Dzi Croquettes (Raphael Alvarez & Tatiana Issa, BRAZIL)

Dzi Croquettes, 2009
Portuguese with English Subtitles

This a documentary film that tells the story of the "Dzi Croquettes" which was an all-male theater group that challenged Brazil's repressive dictatorship. And to show their appreciation, the Brazilian people have taken up the group as their freedom fighters on stage. The many personalities who are interviewed add an element of spice to this already fully-charged story. Between the great music, great history, and absolute use of color, the film leads the way as one of the most fascinating films coming out of South America. The Brazilian community has recognized this because the film has won top honors at Rio and Sao Paolo international film festivals, as well as the top honor at the Mix Brasil (LGBT) film festival.

Trage Liefde (Boudewijn Koole, NETHERLANDS)

Trage Liefde / Drawn Out Love, 2007
Dutch with English Subtitles

"Drawn Out Love" (the Dutch would actually be better translated as "Lazy Love") is barely above the short film threshold at fifty minutes. It is Boudewijn Koole's first feature. The film centers on the lives of two men named Felix and Johan. Felix lives with his grandmother and is looking forward to leaving town and going wherever he is going. Before he does leave town Felix decides to make a visit to bar owned (and operated) by his long lost father Johan. The story gets complicated when Johan mistakes Felix's interest as that of sexual nature.

Koole's film is extremely disturbing because it tackles (very graphically) the controversial subject of incest. As the film progresses both characters' infatuation for one another deepens, for completely different reasons. The director follows the footsteps of many (successful) European directors by taking a minimalist approach to storytelling, and that is a good thing, but loses its audience by cramping too many stories together without exploring them deeper. We are never told what happened to these musicians hanging around all the time. We are left to wonder why and how Felix's mother is out of the pics. We are clueless about where Felix is headed. This could very well have been a great film but one feels frustrated with the lack of respect for the viewer.