Obscure Objects of Desire

One of the most antagonistic audience responses is prompted by Hard, the explicit tale of a gay serial killer and the closeted homicide rookie assigned to the case. After the screening, an older man in a leather jacket leans over to me and says, "I just wonder what the difference is between this and Cruising--except 20 years." Another viewer asks director John Huckert if his film had a point. "The inability to love creates perversion," Huckert says, "and we took it to the max." Indeed, this "inability to love" extends to the relationship between Hard and its audience. But in spite of the film's graphic, questionably eroticized violence, I overhear programmers from other cities say that they'll probably book Hard for their own fests--because it would likely sell out.

Speaking of packing the house, the SFILGFF's continued success with bold documentaries and unconventional features demonstrates once again that there's a sizable audience for groundbreaking queer cinema. But since much of this work has to compete for screens with well-publicized gems such as Ma vie en rose (My Life in Pink) and out-and-out pap like It's My Party, we in the Twin Cities will need to keep our fingers crossed--and our eyes peeled.