It often seems that nuanced explorations of bisexuality on screen are few and far between. The new romantic drama, In the Grayscale has been getting attention for its even-handed and thoughtful treatment of sexual self-discovery. Chilean TV star Francisco Celhay plays a thirty-something architect who leaves his wife and child and falls into a romance with an openly gay history teacher. He explores the urban landscape of Santiago (and his own inner landscape of desire) while still maintaining his connection to his family and formerly straight life. First-time director Claudio Marcone explores questions of sexuality and commitment while not offering conventional black and white answers (hence the titular reference to the grayscale).
In The Grayscale won the Jury Award for Best First Feature at Frameline: The San Francisco International LGBTQ Film Festival this past June where Variety compared it’s sensitive romanticism to Andrew Haigh’s Weekend and called it: “a gentle boy-meets-boy romance.”
The film is out this week on DVD and digital platforms including iTunes, Amazon Instant, WolfeOnDemand.com and more. Check out the trailer above.
Tarigh Phoenix Daniels
Looks proper good.
Robert Barber
On the list
Brian
I think it’s great that straight-identifying men can be unashamed of their homosexual desire. It’s probably the ultimate form of male liberation. It frees men from the strict rules imposed on them by women in particular.
Keep in mind that women control their male lovers through the selective use of sexual consent. If he’s good, she consents. If he’s bad, she doesn’t.
This ability of women to use consent to shape male behavior is crucial to understanding the dynamics of male-female relationships, and thus the stigma attached to homosexual desire. To a woman, her male lover’s homosexual desire represents a direct threat to her power to control him, and thus must be stigmatized at all cost.
Historically, this is one of the main factors that has created this enormous shame around male homosexual desire.
Bob Craig
Disgusting
Dev.C
Does anyone ever make movies about two actual gay men falling in love, without heterosexuality having to be a factor, at all?
Masc Pride
Interesting perspective. Seems a bit like a short film called “Summer Vacation”. Definitely worth checking out if you can find it:
etseq
Straight washing and bi-supremacy sucks
Chris
@Bob Craig: Then why the hell are you on a gay site watching a trailer for a gay movie?? Can someone say “closet case?”
Chris
@Masc Pride: you’re right. I’ve seen the movie and thought the same thing.
jasentylar
Undertow did a good job of showing a bisexual man. That was a heartbreaker
OzJosh
@Dev.C: Check out Holding The Man, an Australian film directed by Neil Armfield. It’s just been released in Australia, and will no doubt be coming to a movie theatre near you soon. Based on the memoir by Timothy Conigrave – and the play that was based on the book (but infinitely better than the play), it’s just what you’re looking for.
russellhm
I resent whatever editorial board is behind comment section as I wrote a detailed review of my feelings about this superb film and after pressing “Post Comment,” a page came up saying I was posting to quickly, to slow down. And it’s not here. I feel insulted. There is no warning and I was simply typing. Shame on you!
Chris
@Dev.C: Yes; look on Hulu and Netflix.
alphacentauri
@etseq: Just ignore Brian he does not know shit about human sexuality and thinks that bisexual people do not exist, and that bi men should stay closeted. There’s nothing wrong with ‘bi supremacy’ in a film especially when a lot of gay men are bi p h o b i c bigots.
n900mixalot
@jasentylar: yes an amazing movie and one of my favorites!!! Plan B also. I wish we had more American movies that got past the sort of run of the mill campy same old story, and had serious undertones without having to play the illness or death card. We are getting there though. In the meantime, I still love foreign gay themed films. From all countries, as long as the story portrays us in more than just city life, or as charicatures.
Brian
@alphacentauri: Where on earth did I say that bisexual people do not exist? Never said it. In fact, I’ve said that virtually all straight-identifying guys have hidden homosexual desires. My view is more liberated than yours.
douglassnow
@Dev.C: What a much better movie it would have been without the Angst and the remorseful tears, and with a more direct and honest answer to the little boy’s question.