2008 will always be known as an historic year – for the passing of gay marriage laws in two states (and the tragic reduction of those rights in four), for the election of the nation’s first president of color, and for the downturn of the economy.
Years from now, when we talk about 2008, it’s likely that we’ll be discussing these events, rather than any specific lesbian film that came out.
But that doesn’t mean it wasn’t a banner year for lesbian cinema.
While there were still extremely few mainstream movies with notable lesbian/bi characters, the overall quality of representation was decidedly – and dramatically – on the rise.
2008 saw an encouraging dearth of murderous, victimized or man-hating lesbian characters in any level of production (from smaller indie flicks to big-budget movies).
Women of color were better represented than in many years past, gross stereotypes were avoided, and new talents emerged.
The greatest barometer of this progress was the number of 2008 releases that didn’t need to be qualified with “well, it was good for a lesbian movie.” They stood amongst the better releases of the year, gay or straight.
One film that embodies this was The Edge of Heaven, a masterful, beautifully constructed German/Turkish film from Fatih Akin (Head-On). The movie told a complex tale of four central characters and the intricate ways in which their lives intersected. Nurgül Yesilçay played Ayten, a fiery Turkish revolutionary who falls in love with a German girl (Patrycia Ziolkowska), and a good third of the movie centered on their romance and the couple’s eventual difficulties once Ayten found herself hauled off to jail in Istanbul.
As I stated in the film’s review, the movie was one of the year’s absolute best:
Water Lilies delivers a vivid impression of Euro-teen angst set against the backdrop of competitive synchronized swimming in the Paris suburb of Cergy… the ideal location for Sciamma’s warm-weather tale of 15-year-olds overwhelmed by the prospect of their biological destinies and the confusing novelty of their desires.
A scene from Water Lilies
Somewhat lighter in tone was Taiwanese director Zero Chou’s (Spider Lilies) poetic Drifting Flowers. With three loosely connected stories about life and love, subtly gorgeous cinematography, and an eye for misfits and outcasts who don’t fit into traditional gender roles, the film was a truly pleasant surprise.
Serena Fang (left) with Chao Yi-lan in Drifting FLowers
It’s not a stretch to call 2008 a renaissance year for lesbian film.
More than half of the notable releases with lesbian characters featured women of color, very few films treated lesbian characters as dispensable or one-dimensional, and the independent queer festival circuit was absolutely brimming with talent. With the overwhelming strength of so many of the year’s noteworthy releases, and the encouraging debut of several new filmmakers, it’s hard not to be hopeful for the future.
It’s also incredibly heartening that directors across the gender/sexuality spectrum are finally getting lesbian representation “right,” including straight men (Fatih Akin with The Edge of Heaven), gay men (Gus Van Sant with Milk), straight women (Diane English with The Women), and of course, queer women (Shamim Sarif, Michelle Ehlen, Zero Chou, and so on).
This can only mean one thing – it’s also time to offer strong and unyielding support to queer and queer-friendly cinema. In times of economic uncertainty, it’s all the more important to ensure that our stories will be told – and that our community continues to garner positive representation in every possible way.
…it’s hard to get too invested in who ends up with whom, equally deserving as they are of each other’s bad company. Kiran in particular proves to be a poor judge of character when it comes to both men and women. And in the end, it’s hard to care too much about the meeting of two fictional characters I’d never care to meet in real life.
The festival circuit was absolutely packed with dramatic features, several of which mixed elements of mystery in with the romance and melodrama. While some may have been put off by the darkness of the year’s better films, the precise, expert filmmaking of the work was undeniable.
It’s perhaps unsurprising that all of these were “foreign” productions – and most were not English-language films. It was fantastic to see such culturally diverse representation of lesbian characters, and to enjoy the caliber of talent on display.
Affinity was one of two excellent period dramas (the other being The World Unseen) to grace queer festivals this year.
Anna Madely in AffinityAdapted from a Sarah Waters novel (like Tipping the Velvet and Fingersmith), the film was a romantic mystery set in Victorian England. Centered on a depressed, wealthy young woman who visits a women’s prison, the central conflict of the story develops when she falls deeply in love with a mysterious prisoner – a spiritual “medium” who is serving time for murder.
The Secrets was set in one of Israel’s Holy Cities (specifically, Safed), within a seminary school for orthodox Jewish women. In this ultra-traditional world, Noemi (Ania Bukstein) and Michel (Michal Shtamler) fall in love with one another as they help a sickly older woman (and former prisoner) to find peace with God. The film examined the prickly territory between religion and sexuality, and it delved deeply into the primacy and power of both spiritual and sexual experiences.
Though not everyone was happy with the film’s ending, it was utterly captivating from start to finish.
Ania Bukstein (top) and Michal Shtamler in The Secrets
Similarly, Vivere presented a complex, interwoven tale involving a young German woman, her pregnant teenage sister, and an older woman who gets involved in both of their lives by means of a car accident.
The events of the film were presented three times, with each perspective revealing more layers and details to the complete picture. Its out writer/director Angelina Maccarone put something very special together – a movie that entertains and works on several levels, offering some very interesting commentary on age, sexual orientation and culture, especially when the lines among them tend to blur.
Hannelore Elsner in Vivere
Rounding out the Western European offerings was Water Lilies, from out French writer/director Céline Sciamma. As dark in tone as Affinity and portions of The Secrets, the film was all about obsession – and teenage angst. Like Caramel and I Can’t Think Straight, the film marked its director’s feature debut – and Water Lilies is arguably the best overall film of the three.
An official selection at the famed Cannes film festival, AfterEllen reviewerJulie Bolcer was quite impressed, stating:
Water Lilies delivers a vivid impression of Euro-teen angst set against the backdrop of competitive synchronized swimming in the Paris suburb of Cergy… the ideal location for Sciamma’s warm-weather tale of 15-year-olds overwhelmed by the prospect of their biological destinies and the confusing novelty of their desires.
A scene from Water Lilies
Somewhat lighter in tone was Taiwanese director Zero Chou’s (Spider Lilies) poetic Drifting Flowers. With three loosely connected stories about life and love, subtly gorgeous cinematography, and an eye for misfits and outcasts who don’t fit into traditional gender roles, the film was a truly pleasant surprise.
Serena Fang (left) with Chao Yi-lan in Drifting FLowers
It’s not a stretch to call 2008 a renaissance year for lesbian film.
More than half of the notable releases with lesbian characters featured women of color, very few films treated lesbian characters as dispensable or one-dimensional, and the independent queer festival circuit was absolutely brimming with talent. With the overwhelming strength of so many of the year’s noteworthy releases, and the encouraging debut of several new filmmakers, it’s hard not to be hopeful for the future.
It’s also incredibly heartening that directors across the gender/sexuality spectrum are finally getting lesbian representation “right,” including straight men (Fatih Akin with The Edge of Heaven), gay men (Gus Van Sant with Milk), straight women (Diane English with The Women), and of course, queer women (Shamim Sarif, Michelle Ehlen, Zero Chou, and so on).
This can only mean one thing – it’s also time to offer strong and unyielding support to queer and queer-friendly cinema. In times of economic uncertainty, it’s all the more important to ensure that our stories will be told – and that our community continues to garner positive representation in every possible way.
Caramel marks the feature film debut of Nadine Labaki, and it’s a strong one at that. It’s a romantic comedy/chick flick with a few layers, with a bit more to chew on than the standard trite Hollywood fare. In the end, I simply found myself wanting more time with these alluring women; I wanted to see where their paths led, and I wanted them all to find happiness.
One of the year’s best examples of “doing more with less” was the micro budget comedy Butch Jamie, which was written, directed, edited, and starred Michelle Ehlen.
Without oodles of talent, the picture would’ve had no chance, but thanks to Ehlen’s fantastic comic timing and her smart, tight script, the film had an infectious charm and a slew of laugh-out-loud moments.
Michelle Ehlen in Butch Jamie
Unfortunately, the other most noteworthy romantic comedy, the much-hyped When Kiran met Karen, failed to impress, according to AfterEllen contributing writer Shauna Swartz’ mixed review:
…it’s hard to get too invested in who ends up with whom, equally deserving as they are of each other’s bad company. Kiran in particular proves to be a poor judge of character when it comes to both men and women. And in the end, it’s hard to care too much about the meeting of two fictional characters I’d never care to meet in real life.
The festival circuit was absolutely packed with dramatic features, several of which mixed elements of mystery in with the romance and melodrama. While some may have been put off by the darkness of the year’s better films, the precise, expert filmmaking of the work was undeniable.
It’s perhaps unsurprising that all of these were “foreign” productions – and most were not English-language films. It was fantastic to see such culturally diverse representation of lesbian characters, and to enjoy the caliber of talent on display.
Affinity was one of two excellent period dramas (the other being The World Unseen) to grace queer festivals this year.
Anna Madely in AffinityAdapted from a Sarah Waters novel (like Tipping the Velvet and Fingersmith), the film was a romantic mystery set in Victorian England. Centered on a depressed, wealthy young woman who visits a women’s prison, the central conflict of the story develops when she falls deeply in love with a mysterious prisoner – a spiritual “medium” who is serving time for murder.
The Secrets was set in one of Israel’s Holy Cities (specifically, Safed), within a seminary school for orthodox Jewish women. In this ultra-traditional world, Noemi (Ania Bukstein) and Michel (Michal Shtamler) fall in love with one another as they help a sickly older woman (and former prisoner) to find peace with God. The film examined the prickly territory between religion and sexuality, and it delved deeply into the primacy and power of both spiritual and sexual experiences.
Though not everyone was happy with the film’s ending, it was utterly captivating from start to finish.
Ania Bukstein (top) and Michal Shtamler in The Secrets
Similarly, Vivere presented a complex, interwoven tale involving a young German woman, her pregnant teenage sister, and an older woman who gets involved in both of their lives by means of a car accident.
The events of the film were presented three times, with each perspective revealing more layers and details to the complete picture. Its out writer/director Angelina Maccarone put something very special together – a movie that entertains and works on several levels, offering some very interesting commentary on age, sexual orientation and culture, especially when the lines among them tend to blur.
Hannelore Elsner in Vivere
Rounding out the Western European offerings was Water Lilies, from out French writer/director Céline Sciamma. As dark in tone as Affinity and portions of The Secrets, the film was all about obsession – and teenage angst. Like Caramel and I Can’t Think Straight, the film marked its director’s feature debut – and Water Lilies is arguably the best overall film of the three.
An official selection at the famed Cannes film festival, AfterEllen reviewerJulie Bolcer was quite impressed, stating:
Water Lilies delivers a vivid impression of Euro-teen angst set against the backdrop of competitive synchronized swimming in the Paris suburb of Cergy… the ideal location for Sciamma’s warm-weather tale of 15-year-olds overwhelmed by the prospect of their biological destinies and the confusing novelty of their desires.
A scene from Water Lilies
Somewhat lighter in tone was Taiwanese director Zero Chou’s (Spider Lilies) poetic Drifting Flowers. With three loosely connected stories about life and love, subtly gorgeous cinematography, and an eye for misfits and outcasts who don’t fit into traditional gender roles, the film was a truly pleasant surprise.
Serena Fang (left) with Chao Yi-lan in Drifting FLowers
It’s not a stretch to call 2008 a renaissance year for lesbian film.
More than half of the notable releases with lesbian characters featured women of color, very few films treated lesbian characters as dispensable or one-dimensional, and the independent queer festival circuit was absolutely brimming with talent. With the overwhelming strength of so many of the year’s noteworthy releases, and the encouraging debut of several new filmmakers, it’s hard not to be hopeful for the future.
It’s also incredibly heartening that directors across the gender/sexuality spectrum are finally getting lesbian representation “right,” including straight men (Fatih Akin with The Edge of Heaven), gay men (Gus Van Sant with Milk), straight women (Diane English with The Women), and of course, queer women (Shamim Sarif, Michelle Ehlen, Zero Chou, and so on).
This can only mean one thing – it’s also time to offer strong and unyielding support to queer and queer-friendly cinema. In times of economic uncertainty, it’s all the more important to ensure that our stories will be told – and that our community continues to garner positive representation in every possible way.
It’s wonderfully refreshing to see a multi-ethnic lesbian couple at the center of a film that isn’t billed as a “queer movie,” and to see that their sexuality is a non-issue… It’s a fantastic film in its own right, so the fact that a lesbian relationship factors in so prominently is icing on the diversity-minded cake.
Nurgül Yesilçay (left) and Patrycia Ziolkowska in The Edge of Heaven
Surely, another of 2008’s biggest cinematic stories was the theatrical release of lesbian novelist-turned director Shamim Sarif’s two films: I Can’t Think Straight and The World Unseen. Both films were adapted from Sarif’s novels of the same name, and both are lesbian-centric romances headlined by Indian-North American actresses Lisa Ray and Sheetal Sheth.
In our exclusive interview with the filmmakers, Sarif and her partner/producer Hanan Kattan outlined the huge trial-by-fire they endured making their first film (Straight), and the enormous successes and accolades they’ve garnered with the very well-received Unseen.
While the verdict was a bit mixed on Straight, the beautiful, understated Unseen earned Sarif serious praise at film festivals of all descriptions, including Toronto International and BFI London.
Lisa Ray (left) and Sheetal Sheth in The World Unseen Photo courtesy: Regent Releasing
It’s not an exaggeration to count these films among the most important of the year – they represent not only some of the best work from such a multicultural perspective, but they are the very first steps of an emerging cinematic force.
Sarif and Kattan are filmmakers to watch out for – the next few years may very well see a breakout hit from them on par with the success of Brokeback Mountain, the so-called Holy Grail of queer filmmaking. In fact, it wouldn’t be too hard to imagine them topping the 2005 Oscar contender some day.
As for mainstream “playing at the local Cineplex” fare, the perennial lesbian “sidekick” is still alive and well. But she’s inching towards the limelight, slowly but surely, as evidenced by lesbian characters who were stronger, more important, and more out than in earlier films.
The recently released biopic Milk (another of the year’s best-reviewed films, queer or not) featured Allison Pill as Harvey Milk’s fiery young campaign manager, Anne Kronenberg. The film focused on the life of the titular Harvey Milk, one of America’s first openly gay elected officials, and an instrumental force in the GLBT rights movement.
Alison Pill as Anne Kronenberg in Milk Photo credit: Phil Bray/Focus Features
AE contributing Writer Christie Keith described the real-life Anne in an interview with Pill, Kronenberg, and the film’s director, Gus Van Sant: “Strong, confrontational, and passionate, Anne rode a motorcycle and wore leather jackets. She took on the cautious gay male establishment of the times and helped Harvey kick down some of the social and political walls between lesbians and gay men.”
It doesn’t get much more mainstream than The Women, in which Jada Pinkett Smith played Alex, an accomplished lesbian novelist.
In the film, Meg Ryan and Annette Bening played wealthy, powerful women entrenched in the fashion industry. When Mary (Meg Ryan’s character) finds out that her husband is cheating on her with a steamy mistress (Eva Mendes), her best friends, including Alex and Edie (Debra Messing) rally around her and mess with the other woman.
Jada Pinkett Smith (center) with Annette Bening and Debra Messing in The Women
While it’s true that Alex wasn’t the lead, she was a very central part of the film, as one of the core group of four friends. For a “sidekick,” she’s refreshingly important to the story and as out as can be, bringing hot ex-model dates to events, checking out the ladies behind the perfume counter at Saks, and bringing the group to a lesbian bar for a night out. Pinkett-Smith was also fantastic in the role, stealing every scene — especially the hilarious birthing sequence towards the film’s end.
In fact, there was even a tiny, blink-and-you’ll-miss it lesbian reference in the smash hit Sex and the City movie, when Miranda (out actress Cynthia Nixon) and Carrie (Sarah Jessica Parker) sit down to dinner on Valentine’s day. An overzealous waitress presumes that the friends are a romantic couple, and gleefully runs to get a bottle of wine for “you and your girlfriend”. It’s a minuscule moment, sure, but when a film as mammoth and successful as SATC can put a (positive) lesbian spin on a comical moment, progress is in the air.
Cynthia Nixon (left) and Sarah Jessica Parker in SATC: The Movie
Compared to the lesbian characters of 2007’s wide release movies, which famously included a very peripheral character (Allegra from The Jane Austen Book Club), a de-gayed criminal (Smokin’ Aces) and a few horror film victims, 2008’s smaller but stronger crop offered much more positive visibility for queer women.
If only we could count them on more than one hand.
The queer festival circuit was like a breath of fresh air for women sick of so many years of trite or amateurish lesbian films, with a continuing improvement in the overall quality, if not quantity, of work on display.
Compared to 2007, there were far fewer laugh-fests and less “lite” fare, save for comedies Butch Jamie and When Kiran Met Karan and the “dramedy” Caramel.
Instead, the trend was much more towards romantic drama and even mystery, with several very strong foreign entries.
Though it came out early in 2008, Caramel wowed audiences with its stylish and nuanced take on Eastern vs. Western culture. Set in a Lebanese hair salon, each of the film’s many characters (including tomboy Rima – played by Joanna Moukarzel – who falls for a woman) and story threads made for a deeper, more layered take on a traditional romantic comedy.
A scene from Caramel
AfterEllen.com contributing writer Stacie Ponder offered a glowing review of the film:
Caramel marks the feature film debut of Nadine Labaki, and it’s a strong one at that. It’s a romantic comedy/chick flick with a few layers, with a bit more to chew on than the standard trite Hollywood fare. In the end, I simply found myself wanting more time with these alluring women; I wanted to see where their paths led, and I wanted them all to find happiness.
One of the year’s best examples of “doing more with less” was the micro budget comedy Butch Jamie, which was written, directed, edited, and starred Michelle Ehlen.
Without oodles of talent, the picture would’ve had no chance, but thanks to Ehlen’s fantastic comic timing and her smart, tight script, the film had an infectious charm and a slew of laugh-out-loud moments.
Michelle Ehlen in Butch Jamie
Unfortunately, the other most noteworthy romantic comedy, the much-hyped When Kiran met Karen, failed to impress, according to AfterEllen contributing writer Shauna Swartz’ mixed review:
…it’s hard to get too invested in who ends up with whom, equally deserving as they are of each other’s bad company. Kiran in particular proves to be a poor judge of character when it comes to both men and women. And in the end, it’s hard to care too much about the meeting of two fictional characters I’d never care to meet in real life.
The festival circuit was absolutely packed with dramatic features, several of which mixed elements of mystery in with the romance and melodrama. While some may have been put off by the darkness of the year’s better films, the precise, expert filmmaking of the work was undeniable.
It’s perhaps unsurprising that all of these were “foreign” productions – and most were not English-language films. It was fantastic to see such culturally diverse representation of lesbian characters, and to enjoy the caliber of talent on display.
Affinity was one of two excellent period dramas (the other being The World Unseen) to grace queer festivals this year.
Anna Madely in AffinityAdapted from a Sarah Waters novel (like Tipping the Velvet and Fingersmith), the film was a romantic mystery set in Victorian England. Centered on a depressed, wealthy young woman who visits a women’s prison, the central conflict of the story develops when she falls deeply in love with a mysterious prisoner – a spiritual “medium” who is serving time for murder.
The Secrets was set in one of Israel’s Holy Cities (specifically, Safed), within a seminary school for orthodox Jewish women. In this ultra-traditional world, Noemi (Ania Bukstein) and Michel (Michal Shtamler) fall in love with one another as they help a sickly older woman (and former prisoner) to find peace with God. The film examined the prickly territory between religion and sexuality, and it delved deeply into the primacy and power of both spiritual and sexual experiences.
Though not everyone was happy with the film’s ending, it was utterly captivating from start to finish.
Ania Bukstein (top) and Michal Shtamler in The Secrets
Similarly, Vivere presented a complex, interwoven tale involving a young German woman, her pregnant teenage sister, and an older woman who gets involved in both of their lives by means of a car accident.
The events of the film were presented three times, with each perspective revealing more layers and details to the complete picture. Its out writer/director Angelina Maccarone put something very special together – a movie that entertains and works on several levels, offering some very interesting commentary on age, sexual orientation and culture, especially when the lines among them tend to blur.
Hannelore Elsner in Vivere
Rounding out the Western European offerings was Water Lilies, from out French writer/director Céline Sciamma. As dark in tone as Affinity and portions of The Secrets, the film was all about obsession – and teenage angst. Like Caramel and I Can’t Think Straight, the film marked its director’s feature debut – and Water Lilies is arguably the best overall film of the three.
An official selection at the famed Cannes film festival, AfterEllen reviewerJulie Bolcer was quite impressed, stating:
Water Lilies delivers a vivid impression of Euro-teen angst set against the backdrop of competitive synchronized swimming in the Paris suburb of Cergy… the ideal location for Sciamma’s warm-weather tale of 15-year-olds overwhelmed by the prospect of their biological destinies and the confusing novelty of their desires.
A scene from Water Lilies
Somewhat lighter in tone was Taiwanese director Zero Chou’s (Spider Lilies) poetic Drifting Flowers. With three loosely connected stories about life and love, subtly gorgeous cinematography, and an eye for misfits and outcasts who don’t fit into traditional gender roles, the film was a truly pleasant surprise.
Serena Fang (left) with Chao Yi-lan in Drifting FLowers
It’s not a stretch to call 2008 a renaissance year for lesbian film.
More than half of the notable releases with lesbian characters featured women of color, very few films treated lesbian characters as dispensable or one-dimensional, and the independent queer festival circuit was absolutely brimming with talent. With the overwhelming strength of so many of the year’s noteworthy releases, and the encouraging debut of several new filmmakers, it’s hard not to be hopeful for the future.
It’s also incredibly heartening that directors across the gender/sexuality spectrum are finally getting lesbian representation “right,” including straight men (Fatih Akin with The Edge of Heaven), gay men (Gus Van Sant with Milk), straight women (Diane English with The Women), and of course, queer women (Shamim Sarif, Michelle Ehlen, Zero Chou, and so on).
This can only mean one thing – it’s also time to offer strong and unyielding support to queer and queer-friendly cinema. In times of economic uncertainty, it’s all the more important to ensure that our stories will be told – and that our community continues to garner positive representation in every possible way.
