The Queer Gaze

Conrad and Joe are back in Gregg Araki territory as we discuss his first prominent feature, The Living End (1992). This "gay Thelma and Louise " film finds two HIV+ men on the lam as they deal with romance, nihilism, and homophobia. Plus: no budgets and no permits; Luke as a pin-up himbo; and why Joe struggled with some of the irreverent humour. Seen the film or want to hear more details...

Now that La Bola Negra is out in limited release, Conrad and Joe can release our thoughts from TIFF 2026. From filmmaking (and former romantic) duo, Javier Calvo and Javier Ambrossi, the Spanish Netflix film follows three different stories of queer men dealing with homophobia, storytelling, and living an authentic lives. Featuring supporting turns from Penelope Cruz and Glenn Close, this is one of...

Our 'Sad Goodbyes and Roadtrips' sub theme on films dealing with HIV & AIDS continues with Neil Armfield's 2015 adaptation of Timothy Conigrave's 1995 memoir, Holding The Man . Is the film a mainstream reckoning for Australia's AIDS history (as local critics argued) or is simply a decent tearjerker? Conrad and Joe are divided on its success. Plus: casting Australian acting royalty; the terribl...

Conrad and Joe have a spoiler-free discussion of Herman Yau's "based on a true story" We're Nothing At All (2026). The film tells the story of Fai and Ike - two vulnerable men in Hong Kong who fall in love despite society's attempt to keep them down. This is cross-cut with another timeline in which a bus explosion kills 16 and injures 30. How and when will the two stories int...

Our HIV & Aids sub theme on 'Sad Goodbyes and Road Trips' kicks off with Longtime Companion (1989). What's surprising about this film is that it went theatrical! Sure, it was a struggle to shoot and finance (and there's only one actual queer in the cast), but it's something of a marvel regardless. Plus: Speedos and young Dermot Mulroney; another Mary-Louise Parker performan...

Conrad and Joe continue their 2026 TIFF coverage with Marine Atlan's 2.5 hour feature directorial debut, La Gradiva (2026). Centering on a French school group who travel to Naples, the film is a coming of age exploration of sex, sexuality, politics, and art. Featuring a trio of leads (one of whom is explicitly queer), this was Joe's favourite film of the festival and one that lingers long...

Conrad and Joe wrap up our 'Gay Panic' theme with Neil Jordan's The Crying Game (1992). The film notoriously features a "trans twist" which dominated pop culture discussions, leading to a flawed legacy (to such a degree that Conrad has never revisited it before now). On a rewatch: this is a love story with a whole act that follows Dil's revelation and, while Fergus' reaction is initially troubling...

Conrad and Joe continue their coverage of queer texts at TIFF 2026 with an adaptation that's heavy on the queer coding: Julián (2026). From acclaimed Irish animation studio Cartoon Saloon, Louise Bagnall's adaptation of Jessica Love’s Julián Is a Mermaid is a beautiful, vibrant, gentle animated film with low-stakes conflict. Plus: a coded Pride parade; speaking Spanish; and Joe's reading of Julián...

Conrad and Joe's TIFF coverage continues with a spoiler-free look at writer/director Lukas Dhont's latest film, Coward (2026). A love story set in the trenches of WWI, the film focuses on Belgian farmer Pierre and tailor's son Francis as they navigate their developing romance in a time when it's not acceptable to be queer. Seen the film or want to hear more details? Subscribe to our Patreon at pat...

Our TIFF 2026 coverage continues with Bertil Nilsson's feature directorial debut Masc (2026) which explores the intersection of race, queerness, and neurodivergence. It's a challenging and occasionally confronting film, but a rewarding one, particularly how it employs dance/chroreography to recontextualize the main character. Seen the film or want to hear more details? Subscribe to our Patreon at...

Conrad and Joe continue our TIFF 2026 coverage with a spoiler free(ish) review of David Turpin’s Ancestors , a "dreamy" 1980s AIDS drama about Irishman Beau (Éanna Hardwicke) searching for enigmatic musician Tiny (Jack Wolfe) across parallel timelines. Also starring queer icon Rupert Everett and Christina Hendricks, this languid film aims at art cinema, but falters from a too long runtime and comp...

Joe and Conrad dig into the first episode of the renowned Brazilian filmmaker Marcelo Gomes' HBO Max series Oxygen Masks Will (Not) Drop Automatically , which tells the true story of a group of flight attendants who smuggle treatment drugs from America into the hands of patients with AIDS in 1980s Brazil. Subscribe to our Patreon at patreon.com/TheQueerGaze for more bonus content. Like the show? R...

Joe and Conrad hit the most popular of our 'Gay Panic' titles with I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry (2007). This is a film that thinks its funny because it's offensive to everyone, but really all of these actors should be put in jail. Or maybe we're being too mean? Jessica Biel's character is clearly the moral center of the film and the movie clearly sides with queer people. Seen the film or wa...

Conrad and Joe continue our 'Gay Panic' theme with Canadian writer/director Xavier Dolan's Matthias & Maxime (2019).  It's a return to his roots for Dolan, who explores the crisis of masculinity that follows a meaningful kiss. Plus: mocking the English language; more mommy issues; and a significant birthmark. Seen the film or want to hear more details? Subscribe to our Patreon at patreon....

Our second entry in the 'Gay Panic' theme is John Hamburg's 2009 American bromance I Love You, Man , which we struggled to connect with. Issues with the ending aside, there's only one joke that truly worked (credit to Thomas Lennon), though we did enjoy seeing Jon Favreau get puked on. Mostly we just feel bad for Rashida Jones.  Seen the film or want to hear more details? Subscribe to our Pat...

Conrad and Joe kick off a new theme on 'Gay Panic' with a look at Lynn Shelton's Humpday (2009). Starring Mark Duplass and The Blair Witch Project 's Joshua Leonard, the film explores the intersection of intimacy and sex when estranged heterosexual friends drunkenly decide to make a sex tape as an art project. It's a sitcom-level premise executed to surprisingly good effect (thanks to great direct...

Conrad and Joe tackle their second Jean-Marc Vallée title with 2013's Dallas Buyers Club . Starring Matthew McConaughey (in full McConaughassance) as real life figure Ron Woodroof, this is more biopic than HIV/AIDS text. Plus: Jennifer Garner as patron saint of queer films; bemoaning Jared Leto's presence and the depiction of a transwoman; and why the film's message about medicine is troubling. Se...

Conrad and Joe return to discuss the back half of Mike Nichols' multi-award winning HBO limited series, Angels in America . Does the series pay off its lengthy time commitment? Does the visual scope of the production justify its costly expense? And who is the real villain of the piece? Plus: Conrad's frustration with the ending; baring all (nudity!); and not caring about Mary-Louise Parker's final...

Conrad and Joe drop a (mostly) spoiler-free review of writer/director Adrian Chiarella's feature debut Leviticus (2026) about two boys who fall in love in a religious community that punishes them by using their attraction against them. It's a beautifully shot and acted film - more of a romance than a horror film, though several moments still unsettled us. Don't miss this when it plays near you! Li...

Settle in because we are discussing the first three episodes/hours of the HBO miniseries adaptation of Tony Kushner's Pulitzer-award winning play, Angels in America . Directed by Mike Nichols and starring a combination of prestige A-list actors (Pacino, Thompson, Streep) and rising newcomers (Wilson, Kirk, Wright), Millennium Approaches proves to be a dense, challenging watch. Plus: Harper's magic...

We're discussing the most popular title from our slate of 1993 films depicting HIV and AIDS: Jonathan Demme's Oscar winning movie, Philadelphia . Starring Tom Hanks and Denzel Washington, the film is equal parts character drama (for Washington's Joe Miller), and courtroom/activist piece as Hanks' fights his discriminatory firing. Plus: Demme's intrusive direction; Washington's (not nominated?!) pe...

Conrad and Joe check out Roger Spottiswoode's sprawling 1993 adaptation of Randy Shilts non-fiction tome, And The Band Played On. Featuring a star studded A-list cast, the film falls somewhere between medical procedural and contagion film as scientists and activists try to identify the AIDS virus and overcome systemic/bureaucratic hurdles. Plus: villainous Alan Alda; tension in the editing bay; an...

Conrad and Joe checked out Elliot Tuttle's feature directorial debut and we had to record our spoiler-free thoughts on the film. C/W: Sexual Abuse Starring Kieron Moore and Reed Birney as a camboy and his older client, this intimate "delicious onion film" is a dialogue heavy two-hander that is controversial, challenging, and confronting. We *highly* recommend it. Seen the film or want to hear more...

Conrad and Joe travel BACK to Canada for John Greyson's New Queer cinema entry Zero Patience (1993), a musical about the Quebec flight attendant scapegoated for bringing AIDS to North America. Plus: the use of real historical figures; assigning blame for the disease; and the first of two appearances this theme by actor Michael Callen (playing Miss HIV)  Seen the film or want to hear more deta...

Joe and Conrad kick off a new theme on 'HIV and AIDS' with a look at the earliest text to discuss the disease: An Early Frost from 1985. NBC's made-for-TV film is something of a marvel considering advertisers wouldn't touch it. Thankfully audiences, awards bodies and an all-star cast had no problem! Plus: Aidan Quinn's lead performance, the lack of intimacy between Michael and his partner Peter, a...