Weekend Binge

Yes Daddy! Celebrate Father’s Day weekend with Queerty’s salute to gay dads

Beginners

Welcome to the Weekend Binge. Every week, we’ll suggest a binge-able title designed to keep you from getting too stir crazy. Check back throughout the weekend for even more gloriously queer entertainment.

The Timely: Gay Dad Film Festival

Father's Day has arrived once again, giving members of the queer community (and beyond) a reason to scream "Yes, daddy." Just in case you didn't have one already...

For our Weekend Binge this week, we therefore want to pay tribute to all the LGBTQ dads that have enchanted us on the silver screen. While limited in number for sure, these characters nonetheless point the way toward a future rife with queer dads of all ages, races, nationalities and more. Moreover, said characters also all have one thing in common: they love their children, and above all, want to be good parents to them.

We should all be so lucky. With more and more LGBTQ men marrying and having children, these films speak to an increasing demographic and issue a subtle reminder: the queer experience has many, many more stories to mine.

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[tps_header] [caption id="attachment_584392" align="alignnone" width="670"] Beginners[/caption]

Welcome to the Weekend Binge. Every week, we’ll suggest a binge-able title designed to keep you from getting too stir crazy. Check back throughout the weekend for even more gloriously queer entertainment.

The Timely: Gay Dad Film Festival

Father’s Day has arrived once again, giving members of the queer community (and beyond) a reason to scream “Yes, daddy.” Just in case you didn’t have one already…

For our Weekend Binge this week, we therefore want to pay tribute to all the LGBTQ dads that have enchanted us on the silver screen. While limited in number for sure, these characters nonetheless point the way toward a future rife with queer dads of all ages, races, nationalities and more. Moreover, said characters also all have one thing in common: they love their children, and above all, want to be good parents to them.

We should all be so lucky. With more and more LGBTQ men marrying and having children, these films speak to an increasing demographic and issue a subtle reminder: the queer experience has many, many more stories to mine.

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Beginners

Acting legend Christopher Plummer became the oldest actor in history to win an Oscar for his role in this film. It’s easy to see why: he gives a performance of incredible charisma and sincerity. Beginners chronicles the relationship between Oliver (Ewan McGregor) and his aging father Hal (Plummer). Hal came out as gay very late in life, and finds renewed purpose and joy in joining the community. It also helps that he begins a relationship with Andy (Goran Višnjić), a much younger man. Plummer shines in his role, making Hal into the elder gay we both wish we had as a role model, and wish we could mentor as well.

Streams on Amazon, Hulu, YouTube & VUDU.

La Cage aux Folles

The French farce that inspired The Birdcage and the Broadway musical of the same name remains a classic of queer cinema, albeit one overshadowed by its American remakes. As such, we throw back to the OG here. The 1978 film follows a longtime gay couple, Renato & Albin (Ugo Tognazzi and Michel Serrault) as they bicker their way through middle age. When their son decides to bring home his girlfriend–and her conservative parents–all Hell breaks loose. Critics compared the film to the comedy of routine couples such as Lucy & Desi or George & Gracie, and the movie went on to score three Oscar nominations, including one for the script and for director Édouard Molinaro. Watch, and prepare to howl.

Streams on YouTube & Amazon.

Twilight’s Kiss

This most recent release on our list follows the story of two elderly men, Pak & Hoi (Tai Bo & Ben Yuen) who begin a relationship after a chance meeting in a Hong Kong park. Hoi has come out to his family and lives openly, while Pak remains closeted and married to a woman. As love grows between the pair, both men must struggle with the choice of living out their final years together, or keeping up appearances for the sake of their families–in particular, their children and grandchildren. Twilight’s Kiss alludes to another growing subgenre within LGBTQ cinema: that of the elderly queer, and the struggles older members of the community face. It also features two terrific performances by Bo and Yuen, both of whom bring quiet dignity to their characters.

Streams on Amazon.

Giant Little Ones

This overlooked Canadian gem follows two teen besties amid a public scandal. During a sleepover one night, Ballas and Franky (Josh Wiggins & Darren Mann) have a sexual encounter, prompting their families and friends to question their sexualities. Everyone starts to assume Franky is gay, as his father Ray (Kyle MacLachlan) has recently come out as gay himself, and left the family to begin a relationship with a man. More than that we’ll not reveal here, as Giant Little Ones has a few plot twists up its sleeve. In this context, we love it for the character of Ray who works to earn his son’s trust again, and who gives him perfect advice about how to approach sexual discovery.

Streams on Amazon, Starz, YouTube & VUDU.

La Otra Familia

We’re dying for a proper English-language release of this Mexican film, which has gone almost entirely unnoticed outside its native country. La Otra Familia chronicles the story of 7-year-old Hendrix, a child neglected by his crackhead mother Nina. When she finally abandons him during a drug binge, Hendrix becomes the ward of  Jean-Paul and Chema, a happy gay couple. Hendrix begins to flourish as a child, feeling happy and healthy for the first time. The newfound family can’t escape the past, however, as Nina and her boyfriend plot to sell Hendrix to drug lords. Despite the lurid drama, La Otra Familia does present a beautiful portrait of gay fatherhood, which gives us hope for the future.

Streams on YouTube.

The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert

Finally, how could we not mention one of the great, gay comedies of all time, one which features a drag queen Tick (Hugo Weaving) trying to figure out how to be a good father to his estranged son. We admit fatherhood doesn’t play a huge role here–the movie uses it more as a plot device–though it does play a key role in Tick’s character arc, and young Mark Holmes, who plays Tick’s son Benji, nearly steals his scenes. In a movie with costumes outrageous as this one, that’s an achievement.

Streams on YouTube & VUDU.

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