Movies and shows: “Minyan,” “The Man with the Answers,” “Firebird” and “Young Royals”
This is the season of love and family. So I wanted to flag some movies and shows featuring a gay spin on these themes that have been recently released for streaming or that, hopefully, soon will be.
“Minyan” is set in a small orthodox Jewish community in Brooklyn in 1983. But this isn’t a gay version of the excellent Netflix miniseries, “Unorthodox.” David, the protagonist, we’re told, is a “good yeshiva boy.” He’s steeped in the faith of his community as embodied in his grandfather Josef, an excellent Ron Rifkin. Equally strong are the tidal forces within his own body that catapult him toward a completely new life. Featuring a committed performance by Samuel H. Levine as the smoldering David, inventive cinematography and a lush Klezmer-infused score, “Minyan” is a deeply moving meditation on what it means to honor community and faith, but also the dictates of one’s own body.
Who doesn’t love a good road trip? “The Man with the Answers” offers stunning vistas of Greece and Italy and also insight into the hearts of two young men. After the death of his beloved grandmother, the buttoned-down Victor sets off in his battered Audi to find his estranged mother. When he gives a lift to the free-spirited Matthias, Victor enters a landscape of new possibilities. We’re never in any doubt where this trip is headed, but the charming performances by the two leads make it a joy just to come along for the ride.
In contrast to the intimate scale of these two films, “Firebird,” set primarily on a Soviet Air Force base during the Afghanistan conflict, plays out on a vast canvas. When a young private and a dashing pilot meet, both men’s lives are changed irrevocably. Debut director, Peeter Rebane, balances intimate moments and large scale set pieces in this story of star-crossed lovers that teeters deliciously on the edge of melodrama.
A description of Netflix’s episodic smash hit “Young Royals” reads like a mash-up of “Glee” and a Swedish version of “The Crown”—the musical numbers, the raucous soundtrack, the teenaged angst played out against a backdrop of privilege and duty to the royal family. Sure, it’s all that—which is, thankfully, half the fun—but it’s underpinned by the story of lovers Crown Prince Wilhelm of Sweden and Simon, a commoner from a working class Hispanic family. The story of their travails is grounded by Edvin Ryding’s raw, fully-embodied performance as Wilhelm, along with those of the excellent ensemble cast.
All these titles center on romantic love and sexual awakening and none scrimp on the latter. There are no annoyingly unrealistic fades to black just as things start to get hot. This is especially true of “Minyan” where the camera dwells on David’s rapturous discoveries. All the sex scenes are character driven, though. As are the movies in which they are set, they feel like real life.
P.S. If you need a silly holiday movie with a feel-good ending (you know you do!), check out “Single All the Way.” You’ll laugh, you’ll cry. You’ll feel like baking Christmas cookies.