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17TH LONDON LESBIAN & GAY FILM
FESTIVAL Wednesday 02 April - Wednesday 16 April 2003
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Gingerbeer Film Reviews 2003 |
Guardian of the
Frontier
Glenda's must-see list reaches a frenzy: yes, as
well as all those others, you simply must make that trip down to the
concrete wonder of the NFT to see this one! Even if only so I have
someone I can go 'uhm...eh?' with.
'Guardian of the
Frontier' (Varuh Meje) is a Slovenian effort, based on events that
happen during a canoeing trip taken by three university students in
their summer holidays. As well as being seduced by the slow, lazy,
hazy shots of the stunningly beautiful Slovenian countryside, you'll
also be either enchanted or baffled by the Svankmajer-esque dream
sequences.
Our students, while seducing each other, getting pissed on
schnapps and getting lost, discuss the paths their lives might take.
Meanwhile danger lurks on the Croatian side of the river, the banks
that seem so benign in the sunshine taking on a fairytale-like, eery
atmosphere at night.
There is always an element of the sinister in this film , from
the nationalist politician they meet to the insistence of one of the
girls that men mean no harm and there's nothing wrong with being a
wife and mother. Needless to say she has a wee problem with the
other two doing a little canoodling while they think her back is
turned.
The trip has sinister concequences after they get lost and have
to rely on locals for help. Things will never be the same
again...
Reviewed by Glenda
Stories from the Road
Two friends and one random
stranger, travelling Europe and America pretending to be
professional film makers in a desperate (but ingenious) attempt to
meet their idol, PJ Harvey. Sounds a bit weird??
This was
the one of the loveliest warmest films I've seen in years - LAUGH!
as they get heinously drunk / discover poppers/play with random
train people CRY! as the tour gets cancelled/she blanks them AGAIN/
she walks into the toilet Kyle just took a dump in.
I was
rooting sooo hard for them, I wanted to be their friend, I wanted to
kick PJ Harvey up her (admittedly cute) butt and make her talk to
them. I want everyone I know to watch this film and that includes
YOU.
Reviewed by nancy
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Lets love Hong Kong
Once in a
while, every film reviewer gets to see a mind-blowing,
genre-quaking new experimental film. Lets love Hong Kong is
not that film. Experimental, yes. Totally lost me in a
confusion of badly shot scenes, no plot, no character
development and very little engagement with the viewer, yes.
Sorry, Ho Yuk: save your money and chat someone up in the bar
instead!
Reviewed by Glenda
Do I Love You?
A film all about
30-something London dykes having relationship crisis, and the
first lesbian film from the UK for over a decade - I so wanted
to like this. I'm a lesbian, I live in London, I'm 30. I don't
know any women like the ones in this film, and I'm
glad.
Reviewed by nancy
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