TIFF 51: Andrew Scott delivers an Oscar-worthy performance in “Elsinore”

by Eurocheese

Heading into my screening of Elsinore on the last day of the festival, I had heard a number of mixed things on the ground. Some said the film pulls too readily at heartstrings without much plot. I’d heard rumblings that it was likely to win an audience prize, and it ended up taking the International People’s Choice Award before I saw it (yes, it’s eligible since it’s a UK production and La Bola Negra became automatically disqualified for the honor when it won TIFF’s general People’s Choice Award). There were those who thought Olivia Colman didn’t have enough to do, and I heard folks say it flat-out didn’t work. Since this was one of my most anticipated titles heading into the festival, I was beyond curious about how I would ultimately feel…

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VOD Catch-Up: "We Are Pat" is a Fun, Intelligent Ode to Queer Dissection

by Joanna Sodeman-Taylor

I’m not sure when I first heard of Julia Sweeney’s breakout SNL sketch “It’s Pat!”. Joe Reid’s comprehensive article on SNL’s queer catalogue was what made me aware of it years ago. Then a young adult of less inquisitive sensitivities, I almost certainly brushed off the whole project as a reflex, the controversial legacy of Pat’s discomforted, gender-nonconformist schtick stinking as too problematic and outdated to bother engaging with. Watching it as a slightly older adult, I can’t say brushing this off was a bad move, even if my reasoning was flawed. There’s certainly a lot of material to seriously analyze - if I felt it was worth the effort. What exactly is the ultimate joke of this character? Are they worth rehabilitating under the progressive gaze of the gays, let alone any other group who feels represented by Pat, for better or worse?

Lucky for us, director Ro Haber saw plenty to discuss, and their 2025 documentary We Are Pat gives this character the intelligent, playful, communal autopsy they deserve . . . .

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It's a Pride Party! with Two Superlative Shorts!

by Joanna Sodeman-Taylor

As some of y’all might have noticed, Joanna Sodeman-Taylor is a fairly new name to be showing up on TFE and acting so familiar. So, happy Pride to me! The diva formerly known as Nick is now going by Joanna, and she's has the hormones to back it up. June may be over, but with my other major cinematic obligation with the Columbus Film Festival currently completed, I figured I should polish off my writings on two exemplary documentary shorts that deserve an audience all year round. Better late than never, right? Right! Also, please sound off your favorite queer-as-fuck films you watched in June, whether they're first tiime watches or perennial faves. We gotta share the love around here, goddammit!

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It's a Pride Party!: "Portrait of Jason" (1967)

by Joanna Sodeman-Taylor

Hello everybody! It’s been a minute since I’ve posted anything, and I’m excited to present a bunch of queer cinema this month. I love Ben’s pieces on queer cinema, and it kicked me in the pants to start plotting my own series. The thought of only having a straight person celebrating Pride at The Film Experience of all places - we can’t have it! Ahead of whatever I’ll be reviewing this month, let’s just define “queer” along some fairly broad lines. We got films explicitly focused on queer subject matter, films with queer people in notable roles on- and/or off-screen, subtextual queens, camp queens, objects that have become ensconced in queer culture for one reason or another regardless of their sexuality, and stuff my gay friends really like!

I’ll be kicking things off with Shirley Clarke’s seminal 1967 documentary Portrait of Jason . . . .

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“One Battle After Another” and Eva Victor among this year’s Dorian Awards nomination leaders

by Cláudio Alves

Eva Victor's SORRY, BABY was one of GALECA's favorite films of 2025.

Multiple members of the Film Experience team are part of GALECA - The Society of LGBTQ Entertainment Critics, so it’s only logical that we should highlight the Dorian Awards. As a voter, I don’t want to be too harsh on the results, though there will always be reasons to complain, as these sorts of collective picks can never feel as special or idiosyncratic as an individual’s selection. Even so, rejoice, Sorry, Baby fans, for Eva Victor’s directorial debut is among the Film of the Year nominees, rubbing elbows with such awards season favorites as One Battle After Another – leading the pack with 9 mentions – and Sinners – settling at a still remarkable 8 nods. Indeed, the nonbinary director is this year’s most-nominated individual.

Come see the full list of Dorian Award nominees, plus plenty of added commentary, right after the jump…

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