Festivals Reeling 2021: Mascarpone takes a while to rise but reveals some sweetness in the end By: B.L. Panther Mascarpone, a dramedy from Alessandro Guida and Matteo Pilati, recovers from a monotone to become a warm study of a man rebuilding himself.
Festivals Reeling 2021: Invisible: Gay Women in Southern Music is as enthralling as it is expansive By: B.L. Panther Invisible, T.J. Parsell's documentary about queer women and the country music they make, gives its subjects a space to shine.
Festivals Reeling 2021: The Sixth Reel is a hilarious, warm, cinephiliac comedy By: B.L. Panther With The Sixth Reel Charles Busch writes, directs, and stars in a delightful, frantic, thoughtful picture about the hunt for a lost film.
Festivals Reeling 2021: Gemmel & Tim preserves the memories of two Black gay men denied justice By: B.L. Panther Michiel Thomas' heartbreaking documentary calls for justice and equity and highlights the racial disparities in how society treats even gay men.
Festivals Reeling 2021: The Journey of Monalisa is intimate and winding The Journey of Monalisa, Nicole Costa's documentary about the life of poet, artist, friend, and sex worker Iván Monalisa is insightfully wry.
Festivals Reeling 2021: Being Bebe is an affectionate (if shallow) portrait of a queen By: B.L. Panther Being BeBe is a charming chronicle of Bebe Zahara Benet's life, but its undermined by its tendency to dodge heavier history.
Festivals Reeling 2021: No Straight Lines traces the history of queer comic books By: B.L. Panther Vivian Kleiman's documentary is a playful look at the art form that helped so many queer people find identity, even if only on the page.
Festivals Reeling 2021: At the End of Evin is a powerful Muslim trans story Mehdi and Mohammad Torab-Beigi's drama presents intriguing questions about the trans body and the experience of transition.
Festivals Reeling 2021: Though handsome, Firebird fails to ignite By: B.L. Panther Firebird, Peeter Rebane's adaptation of queer memoir The Story of Roman, is far too timid, especially when it has the potential to blaze.
Festivals Reeling 2021: The autobiographical North by Current eloquently studies a family’s hurt and the nature of memory. By: B.L. Panther North by Current sees Angelo Madsen Minax examine his family and their history with care, grace, and impeccable craft.
Festivals Reeling 2021: Jump Darling sends off Cloris Leachman in style By: B.L. Panther The late, great movie star gives a stupendous performance in this winning odd-couple dramedy.
Festivals Reeling 2021: Queens of the Revolution celebrates queer Cubans and the lives they have built By: B.L. Panther With Queens of the Revolution, Rebecca Heidenberg presents Cuba's queer community and their work with care and thought.
Festivals Reeling 2021: Boulevard! A Hollywood Story delves into one of the fascinating shadows cast by a legendary film By: B.L. Panther Boulevard!—Jeffrey Schwarz’s documentary on a never-was musical adaptation of Sunset Boulevard and its makers—is insightful if scattered.