Wortmann, Sönke

1994

The highest grossing German film ever, Maybe...Maybe Not is a side-splitting comedy destined for the Hall of Sexual Fame. The title refers to Axel, an open-minded heterosexual who has cheated on his girlfriend Doro one too many times. When Doro finds Axel having sex with another woman inside a bathroom stall, he is forced into the streets and finds himself at the apartment of Norbert, a homosexual friend of a friend. As Axel quickly enters the gay scene of contemporary Germany, Maybe...Maybe Not offers piercing commentary on masculinity and sex. In the film’s absurd, verging-on-erotic situations, director Sönke Wortmann provides us with the eavesdropper’s perspective on conversations where men - both straight and gay - talk about other men in overtly sexual ways. When Norbert’s queenie friend Waltraud attends a “Straight Men’s Support Group” as the "gay man" who can teach them about gayness, hilarious dialogue highlights a film rich with insightful sexual characterizations. As the narrative unfolds, Axel finds spending time with Norbert and his drag queen friends both fun and liberating - so liberating that Doro suspects that Axel is actually gay. The results are a sophisticated, whimsical film, one informed by a wacky warmth and a pleasing narrative world. -Marc Smolowiz

Zilnik, Zelimir

1994

One of the more unusual gay-themed films to have come out of Europe this decade, Marble Ass is a gutsy, transgender-positive political and social drama that champions individual creativity against the mindless macho militarism that has kept the Balkan area in turmoil for years. Set in a rambling house in suburban Belgrade, the story focuses on Merlyn, a tough but good-heartedtransvestite prostitute and her roommate, fellow working “girl” Sanela. Their routine is shattered when Johnny, a crazed ex-lover is decomissioned from the army and arrives at her house full of barely repressed rage. The film works both as a political allegory and an unflinching look at the often dangerous gay sex-for-sale world. The bleached-blond 37 year-old Sanela is a wonderful creation — mouthy and strong, she is not afraid to defend herself and others. At the same time she is realistic about her condition in life — that of an aging hustler. When pressed, she acknowledges that her tricks know that she is not a woman, but defends her drag by explaining that it is merely “show business.” A brave film in its championing of sexual diversity.

One of the more unusual gay-themed films to have come out of Europe this decade, Marble Ass is a gutsy, transgender-positive political and social drama that champions individual creativity against the mindless macho militarism that has kept the Balkan area in turmoil for years. Set in a rambling house in suburban Belgrade, the story focuses on Merlyn, a tough but good-hearted transvestite prostitute and her roommate, fellow working “girl” Sanela. Their routine is shattered when Johnny, a crazed ex-lover, is decommissioned from the army and arrives at her house full of barely repressed rage. The film works both as a political allegory and an unflinching look at the often dangerous gay sex-for-sale world. The bleached-blond 37 year-old Sanela is a wonderful creation — mouthy and strong, she is not afraid to defend herself and others. At the same time she is realistic about her condition in life — that of an aging hustler. When pressed, she acknowledges that her tricks know that she is not a woman, but defends her drag by explaining that it is merely “show business”. A brave film in its championing of sexual diversity.

Comstock, William

1994

A beautiful found footage montage reflection on love.

Conroy, Dennis

1994

Voyeurism, sado-masochistic fantasy, and masturbatory hallucinations.

Calderón, Agustin

1994

A love triangle has a surprising ending.

Seidler, Ellen

1994

A music video about lesbian love and lust.

Snee, Patrick

1994

A comedy about codependency and cheap tricks.

Deville, Noski

1994

An expressive fictional portrayal of a pair of lesbian couples, one in Spain, the other in London, dealing with epilepsy.

Karpinski, Barbara

1994

A femme's story for her Daddy.

Torrealba, José

1994

In José Torrealba’s Limités, Peruvian photographer Carlos Quiroz unveils the artistic process behind capturing the male nude. Inundated with doe-eyed and hung French-Canadian models, Limités visits Quiroz’s private photo sessions, allowing you to witness the intimate relationship established between camera and subject, a relationship in which the distinctions separating the artistic and the commercial are constantly changing and forever blurred. Lounging naked around the studio, even the models themselves—some of whom could very well be straight—offer surprisingly intelligent insights into how and why they do what they do. Encompassing the vast range of nude photography, Quiroz’s work, in being so erotically charged, is, in his words, “an invitation to masturbate, to become an accomplice with the model to reach orgasm.” In doing so, the simple act of looking becomes a sexual act in and of itself. After this film, you may never flip through another blue magazine in quite the same way again.