Friday, May 27, 2022

Definitely Say Gay


Quite hard (emphasis exactly where you think the emphasis should go) to believe but I have still never seen João Pedro Rodrigues' first film O Fantasmo from the year 2000 -- I loved his 2016 film The Ornithologist (Paul Hamy forever) so much you'd think I'd have doubled back, but double back I did not. I was reminded of this fact twice this week -- first when a friend saw Rodrigues' newest latest gay gay gayest movie Will-o'-the-Wisp at Cannes and told me to look out for it...

... as it's apparently it's about ejaculating firefighters and the men who love them. I like all of those things! And second I was reminded of the fact that I have never seen O Fantasma when I saw O Fantasma listed among the movies that my beloved Quad Cinema here in NYC is screening for Pride Month as part of their "Pride Rewind: Queer Cinematic Landmarks and Breakthroughs" series taking place all June. Check out that line-up here.

Mostly the line-up is queer classics like Brokeback Mountain and But I'm a Cheerleader and Fox and His Friends and Stranger By the Lake, movies I adore, am well-acquainted with, and that I would nevertheless love to see on a big screen again. But O Fantasma is not the only one of the movies they're screening that I have never seen -- I also have never seen 1975's Saturday Night at the Baths which is, well, exactly what it sounds like. By which I mean "right up my alley." So have you seen O Fantasma or Saturday Night at the Baths? Tell me about them in the comments please, while my brain wanders off to think about Stranger at the Lake again...


6 comments:

notthebeachboy said...

I had O Fantasma on DVD - it's a wild trip -- and very hot. Definitely check it out!

Shawny said...

O Phantasm is on criterion app. I saw it. It is sexy. I liked it. Reminded me of the 90's indie flick Trans, which was not about what you would think.

Anonymous said...

O Fantasmo: Sexy, weird, dark, recommended.

Our man in Cannes, Cedric, has seen Will-o'-the-Wisp, gave it 4 1.2 stars, and wants it to win the Queer Palme.

Anonymous said...

O Fantasmo is so horny and incredible. WATCH IT NOW.

Dom Go said...

I saw O Fantasmo when it was out in cinemas. I was only 21, hungry for different forms of cinema but still a baby cinephile. I thought I hated the film, especialy the last third. But boy, did that film grow on me! I've never seen it again but I would consider it as one of my top 10 favorite endings of all time. Enjoy. Don't read about it if possible going in.

Johnnie said...

O Fantasmo is so good. The director is very good at titillating films. Every time I see O Fantasmo it gets better. I always chuckle with the guy of obsession is tossed out the second story window and dies. I wonder what would have happened if he didn't. Digging through trash for a worn out Speedo, sniffing the motorcycle seat - then the mental collapse of scrounging in the trash heap. Maybe Criterion will put this out as the director's films are mostly Region 2 or out of print.