Holding the Man (2015)
This movie is based on the memoir of the same name written by Tim Conigrave in 1994, shortly before he died of an AIDS-related illness. The book, winner of the United Nations Human Rights Award for Non-Fiction in 1995 and listed as one of the “100 Favourite Australian Books” by the Australian Society of Authors for its 40th anniversary in 2003, tells the story of Tim’s fifteen-year long relationship with John Caleo.
I cried like a baby. The hardships and discriminations that these two men suffered is mind boggling enough, but the acting by Ryan Corr and Craig Stott is simply fantastic. Both actors have been on Australian TV for almost a decade, but are relatively unknown in the US. I foresee that changing very soon.
Holding The Man is available on Netflix.
Watch the trailer here:
I Origins (2014)
Billed as a “science fantasy drama,” this story is about scientist Ian Grey who is studying the evolution of eyes. One night at a party, he photographs a woman wearing a mask and then — through KISMET, which he vehemently denies — meets her again and they fall in love.
I can’t give away too many more plot points, because it would spoil all the amazing surprises, twists and turns the movie takes. You just need to sit back and enjoy the ride. Oh, and make sure to wait until the very end of the credits! I Origins was developed as a prequel of I, a screenplay writer/director Cahill sold to Fox Searchlight Pictures in 2011.
I Origins is available on HBO Now.
Watch the trailer here:
Colonia (2015)
This film is a 2015 “historical romantic thriller” directed by Oscar-winner Florian Gallenberger and starring Emma Watson. The film is about a young woman’s desperate search for her abducted boyfriend against the backdrop of the Chilean military coup and the real “Colonia Dignidad”, a notorious cult in the South of Chile led by German preacher Paul Schäfer.
It’s received mixed reviews on Rotten Tomatoes, but I thought it was incredibly entertaining and the cast is fantastic. I was on the edge of my seat almost from the very beginning. Many of the events depicted are intense and based on very true, very horrific history.
Colonia is available on Netflix.
Watch the trailer here:
