is as tennis great, feminist icon, and queer activist Billie Jean King in "Battle of the Sexes". Taking on showboat sexist Bobby Riggs (Steve Carell) at the height of her career, King explored her sexuality behind the scenes, grappling with what an outing would mean. "Little Miss Sunshine" directors Valerie Faris and Jonathan Dayton deliver bonus boos at Margaret Court.
Andrea Riseborough and Emma Stone in 'Battle Of The Sexes'. Image: Twentieth Century Fox. Source: 2017 Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation All Rights Reserved
God’s Own Country
The Yorkshire Dales are aglow in English writer/director Francis Lee’s "God’s Own Country". Anchored by brilliant performances from leads Josh O’Connor, as grumpy farmer Johnny, and broodingly handsome Romanian actor Alec Secareanu as hired hand Gheorghe, the gradual collapse of the stony walls between them makes for one of the year’s most marvellous emotional rollercoasters. A love story to remember.
Timothée Chalamet in 'Call Me By Your Name'. Image: Sony Pictures Source: Sony Pictures
Call Me By Your Name
If "Moonlight" made us swoon way back in January, then the year will also bow out on a luscious high this Boxing Day with "" director Luca Guadagnino’s ‘70s-set triumph "Call Me By Your Name". Starring the dashing Armie Hammer as Oliver, a 20-something American visiting his mentor in Northern Italy, a chisel-cheeked Timothée Chalamet steals the show as teenager Elio, who falls head over heels for the new arrival in this gorgeous adaptation of André Aciman’s delicate novel.
