Film Review: Shorts – Queer As Film, May 2011

Rebecca Gross as the Tooth Fairy in Steven Dorrington's bittersweet mockumentary 'Toothless'.

Let Go
UK (dir. Tibo Torelli)
Rating: ***

The Revelation of Reverend Jones
UK (dir. Dove Rangla)
Rating: ****

The Real Badlands
UK (dir. Craig Ford & Tim Clark)
Rating: ****

Toothless
UK (dir. Steven Dorrington)
Rating: *****

Bedfellows
USA (dir. Pierre Stefanos)
Rating: **

Kabamir
Germany (dir. Stefan Najib)
Rating: ****

After interviewing both Craig Ford and Robert Gershinson about their endeavour that is Queer as Film, we decided to pop along to their most recent event. The night – dedicated to showcasing the work of LGBT filmmakers or short films with LGBT themes – was well attended, causing the room at the Nellie Dean, Soho, to become a little hot and cramped. But even so, the atmosphere was fun and relaxed, with Jamie Maguire exhibiting his colourfully risqué artwork, and the master of ceremonies, comedian Tom Allen, facilitating some irreverent and engaging Q&A sessions.

The evening started with Tibo Torelli’s Let Go, a film examining the aftermath of a failed lesbian relationship, with one half succumbing to heteronormative ideology and self-denial. Although there were strong performances, the piece felt a little forced, but it’s still a promising start for the young student.

The pace and timbre changed dramatically with The Revelation of Reverend Jones, a piece written by cabaret artist Nigel Osner about a flamboyant gay priest who is outed to his congregation by the tabloids. This piece, written entirely in rhyming prose, is unashamedly tongue-in-cheek. Filmed on location in Swansea with a Welsh cast (and Osner in the starring role), the film is outrageous fun while also nodding (with a nudge and a wink) to poet Dylan Thomas.

Craig Ford and Tim Clarke’s stranger-than-fiction documentary, The Real Badlands, follows the misadventures of a hapless individual and his girlfriend who decide to forsake the trappings of modern life and live rough in their local forest. Unintentionally funny, it’s a well-observed account of a couple and their original decision, which falls apart rather unceremoniously.

The evening then took a decidedly fairytale turn. Toothless, definitely the star piece of the evening, is a bittersweet mockumentary about the Tooth Fairy. Confined to living on a squalid council estate she struggles to make ends meet after an unfortunate accident on Christmas Eve involving a negligently discarded half-eaten mince pie. Rebecca Gross gives a striking and spot-on comic performance to complement writer and director Steven Dorrington’s wryly funny script.  And you can watch it right here:

Paul Caiola and Bret Shuford in Pierre Stefanos' 'Bedfellows'. Photograph: Clayton Combe. Courtesy of Aquarian Films LLC.

Bedfellows, the only American film in the evening’s line-up, was disappointing, despite having racked up some worthy praise on the other side of the Atlantic and appearing at this year’s London Lesbian & Gay Film Festival. Taking an overtly whimsical Disney-esque approach, it managed to be unrealistically optimistic and was crammed with every imaginable cliché. Although it had a handful of sweet moments and good production values overall, these weren’t enough to salvage it from being laughable.

German writer and director Stefan Najib’s Kabamir nostalgically harks back to fantasy-adventure classics such as Labyrinth and Dark Crystal. It follows a young boy prone to disappearing into his own daydreams to battle dreaded a monster, the Kabamir.  The result is an adorable minature epic and affectionate homage to Ray Harryhausen.

After the showcase was over, Ford and Gershinson reflected on it with satisfaction. ‘We thought Sunday night’s event was the best yet,’ they declared. ‘The programme was definitely the most varied one we’ve done and Tom Allen is a brilliant addition – he totally gets the tone and atmosphere we aim to create. We can’t imagine doing Queer as Film without him now.’ ‘The overwhelming reaction from the crowd showed that any venue issues really didn’t hinder their enjoyment of the night,’ they added. ’In terms of submissions, we had more films sent to us that we could show and we’re excited to schedule these films as part of the next Queer as Film event after the summer.’

All in all, this showcase was a satisfying and enjoyable evening and we certainly look forward to the next.

Follow Queer as Film on Facebook or on Twitter (@queerasfilm) for details about upcoming events.