Fall Queer Cinema Class Schedule

FALL QUEER CINEMA CLASS SCHEDULE

It’s September, and it’s back to school! We have scheduled a curriculum of excellent LGTB school themed films of all time. This is required viewing, and there will be a quiz.

FOREIGN LANGUAGE

 BEING 17 (Quand on a 17 ans)  (2016)

The newest film from acclaimed French director Andre Techine. BEING 17 takes a methodical exploration of burgeoning emotions among high school boys thrust together by fate. Set in the Pyrenees Mountains, Damien lives with his mother Marianne, while his father is away in the army. Thomas, whose mother is ill, bullies him at their school. The boys find themselves living together when Marianne invites Thomas to come and stay with them. While they get know each other the bullying from Thomas does not stop. It increases to violent fights, as this initially is the only outlet these adolescents can understand to vent their unexpected romantic and sexual tension. Deliberate slow pacing and realistic tension give this film a down-to-earth feel rarely seen in queer coming out films.

CHEMISTRY

INCREDIBLY TRUE ADVENTURE OF 2 GIRLS IN LOVE (1995)

Evie and Randy are both 17-year-old seniors—beyond that their lives couldn’t be more different. Randy was abandoned by her conservative activist mother and is a struggling student working at a gas station. Evie lives with her well-to-do mother and drives a new Range Rover. After passing notes in school, sharing books and music the two girls fall into an adorable romance against the odds.

HISTORY

THIS SPECIAL FRIENDSHIP (Les amitiés particulières)  (1964)

This black and white French film from 1964, based on a novel of the same name, follows the burgeoning romantic affair between 16-year-old Georges and a 12-year-old Alexandre at an all-boys boarding school. All is going well until the evil disapproving Priests who run the school, try to stop their relationship.

ART

EATING OUT 2: SLOPPY SECONDS  (2006)

Second in the series of six EATING OUT films, this edition again stars former American Idol Jim Verraros as Kyle and series mainstay Rebekah Kochan as Tiffani. Newly single from his Marc (see the first film), Kyle and Tiffani fall for their art class nude model Troy. While trying to snag Troy, this wacky film takes us through an ex-gay ministry, uncomfortable 3-way, and even a plot to take down the ministry’s closeted leader.

ENGLISH

GET REAL  (1998)

Steven hides his gayness from everyone in his rural English town, except for his friend Linda, and the guys he cruises at the public toilets. A twist of fate from his bathroom adventures ends him up on a date with his high school crush jock John. All is well until John’s paranoia about being outed causes him to publicly beat up Steven. But even this doesn’t destroy their feelings toward each other.

P.E.

BEAUTIFUL THING  (1996)

This classic film starts with Jamie ditching is P.E. class to head home early to his strong-minded single mom, her hippie boyfriend, and Leah their sassy Mama Cass loving neighbor. That night Jamie’s mom takes in Ste, his classmate and neighbor after his boozy dad abused him. That night, sharing a bed sparks new feelings between both teenagers they never expected, and don’t quite know how to deal with.

DRAMA

WERE THE WORLD MINE  (2008)

Timothy is the openly kid at his private boys’ school. He is also sick of being bullied. After being cast as Puck in the school’s production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream he stumbles upon a magic spell to queer his entire town making all the straight people fall in love with someone of the same sex. A fantasy musical this film not only has the students performing Shakespeare’s classic play, but the plot also loosely parallels A Midsummer Night’s Dream.

EXTRACURRICULAR ACTIVITIES

BUT I’M A CHEERLEADER  (1999)

Natasha Lyonne, Clea DuVall, and even RuPaul star in this over-the-top comedy about a high school cheerleader whose family and friends through an intervention and send her to a gay conversion boarding school. Boys are taught football and girls are taught how to change diapers, while at night they secretly sneak off to the local gay bar where hijinks ensue.