Films

What does a hot, silver-haired teacher do after class? He makes his usual excursion into the forest to hunt for another sexy man, of course. What does he do when he encounters a student of his in the forest, watching him with lusty eyes? He invites him to bed, of course. And what does the student do when the teacher refuses to see him again after a torrid night of sexual lessons? Well, that’s the terrifying part. The story of Carlos the teacher and Toni the student brings to mind another suspenseful thriller, "Stranger by the Lake."

In this compelling documentary, five HIV-positive gay men spend a week preparing for their first solo parachute jump. The camaraderie inspired by the rigorous training and team-building exercises encourages the men to share their feelings about being seropositive: their reactions to finding out, their thoughts about ongoing treatments, and the ways they negotiate relationships with men who are not positive. "Alive!" reminds us all of the value of life and of living it to the fullest.

What is extraordinary is that Kim Jho Gwang-soo and Dave Kim's wedding is the first of its kind in a country that does not recognize same-sex marriages. Romantically involved since 2004, they document the plans for their wedding and the big event itself. Just like every other couple, they are overwhelmed with the guest list, decisions on the proper outfits, and rehearsals for the song and dance routine. But, unlike their heterosexual counterparts, they must face plenty of opposition from the conservatives protesting the wedding. This documentary is an engaging diary on coming out, loving openly, and living proudly.

Nolan Mack is married. He has a respectable job, lives in a nice house, comes home to the most understanding wife. A wife who doesn’t share his bed. This is Nolan Mack – gay and afraid to tell a single soul. His world starts to unravel when he meets Leo, a young prostitute looking for a way out. “Boulevard” was Robin Williams’ final dramatic feature film before his passing in 2014. And even though Williams isn’t a stranger to gay-themed films, “Boulevard” isn’t the flamboyant sassiness of “Birdcage” or the outrageous cross-dressing of “Mrs. Doubtfire.” It is real life.

High school student Takumi lives with his two mothers in a beautiful house in Tokyo. Moving into a house across the street is Sora and her two fathers. One day Takumi and Sora begin a quest to seek answers long hidden and silent in their unconventional families. Takumi sets out to determine the identity of his father, and Sora devises a plan to integrate herself fully into her family. The ordeals of these households stretch the traditional notions of family, convention and tradition.

The gay rights drama “Stonewall” takes us back to 1969 to New York’s Greenwich Village, where a police raid on Stonewall Inn ignites a riot and a crusade for gay rights. Danny Winters is a young man newly acquainted to New York after recognizing himself as a gay man. He joins the crowd at Stonewall Inn, the prominent hang-out of the local queer culture. There he witnesses passion and activism, but also corruption and violence. The film is directed by Roland Emmerich ("White House Down", 2013) and features Jonathan Rhys Meyers, Jeremy Irvine, and Ron Perlman.