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GAY PEOPLE'S CHRONICLE February 29, 2008

10% Cinema

Continued from page 8

people learning to accept their loved ones' decisions and provide for each other on the most basic and emotional of levels.

She's A Boy I Knew runs at 7 pm on Sunday, March 9, and at 1:45 pm on Tuesday, March 11.

Finn's Girl

The lesbian entry into the top three is the warm, comedic drama Finn's Girl, and it's got everything Sapphic cinema needs. In the first 15 minutes, there's women in tuxedos, a motorcycle ride, granola and two sets of voluptuous bosoms, none of which has much bearing on the film as a whole.

Finn is a brilliant doctor, specializing in reproductive science. After the breast cancer death of her partner Nancy, she's forced to run Nancy's abortion clinic, which has taken her away from her focus on reproductive health. It also eats up so much of her time that Nancy and Finn's 11-year-old daughter Zelly is left to run amok with her friends Max and Eve.

They are a precocious trio. Apparently, they are all exploring their sexuality, although in small ways. Zelly also shoplifts magazines from a gay bookstore on Yonge Street in Toronto, nabs Finn's weed for the group, and swears like a sailor.

Adding to Finn's stress are the death threats she gets on a daily basis. Thankfully, the police have her under constant surveillance, but that doesn't stop one overzealous anti-abortionist from taking a shot at her as she rides off from the clinic on her motorcycle.

One of the officers assigned to the daytime watch is Xavier, a French transplant who has very European ideas about sexuality. When he and his partner Diana are discussing what lesbians do in bed, she tells him, mimicking his accent, "We wait for a strong, handsome French man to join us!" Yes, Diana is lesbian, and a no-nonsense cop who isn't attracted to "kamikazes with kids," or so she claims.

However, as she takes more of a role in

protecting Finn and her daughter, emotions grow and the storyline progresses, as it must.

Eventually, Finn is faced with difficult questions. Does she leave the clinic and return to her chosen field? Does she send Zelly to live with her father? Is Zelly's father really her father?

Co-directors Dominique Cardona and Laurie Colbert do a wonderful job with their talented cast, crafting a film that deals with serious issues in a way that is neither too dark nor too light. North of the border, an 11year-old with a joint might be a matter of concern, but not the sheer panic it would be on film here. The interplay between the characters holds true throughout the film, with none of the schizophrenia that mars many a queer film. They keep their characters on an even keel, and everything they say and do rings true.

Finn's Girl is showing on Friday, March 14 at 9:45 pm and Saturday, March 15 at 11:45 am.

Vivere

The other two 10% Cinema films for which advanced screening copies were available are Vivere and Holding Trevor.

Vivere, a German film, follows Francesca, a 20-year-old taxi driver, as she goes off to Rotterdam on Christmas Eve searching for her sister Antonietta, a 17-year-old who ran off with a band. Along the way, she winds up

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Finn's Girl

rescuing Gerlinde, an older woman whose car crashed into a dumpster. Despite taking her to the hospital, Gerlinde winds up back in Francesca's cab.

The entire story, from Francesca dragging Antonietta away from the band in the beginning to the trio lying in bed, looking at the stars at the end, is told once through from each person's perspective, showing the differences in how each perceives the events. In Francesca's eyes, she just honks the horn and Antonietta comes at the beginning. Through Antonietta's eyes, Francesca physically drags her away from her beau's

arms.

Gerlinde is lesbian, Antonietta is straight, and Francesca is bisexual, yet they all realize that they are trapped on a "moron's satellite," while at the same time, they are at home. Together, they find a certain peace that they cannot find apart.

It's an interesting film, but the Germans seem way to fond of the conceit of repeating a story (Run, Lola, Run, for example). Vivere shows on March 7 and 8 at 7 pm and 2 pm respectively.

Holding Trevor

Holding Trevor, meanwhile, follows the eponymous protagonist as he tries to distance himself from his junkie friend Darrell, with whom he lost his virginity at 16. His roommate Andie is a sharp-tongued his the perfect fruit fly, and his friend Jake has just returned from New York, so he has plenty to keep him occupied.

However, when he re-meets hunky doctor Ephram at a party, his life takes an unexpected turn, and the conflicting pulls of Darrell, Ephram, Jake and Andie threaten to tear him apart.

It's a fairly light comedy with some darker moments, but one has the feeling it's been done before. It almost should be retitled as Twink in Coastal City Film Number 452. Holding Trevor plays on March 8 at 9:45 pm and March 9 at 2:15 pm.

A Four-Letter Word

For Twink in Coastal City Film Number 453, go see A Four-Letter Word. A screener was not available, but the film festival's synopsis practically screams "typical." "Chronicling the stories of four Manhattanites in New York City: Luke, in all his sparkling glory... gay cliché or merely lover of fun?"

Quoting the descriptions of the other three characters, Marilyn, Zeke and Peter, seems more trouble than it's worth. From all appearances, the film should provide some

light, frothy fare, but nothing one can sink one's teeth into.

Check it out at 12 noon on March 11 and 9:45 pm on March 12.

Jerusalem is Proud to Present

An intriguing documentary for which no screener was available is Jerusalem is Proud to Present, a look at the World Pride celebration held in Israel's capital in 2006.

It's interesting that a giant party with thousands of queers managed to do what 1,000 years of civilization could not: It united Jews, Christians and Muslims, all in opposition to World Pride.

Admittedly, it was the more extreme wings of the religions that opposed the festival, but they still presented a challenge to Open House, the city's LGBT center, which was hosting World Pride.

See it at 9:45 pm on March 11 and 12 noon on March 13.

Shelter

While it doesn't necessarily fill all the criteria to be Twink in Coastal City Film Number 454, Shelter does have many of the elements necessary: Eye candy, coastal city-this one's in southern Californiaand it is a film.

However, the main character, Zach, has a bit of a voyage of self-discovery in this one, as opposed to starting out the film as a major queen looking for love, which is the final prerequisite.

Zach is trying to find a way out of his dead-end job and out of supporting his sister and her son. If he could find a way out of his life and into art school, things would be dandy.

He starts hanging out with his friend Shaun's older brother, who is gay, and the two become closer and closer, and Zach comes to terms with where his life is going. Shelter shows at 7 pm on March 15 and 2:15 1 5 pm on March 16.

XXY

The final 10% Cinema feature seems very interesting, and it would have been nice had the distributors provided advanced screeners, as the

film deals with a segment of the LGBTQIA community (as the ultra-politically correct like to put it) that is seldom dealt with the intersexed.

XXY follows Alex, who has an extra X chromosome, which is a condition that afflicts one in about 500 males. While most show no outward signs of the genetic abnormality, some have ambiguous genitalia, while others are full hermaphrodites, like Alex.

Raised as a girl, Alex is now being allowed to choose her gender by her parents, who bring in a cosmetic surgeon to go over the options. Alex also develops a friendship with the surgeon's teenage son, set against the backdrop of their parents' fears for their children.

XXY has screenings on March 7 at 10 pm and March 10 at 4:45 pm.

Two short programs

10% Cinema is completed by two programs of queer short films, one on March 10 at 7:15 pm and the other on March 13 at 9:45 pm.

For more information about these films, a complete schedule of the over 120 feature films and 100 shorts, or to buy tickets, go to www.clevelandfilm.org. ปี

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