Brazilian LGBT movies rank amongst the very best of the genre, winning international Awards and finding enthusiastic audiences all over the world. Here then are our TOP 6 FAVORITE BRAZILIAN GAY MOVIES.
1) Tied in first place is Daniel Ribiero's debut feature film 'THE WAY HE LOOKS' : a heart-warming coming-of-age tale about Leo a blind teenager who is shocked to discover that his new classmate has eyes for him and not Giovanna his best friend. There is nothing at all extraordinary in the plot-lines of this wee movie, but somehow it has the most endearing quality that makes it so immensely enjoyable time and time again.
Sharing the Number One spot is 'FUTURO BEACH' a mesmerizing melancholic drama from Karim Aïnouz that starts with a drama in the wind-swept beach in Northern Brazil with its unforgiving and untamed ocean which spins into a tale of three man coming to terms with how that day will shape their future. It ends almost like it begins many years later with the three of them racing down fog-drenched Autobahn Berlin to a stark desolate beach. It's the 'journey' in between when all three realise that life never turns out quite as the predicted. It is unquestionably a real visual treat but more that Aïnouz has a way of imbuing such sensuality into his movies that make them so compelling viewing.
3) In this, his first directing role, writer Hilton Lacerda's wildly exotic tale TATTOO aka Tatuagem is based on a real famous Theater Troupe in the 1970's, and was shot on location in his hometown of Recife. Despite all the bizarre and bawdy scenes of the totally uninhibited performers giving (and showing) their all, this is essentially a rather wonderful and very tender love story.
4) William Hurt created a great deal of controversy for his camp mincing performance as gay window-dresser Luis Molina jailed for having under-age sex in 'THE KISS OF THE SPIDER WOMAN'. He also picked up a Best Actor Academy Award too. Molina is paid by the Brazilian Military Authorities to obtain information from Valentin Arregui a political prisoner who he is sharing his cell with. He treats his cellmate (played by a very young Raúl Juliá) to his dramatic re-enactments of his favorite movies, before he eventually falls in love with him. This classic melodrama from 1985 has since been described as 'the gay Casablanca'.
5). Karim Aïnouz gets another spot in our list with Madame Satã his first feature made in 2002. It's a dramatized portrait of João Francisco dos Santos, an outrageous drag queen who was known as Madame Satã and who was a sometime chef, transvestite, lover, father, hero and convict from Rio de Janeiro. A fiery character from a very poor background, Santos didn't grovel for the respect that he saw as his birthright, he demanded it, and he fought for it loudly and violently. It is an totally electrifying performance from Lazaro Ramos that will remain with you for a long time afterwards.
6) Last, but by no means least, we have REACHING FOR THE MOON based on the real life story of the celebrated American novelist Elizabeth Bishop and her affair with her very fiery lover Lota de Macedo Soares a highly successful and wealthy architect in Rio de Janiero. This highly unusual but very passionate relationship involving two iconic artists makes for very compelling viewing with stunning performances from Brazilian award-winning Soap Opera star Gloria Pires as Lota and Australian actress Miranda Otto as Elizabeth.
