OCTOBER
18-27, 2002

Introduction
Index of Films

10/18, Friday
10/19, Saturday
10/20, Sunday
10/21, Monday
10/22, Tuesday
10/23, Wednesday
10/24, Thursday
10/25, Friday
10/26, Saturday
10/27, Sunday

Print Version

CPArts

Queer Notions
Reel Affirmations Festival

22TUESDAY

21
Leigh, the 15-year-old protagonist of 21, has enough problems in her life without factoring in her attraction to her best friend, Jen. Her mother's broke, her father enters and exits her life without warning, and her older brother's an ass (though a funny one). Leigh's only salvation is her diary, in which she describes the curve of Jen's lips, fantasizes about a kiss, and analyzes each day's interaction for a clue about that kiss's probability. As played by Rachel Style, Leigh is hardly a poor-me girl who just needs to take off her glasses to reveal the beauty that no one's yet noticed. She's a typical teen, kind of gangly and awkward, and writer- director Erin Greenwell adds details such as Leigh's love of big-band music to give her a beyond-her-years quality that makes her easy to cheer for. At 50 minutes, 21 is a slight slice of life, but one that skillfully combines humor and pathos to make it more satisfying than many of its full-length, big-budget counterparts.
—Tricia Olszewski
At 6 p.m. at the DCJCC. Free.

Blue Gate Crossing
It's almost a familiar story: High-schooler Yuezhen Lin (Liang Shu-hui) has a crush on swim-team member Shihao Zhang (Chen Bo-lin) and asks her best friend, Meng Kerou (Guey Lun-mei), to be the intermediary. Kerou and Shihao actually hit it off, making Yuezhen jealous. But Kerou merely likes Shihao she loves Yuezhen and kisses Shihao just to prove to herself that boys don't excite her. Taiwanese director Yee Chih-yen's film is not a triumphal coming-out saga but a delicate, atmospheric anecdote whose tone conveys the tentative emotions of adolescence. Both opening and closing with Kerou's attempts to imagine the future, the movie gently captures teenagers' sense of suspended animation. There's a rock-band-at-the-beach scene and the girls dance to Frente!'s "Accidentally Kelly Street," but Blue Gate Crossing could hardly be less like a Top 40—scored American teen flick.
—Mark Jenkins
At 7 p.m. at the DCJCC.

Out of Sight: Boys Shorts
This program of short films by male directors includes Canadian director Jeremy Podeswa's Touch, British director Robert Farrar's Sunday Morning, and American director Steven Clar's Piss.
At 7 p.m. at the Lincoln Theatre.

You 2: Lesbians in Love and Out
This program of shorts explores the ups and downs of making it and breaking it in lesbian love. Included are American director Jennifer McGlone's Breaking Up Really Sucks, American director Kimberly Orr's Goodbye, and Dutch director Pascale Simmons' You 2.
At 9 p.m. at the DCJCC.

Food of Love
Based on David Leavitt's novel The Page Turner, Ventura Pons' film follows 18-year-old Paul (Kevin Bishop) as he begins an affair with his lifelong idol, pianist Richard (Paul Rhys). Both Paul's mother, Pamela (Juliet Stevenson), and Richard's manager, Joseph (Allan Corduner), threaten the emerging relationship in this new feature by the director of Anita Takes a Chance.
At 9:30 p.m. at the Lincoln Theatre.

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