If the overall consensus was that 2025 wasn’t a boffo year for films at Sundance, it was certainly a big one for queer offerings, with many high-profile movies.
I attended in person for a few days, but couldn’t get anywhere near the world premiere of Bill Condon’s “Kiss of the Spider Woman,” starring Jennifer Lopez, Diego Luna and newcomer Tonatiuh. Here are some others I did catch.
My favorite of this year’s LGBTQ crop is James Sweeney’s “Twinless.” Back in 2021, Sweeney got attention for his dark comedy “Straight Up,” about the unlikely relationship between a gay man and a straight woman. This is even better.
Dylan O’Brien and Sweeney star as Roman and Dennis, two young men who meet in a support group, mourning their late twins. Roman is straight and Dennis gay but they manage to find common ground as they grieve. How these two further intersect is rather ingenious and a spoiler not to reveal. The beauty of the film is how it flips tones so easily. One moment it’s darkly comic and then it becomes sadder and more emotional, dealing with loneliness. The film won two big awards at Sundance and will make noise when it finds a home and reaches the masses.
Documentary filmmaker Ryan White, who grew up in Dunwoody, won the Festival Favourite award for his “Come See Me in the Good Light.” It’s a beautiful film about spoken word poet Andrea Gibson and their wife Megan Falley and Gibson’s cancer diagnosis. Yes, it’s sad but also full of optimism and light and the central duo’s love and care for each other is moving. Tig Notaro, Brandi Carlile, and Sara Bareilles came aboard as executive producers and it’s easy to see why they did.
“Plainclothes” stars Tom Blyth as Lucas, an undercover cop who lures men into indecent exposure charges. One day, he meets Andrew (Russell Tovey) in a bathroom and something changes; there’s a palpable connection between the two men, both dealing with coming out. Written and directed by Carmen Emmi, this sounds like a thriller but it’s more of a character study. Back home, Lucas is dealing with all sorts of family issues. If the film feels at times a little too indie and small, it’s bolstered by its ensemble, especially Blyth and Tovey.
I also enjoyed Andrew Ahn’s re-imagining of “The Wedding Banquet,” starring Bowen Yang and Lily Gladstone.
Sophie Hyde’s “Jimpa” stars Olivia Colman as Hannah, a filmmaker whose new project will address her own family, including father Jim (John Lithgow), who left his wife to begin anew as a gay man. When Hannah and her husband decide to visit him later in Amsterdam, they learn their 16-year-old non-binary child Frances (Aud Mason-Hyde) wants to spend more time with their grandfather.
It’s refreshing to see the way Hyde portrays a largely queer family here. By juggling various subplots, “Jimpa” loses focus. For the most part, it’s well acted, but soapy and undeveloped, especially the central conflict between Hannah and Jim.
