The Fort Lauderdale segment of the 2015 MiFo LGBT Film Festival (the Miami portion takes place in April), held over the course of two weekends, October 9-11 and October 16-18, showcases more than 50 films. The following Screen Savor column features reviews of select films from the festival’s vast programming schedule. For the complete listing of screenings and festival events, visit http://www.mifofilm.com/.

Fourth Man Out is turning out to be a popular title at LGBT film fests. It helps that the lead cast includes hot guys such as out actor Evan Todd as Adam, Parker Young as Chris, and Chord Overstreet (less hot under a beard) as Nick. The script has plenty of funny and touching scenes, although it’s a little hard to believe the people living in the Albany region of upstate New York would have difficulty dealing with a gay friend or neighbor.

At 24, car mechanic Adam (Todd) has yet to come out to his best friends Chris (Young), Nick (Overstreet) and Ortu (Jon Gabrus, who plays the character as an unfortunate amalgam of Jack Black and Josh Gad). Once you see the guys in action – using “gay” as a homophobic epithet, for example – you may better understand his hesitation. Nevertheless, Adam has decided it’s time to come out.

Needless to say, it doesn’t go well. Somehow the guys find it within themselves to rise to the occasion, with Chris taking the lead. After all, he and Adam have been friends since childhood. It also helps that Chris’ fuck-buddy Jessica (Jordan Lane Price) and Rachel (Jennifer Damiano), a woman Chris meets in a bar, provide the necessary support.

Fourth Man Out is as much about Adam’s coming out process as it is about the way the people in Adam’s life play a part in that new development. Adam’s coming out to his parents, including mother Karen (Kate Flannery), and a stoner co-worker at the garage where he works, add levels of comedy to the story. So do the scenes in which Adam attempts to meet other gay men via a dating app.

When the unexpected conflict of a perceived attraction between Adam and Chris arises (and who could blame Adam?), Fourth Man Out takes a dramatic turn. But you know right from the start that a happily-ever-after ending is in the offing (or should that be outing?). [Opening night feature – Oct. 9, 8 p.m. at The NSU Art Museum.]

There’s a lot of stuff in writer/director Suzanne Guacci’s Stuff (Aspire). Married lesbian moms Deb (Yvonne Jung) and Trish (Karen Sillas) are going through a rough patch in their relationship. Stay-at-home mom Deb takes care of the house and daughters Sam (Brianna Scudiero) and Suzie (Maya Guacci). Dentist mom Trish is the bread-winner. Both women are stressed out by their responsibilities, but that’s the least of their stuff.

Five years after her beloved father’s passing, Trish still hasn’t properly dealt with her grief. Even worse, her cold and stubborn mother Ginger (Phyllis Somerville) is holding Trish back by simply refusing to have a headstone placed on the grave. There is also a lot of Trish’s father’s stuff – clothing, belongings, paperwork – still cluttering Ginger’s house, but it’s just more stuff for her to avoid.

Meanwhile, Deb strikes up a friendship with Jamie (Traci Dinwiddie), the tattooed apprentice tattoo artist mom of Joey (Vincent P. Colon), an autistic boy in Sam’s pre-school class, which stirs all sorts of stuff within her. Jamie has her own stuff, including Brian (Joseph A. Halsey), the trashy father of Joey, who is out of his latest rehab stint and wants more contact with his son.

Of course, there’s stuff with the kids, including Suzie’s determination to get a part in the school play. Not quite stuffed to the gills, Stuff does want you to keep track of a lot of stuff, but it does so without belaboring the point. [Oct. 11, 5 p.m. at Classic Gateway Theatre.]

A bit of a strange selection as LGBT film festivals go, Coming In (WB/Summerstorm) is a German language rom-com about a gay hairdresser and trendsetter who discovers that he is in love with a woman. Directed and co-written by gay filmmaker Marco Kreutzpaintner, Coming In is as romantic as it is comedic.

Tom (Kostja Ullmann) has the most successful men’s hair salon in Berlin. His gorgeous boyfriend Robert (Ken Duken) helps him run his business and keeps it a profit making entity. Tom is also highly respected in the gay community, not just for his business success but for his philanthropic work for gay youth, as well.

The launch of a new line of hair care products for men takes Tom to Berlin’s Neukölln borough where he meets Heidi (Aylin Tezel, a ringer for Sarah Silverman). Heidi’s Bel Hair salon is a far-cry from Tom’s sophisticated and chic place of business. Making matters worse is a photographer who snaps a picture of Heidi kissing Tom, leading to questions about his sexuality.

In an effort to make things right, Tom secretly helps Heidi out at her shop. Of course, that only confounds the situation. After spending a lot of time together, an attraction develops into something more than just a phase. Funny and sexy, is a rom-com that has earned the designation. [October 11, 7:30 p.m. at Cinema Paradiso in Fort Lauderdale.]

In what could be a setup to a joke, a gay couple, a lesbian couple and a straight couple go to Fire Island for a weekend in late September in That’s Not Us. Jackie’s (Nicole Pursell) aunt Linda has offered her and her girlfriend Alex (Sarah Wharton) use of her house. They are joined by Alex’s BFF James (Mark Berger) and James’ boyfriend Spencer (David Rysdahl), as well as Alex’s sister Liz (Elizabeth Gray) and her boyfriend Dougie (Tommy Nelms).

In what is something of a familiar device, all six characters will learn something new about themselves and each other over the course of the weekend. For example, Spencer has been accepted to grad school in Chicago, which means that he will have to leave New York and James in order to attend. We watch Spencer struggle with what has become something of a mixed blessing for him. In the case of Jackie and Alex, the dreaded lesbian bed death has set in and the rainbow dildo that Alex packed in her suitcase only serves to remind them of that fact. Interestingly, Dougie’s secret – he can’t ride a bike! – is the least traumatizing, although he does end up with a broken wrist when Liz tries to teach him how to ride.

Add in Spencer’s persistent mother who won’t stop calling him while he’s on the island, a neighbor with a lost dog, and a case of mistaken house identity, and you have plenty of opportunities for conflict and comedy. That’s Not Us is a sweet, if forgettable, movie. [Oct. 16, 9:15 p.m. at Gateway Theatre in Fort Lauderdale.]

The extremely intimate Like You Mean It (Breaking Glass) starring, written and directed by Philipp Karner is an emotional journey through the end of a gay relationship. Struggling actor Mark (Karner) and musician Jonah (Denver Milord) have dinner with straight and engaged couple Nicole (Gillian Shure) and Craig (Adrian Quinonez) during which the soon-to-be-wed duo announces that they are taking a brief hiatus from each other in advance of their big day.

This news seems to trigger something in Mark who is already struggling with a number of issues. His acting career has stalled. His sister in Austria keeps leaving him voice mail messages that he chooses to ignore. He goes off of his anti-depressants. Last, but not least, he feels himself growing apart from Jonah.

Mark, who takes solace in the solitude of car washes and the memories of when he and Jonah first met, agrees to make some changes. He makes an appointment for him and Jonah with a couple’s counselor and he agrees to go back on his meds. But the future is already written and what unfolds is the further deterioration of the relationship.

This is not an easy movie to watch and it is heartbreaking almost right from the start. Nevertheless, Kanner’s well-written screenplay and his performance, combined with that of Milord’s, make Like You Mean It mean something. [Oct. 16, 9:45 p.m. at Cinema Paradiso in Fort Lauderdale.]

Docs about porn stars (That Man: Peter Berlin and Wrangler: Anatomy of an Icon) and porn filmmakers (I Always Said Yes: The Many Lives of Wakefield Poole) are all the rage. Seed Money: The Chuck Holmes Story (Naked Sword), the cleverly titled doc about the late gay porn entrepreneur Chuck Holmes, co-founder of Falcon Studios, is as sexy as it is informative.

Indiana-native Holmes, considered to be the gay Hugh Hefner, understood what Middle America was missing. A collector of 8mm porn loops, Holmes came out fast in San Francisco. The landmark 1969 Supreme Court obscenity ruling paved the way the birth of the mail order porn industry. Holmes found good gay filmmakers, as well as better models and locations, allowing the genre to evolve from badly produced loops to full-length features, while celebrating the new gay freedoms of a post-Stonewall world at the same time. The home video revolution only increased Holmes’ success, while AIDS crisis had serious consequences.

Writer/director Michael Stabile’s feature-length doc debut is a respectful and respectable portrait of Holmes. Stabile’s interview subjects, including porn legend Jeff Stryker, Jake Shears, Chi Chi LaRue, John Waters, Steve Scarborough (Falcon VP from 1986-93), actors Tom Chase, Jim Bentley and Steve Cruz, John Rutherford (Falcon VP from 1993-2002) and many others go a long way in illuminating the story of Holmes and Falcon. [October 17, 5 p.m. at Cinema Paradiso.]

Those People (Little Big Horn), the feature film debut by out director and co-screenwriter Joey Kuhn, feels like one of those LGBT film festival flicks that could easily have crossover appeal for a wider ranging audience. That’s mainly because almost everyone, gay or straight, can relate to the story of one person being in love with someone who is too self-absorbed to notice or care.

Spanning a three-month period, from September through December, the people in Those People include Charlie (Jonathan Gordon), a gay MFA student in painting with “Jewish stomach” issues, and his childhood best friend Sebastian (Jason Ralph), a spoiled gay Upper East Side rich kid, whose family name has been destroyed by his imprisoned financial swindler father. There is also Ursula (Britt Lower), who is an underling at Vogue and a part-time waitress, straight bartender Wyatt (Chris Conroy) and London (Meghann Fahey), who used to be employed by Sebastian’s father.

A night out at a piano bar for Charlie’s birthday results in a flirtation between Charlie and experienced piano man Tim (Haaz Sleiman), who also happens to be an accomplished chamber musician. A street confrontation with paparazzi also hastens Sebastian’s downward spiral. Caught between his unrequited love for Sebastian and the promise of a new and thrilling romance with Tim, Charlie is forced to make difficult decisions about himself and his future.

Those People has a lot going for it, including strong performances from lead actors Gordon, Ralph and Sleiman and a solid supporting cast. Kuhn also proves his mettle as a writer and director, one who shows great promise. [Oct. 18, 7:30 p.m. at Cinema Paradiso in Fort Lauderdale.]

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The Comeback

When HBO gave their beloved mockumentary, The Comeback the dreaded cut after its 13-episode run in 2005, it was a sad, sad time for us gays. How would we go on living without our favorite cupcake, Valerie Cherish, a narcissist we loved almost as much as she loved herself? After the show disappeared from our lives, we were now those same Team Val fans hootin’ and hollerin’ at the end of the first season finale. “Give her another take! Give her another take!” Then, bless them, HBO did. Yes, that’s right. Nearly 10 years later, Valerie Cherish got her much-deserved comeback. It would make sense if this was the plan along – resurrect the show nearly a decade later to further meta-ify its very title. Or maybe it was just that The Comeback_finally made sense to those who couldn’t wrap their heads around the pre-Kardashian world the show inhabited. Never one to miss an opportunity to admire herself, Valerie subtly acknowledges the latter in the first episode, noting that she was hip to reality TV before everyone else. So what now? Shoot a show about a show, cast Valerie Cherish as herself, and have her nemesis, Paulie G, direct it. Get Seth Rogen to play Paulie G. Make even sharper observations about sexism in Hollywood. Then end with some of the most perfect, tear-inducing 10 minutes to ever exist on TV, with Lisa Kudrow turning in a complex, layered performance to demonstrate that, yes, we do need to see that. And thanks to this comprehensive set, you can. Forever. With past and present commentaries from Kudrow and show co-creator Michael Patrick King, the short “Valerie at ‘Dancing with the Stars’” and the loopable queer-loved classic in its entirety (yes – both seasons!), The Comeback on DVD is probably the answer to all of life’s problems.

It Follows

Modern-day horror has not been good to us. Every now and then a studio switches off the conveyer belt and churns out something other than a trashy sequel (see: The Conjuring, The Babadook), but, otherwise, the genre rarely has anything new to say (yes, you, Saw 1, 2, 3, 4, 5…). When it does, it’s a big deal. It Follows, then, is a big deal. Bigger than big, actually. Huge. On the surface, the premise seems like yet another teens-in-peril whodunit, but writer/director David Robert Mitchell’s masterful ambiguity gives way to deeper, more provocative musing. After all, what is the “it” that’s following these kids? It could be AIDS; it could also be just the mere paranoia surrounding the epidemic’s onset in the ‘80s. Beyond its lingering storytelling, It Follows is a horror buff’s horror movie, creepy and skin crawly. And the acting? It’s refreshingly on point. So is the camera work, which is gorgeous and moody. On the whole, It Follows – as much a tribute to the classics as it is one in its own right – does just that. It stays with you. Scant supplements include a critics-only commentary that breaks down varied facets of the film, including some of its classic-horror influences. And, also, the menacing musical compositions are explored during a standalone talk with their creator because, well, without them, It Followswouldn’t be this bloody good.

The Nanny

Fran Drescher’s nasally-voiced nanny set the bar high for caretakers everywhere – who could compete with her queerness? I mean, first of all, that garish wardrobe, which was obviously drag-inspired. And that mouth, unfiltered and TMI-ready. Fran Fine spoke her mind, which, of course, made it horribly awkward when a job listing brought her to the Sheffields’ swanky palace (in zebra print, naturally), where she shamelessly flirted with the widowed patriarch, Maxwell, razzed his kids, and then, during dinner, dished on a “natural digestive.” She passed the test, got the job, got fired, then got the job again. That was 1993, when the show premiered, but eventually Drescher’s delightfully zany role as “The Nanny” was notable for more than the whiney way she talked. She lived for Barbra Streisand (remember the impersonator during the final season?). One episode was titled “Oy Vey, You’re Gay” and involved a lesbian pass to Fran from none other than Catherine Oxenberg of Dynasty. Also, how about that time Fran actually did drag? And, you know, her star-powered Rolodex, which might as well be the GLAAD Media Awards guest list: Bette Midler, Estelle Getty, Elton John, Cloris Leachman, Patti LaBelle, Margaret Cho; you get the gist. Because yes. A lot of important gay (ish) icons appeared throughout the span of the show’s six-season, 146-episode run, all of which are permanently etched on discs – with ample commentaries and flashback featurettes – so you never have to forget why you want the ’90s back.

Bessie

As the leading lady in HBO’s Bessie Queen Latifah’s portrayal of the Roaring ’20s singer Bessie Smith is a crowning achievement. No, really, bow down; you haven’t seen Latifah this good since… maybe ever. Latifah’s Bessie is an unstoppable spitfire who knew what she wanted career-wise, got it, and then became an influential force of nature in the black struggle for equality. The Queen encapsulates her empowering gumption in a rangey role that goes for miles (she goes topless, too, so you know she’s committed). Over 20 years in the making, the pursuit of a Bessie biopic is long overdue, and out writer / director Dee Rees (Pariah) knows just where to take this story, portraying Smith as more than a divine singing voice because, well, she was. Bessie was the voice of a community. And of survival. She shut down the KKK when they attempted to set fire to her performance tent, and when a man got too handsy with her, she jabbed him with a piece of stray glass like the baddest badass you’ve ever seen. She slept with men, and she also slept with women. She was unstoppable, and Latifah’s scenes with Ma Rainey (a fabulous Mo’Nique) illustrate Bessie’s unwavering determination to be the best she could be. Rees’ film is a galvanizing slice-of-life biopic rooted in the universality of self-expression. During the extras, which cover the film’s long journey to the screen (featuring Latifah’s less-confident 1996 screen test), Latifah briefly talks about Bessie being the most challenging film of her career. A challenge the Queen meets with consummate flair.

Also Out

The Rose

Winifred Sanderson may have put a spell on you – and you don’t have to pretend you didn’t sob buckets during Beaches (CC Bloom, we love you) – but the Divine Miss M first brought her most faithful bathhouse-going fans to their, ahem, knees in her star-making role as Mary Rose Foster in The Rose. Loosely based on the life of Janis Joplin, Midler turned her now-pristine image inside out to take on the tragic life of a self-destructive rocker. Bette wears her battered heart on her sleeve as she suffuses the part with grit, pathos and musical verve, eventually tearing into your heart with the film’s eponymous send-off song. In addition to archival interviews circa late ’70s, Criterion’s re-release of The Rose – the film’s Blu-ray debut – includes a new sit-down with Milder, who dishes with fascinating candor on the difficulties of The Rose and how “I sang until I bled.”

Clouds of Sils Maria

Contrary to popular Twilight belief, Kristen Stewart can act. Her eyes aren’t just empty, lifeless Bella vessels after all, and if given the right role – see also Still Alice, where she stars alongside Julianne Moore – Stewart can slip out of herself and into the psyche of someone else with remarkable ease. As Juliette Binoche’s assistant, a confident Stewart is effectively orderly as she oversees the day-to-day endeavors of Maria Enders’ (Binoche), a veteran French actress. Starring in a theater production with a younger actress (Chloë Grace Moretz) who’s playing the same role she once played, Maria is forced to face some serious truths. Revelations abound in this chatty showpiece that requires patience to slog through its heady storytelling. Extras… wait, what extras?

Hot Pursuit

In Hot Pursuit, Reese Witherspoon and Sofia Vergara are on the run. But from what? To flee every frame of this hot mess of an odd-couple cop comedy? Though you wouldn’t blame them if they tried, not quite. In this laugh-now-feel-bad-about-it-later buddy comedy, Officer Cooper (Witherspoon) and her mob witness (Vergara) bumble their way out of awkward situations, like feigning lesbianism to mitigate a dangerous run-in with a crazed Southerner. Reese does boy drag as she… demonstrates that her cuteness can defy gender? Yes, Hot Pursuit is dumb fun. Yes, The Heat was much better. And no, we don’t need a sequel. As for the special features: Reese and Sofia bond onset like the real-life BFFs they may or may not be.

Chris Azzopardi is the editor of Q Syndicate, the international LGBT wire service. Reach him via his website at www.chris-azzopardi.com.

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