Lesbian aliens help wrap up film festival

Andie Noonan
March 23, 2012

There are only a few days left to catch the 22nd Melbourne Queer Film Festival (MQFF) and they’ve saved some of the best films for last.

The last weekend of this year’s MQFF has something for almost everyone. Here’s a few films worth checking out:

Co-dependent Lesbian Space Alien Seeks Same

We had you at the title, didn’t we? Well, the great news is that there is so much more to this film than the year’s best title! Hilariously deadpan, it signals the emergence of Madeleine Olnek as a strong new voice in lesbian cinema after years of successful shorts at festivals around the world including the MQFF.

Filmed in black-and-white on a micro-budget, Co-dependent… strikes a similar pose to films from ‘New Queer Cinema’ of the early ’90s, such as Go Fish — it’s all about great writing, acting and directing.

Three lesbian aliens are sent to earth to have their hearts broken by earthlings, so their ‘big feelings’ won’t destroy the ozone on their home planet. Zoinx meets Jane, a shy greeting-card store employee, and Zylar and Barr, sensing the neediness of earthlings, begin to connect with each other. Meanwhile, two mysterious ‘Men in Black’ are tracking the aliens.

It’s obvious it was a stack of fun making this film and the joy and humour are effortlessly transferred on screen. The performances are fantastic, especially by the women playing the lesbian aliens.
Oh, and you’ll never think of cheesecake the same way again!

Short & Burly

Gay truckies, wrestling, one-night stands and … Glee-inspired teens? This assortment of gay short films will make your head spin. With two films in Swedish and one in Norwegian, there’s a strong Scandanavian feel to the lot.
Swedish film Along The Road follows the secret relationship between two truck drivers who meet at roadhouses and long for something more. The Main Event is a macho man romance between two wrestlers while In The Light is a film about finding out more from a one-night stand. The other films include Boys’ Village, Pura Vida, Bald Guy and 52.

What Happens Next

Paul Greco (handsome daytime soap star Jon Lindstrom from As the World Turns and General Hospital) is an unmarried billionaire socialite who seems to have the world at his feet. Of course money does not buy happiness, and Paul’s life seems remarkably empty for someone with everything, besides a great relationship with his well meaning, but slightly overbearing sister Elise, delightfully played by Wendie Malick (Just Shoot Me, Hot in Cleveland).

When Elise buys him the world’s cutest French bulldog puppy, Paul dutifully embarks on a daily puppy walking ritual to his local park and encounters self-employed young advertising whiz Andy. What starts off as general dog-related chit-chat eventually tail spins (pun intended!) into something more intimate. Sliding easily between comedy and pathos, What Happens Next is a well-structured rom-com/drama full of comic misunderstandings, plot twists and turns, and an adorable scene-stealing puppy. (LD) Australian Premiere

This is an Auslan signed session proudly sponsored by Yarra Trams.

Becoming Chaz

Becoming Chaz follows Chaz Bono on his remarkable journey of transformation. Born Chasity Bono to famous parents Cher and Sonny Bono, Chaz has spent a life in the limelight, as a child on his parents’ TV show, to coming out as a lesbian, but when he decided to undergo gender reassignment, the biggest media circus was yet to come.

With unprecedented access, queer filmmakers Fenton Bailey and Randy Barbato (Party Monster, 101 Rent Boys, The Eyes of Tammy Faye) track Chaz from the first shot of testosterone to chest surgery.
Jennifer Elia, Chaz’s now ex-partner, is there virtually every step of the way and provides a remarkable witness to the side effects (increased sex drive and mood swings being just two examples) of the drugs, and Chaz’ decision to proactively address the media and come out as a transman.

Featuring interviews with Chaz’ family members — including Cher — Becoming Chaz is a fascinating and revelatory film, highlighting one person’s courage and determination, in light of myriad distractions and obstacles, to finally become the man he always wanted to be.