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Watercolors
Bear City

N

erd meets jock in coming of age flick Watercolors. Danny (Tye Olson) is an effeminate gay teen, and talented artist. Carter (Kyle Clare) is a high school athlete with a rocky home life.

Watercolors is a charming, good-looking film, but like Finding Me: Truth, it doesn't bring anything new to the table.

Look: Rikki Beadle-Blair's KickOff is a comedy about a gay football team; his forthcoming second picture Bashment is about a white, gay rapper. Aluizio Abranches' From Beginning To End is about gay brothers in love. Leave It On The Floor is a romance set within the ballroom scene. See where I'm going with this?

These are films that dare to think outside the box. Watercolors is good-hearted - and safe - but it won't set the world on fire. But that doesn't really matter, because this bittersweet little film is engaging, and moving. (Finding Me, on the other hand, was crippled by a lack of vision, and left a nasty taste in the mouth.)

The two boys are excellent (Tye Olson's Danny is particularly good), Olympic diver Greg Louganis makes a cameo as Carter's swim coach, and Karen Black (Easy Rider, Family Plot) is Danny's passionate art teacher.

T

o the above list of "gay films with ideas" add Bear City, a comedy that takes us into the big heart of the bear scene in New York City.

Your correspondent is not a bear (or even a cub), and this world was a total mystery to me. That lack of familiarity is one thing this wonderful littlebig film sets out to address.

Laugh out loud brilliant, Bear City's heart is as big as its hairy gut. You'll want to hand back your twink/clone membership and get down and sweaty with these guys.

A sequel is on the way: I can't wait.

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