The Queer Gaze

The next entry in our 'Sex Work and Pornography' theme is Gregg Araki's masterful 2005 adaptation of Scott Heim's devastating novel Mysterious Skin. Starring a grown-up Joseph Gordon Levitt and a pre-Oscar winning director Brady Corbet, the film examines two very different responses to childhood sexual abuse (C/W).Plus: praising Michelle Trachtenberg, the strategic way Araki worked with the child actors, and why Neil's storyline is more intriguing than Brian's.Seen the film or want to hear more details? Subscribe to our Patreon at patreon.com/TheQueerGaze for ~36 more minutes of spoiler-heavy discussion.Like the show? Rate, review and subscribe to help others find usFollow the show on Insta and BlueSky: @thequeergaze.Email us: thequeergazeshow@gmail.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It's a Conrad pick as our theme on 'Sex Work and Pornography' continues with Robin Campillo’s genre hybrid, Eastern Boys (2013).The film tackles several uncomfortable subjects, including a significant age gap between client and sex worker, an incredibly tense home invasion-style "party" and a challenging protagonist in Daniel (Olivier Rabourdin).Plus: shifting genres, a dialogue-free opening, and the moment Joe had to jump ahead because he couldn't stand the tension.Seen the film or want to hear more details? Subscribe to our Patreon at patreon.com/TheQueerGaze for ~27 more minutes of spoiler-heavy discussion.Like the show? Rate, review and subscribe to help others find usFollow the show on Insta and BlueSky: @thequeergaze.Email us: thequeergazeshow@gmail.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We're kicking off a new theme, 'Sex work and Pornography', with Justin Kelly's 2016 true crime adaptation, King Cobra (2016) which tells the story of underage porn star Brent Corrigan and the murder of Bryan Kocis (here named Stephen).Starring Christian Slater (superb) and James Franco (ick) as predatory older gay men, the film is stylish, but hollow.Bonus points for Molly Ringwald and Alicia Silverstone, though!Seen the film or want to hear more details? Subscribe to our Patreon at patreon.com/TheQueerGaze for 24 more minutes of spoiler-heavy discussion.Like the show? Rate, review and subscribe to help others find usFollow the show on Insta and BlueSky: @thequeergaze.Email us: thequeergazeshow@gmail.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

For our final 'Cruising' entry, we've returned to France to discuss Alain Giraudie's Stranger By The Lake (2013).It's one of Joe's favourite contemporary texts, but what did Conrad think of his time watch?Plus: unsimulated sex, naturalistic sound design, Henri's separation, and the lake as a gay utopiaSeen the film or want to hear more details? Subscribe to our Patreon at patreon.com/TheQueerGaze another ~23 minutes of spoiler-heavy discussion.Like the show? Rate, review and subscribe to help others find usFollow the show on Insta and BlueSky: @thequeergaze.Email us: thequeergazeshow@gmail.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Our second last 'Cruising' title arrives in the form of Nate Dushku's feature directorial debut, Birder (2023).Prepare for innuendos abound courtesy of Amnon Lourie's screenplay, which is brought to life by charming chameleon Michael Emery in the lead role.Plus: queer diversity, and why Conrad and Joe feel differently about David Sachs' father figure MilesSeen the film or want to hear more details? Subscribe to our Patreon at patreon.com/TheQueerGaze another ~25 minutes of spoiler-heavy discussion.Like the show? Rate, review and subscribe to help others find usFollow the show on Insta and BlueSky: @thequeergaze.Email us: thequeergazeshow@gmail.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Our 'Cruising' theme continues with Andrew Ahn's feature directorial debut, Spa Night (2016) which follows David, a second generation Korean-American living in Los Angeles, as he struggles to make a human connection.This is a beautiful film, although David's near passivity could prove frustrating to some. Good thing Joe Seo is a captivating performer!Seen the film or want to hear more details? Subscribe to our Patreon at patreon.com/TheQueerGaze another 23:03 minutes of spoiler-heavy discussion.Like the show? Rate, review and subscribe to help others find usFollow the show on Insta and BlueSky: @thequeergaze.Email us: thequeergazeshow@gmail.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hold onto your jockstrap because we're hunting a serial killer in the Big Apple with William Friedkin's Cruising (1980).Starring a 39-year old Al Pacino as an ambitious young police officer going undercover in New York's leather scene, the film - which was picketed by the queer community at the time - has aged well thanks to its ambiguity.Plus: debate about the success of Pacino's performance, the meaning of the end, inserting pornography into the murder sequences, and why you don't need to seek out James Franco's Interior.Leather.Bar Seen the film or want to hear more details? Subscribe to our Patreon at patreon.com/TheQueerGaze another ~22 minutes of spoiler-heavy discussion.Like the show? Rate, review and subscribe to help others find usFollow the show on Insta and BlueSky: @thequeergaze.Email us: thequeergazeshow@gmail.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Our 'Cruising' theme continues with writer/director Carmen Emmi's 2025 film Plainclothes, starring Tom Blyth and queer actor Russell Tovey.The period film follows undercover NY police officer Lucas, whose job is to entrap queer men in a public bathroom so they can be arrested. The issue? Lucas is struggling with his own sexuality, which is only exacerbated when he falls for Andrew, who has his own secrets to protect.Topics include: internalized homophobia, more beards, awkward family dinners, and a frustrating/unnecessary visual motif.Seen the film or want to hear more details? Subscribe to our Patreon at patreon.com/TheQueerGaze another ~27 minutes of spoiler-heavy discussion.Like the show? Rate, review and subscribe to help others find usFollow the show on Insta and BlueSky: @thequeergaze.Email us: thequeergazeshow@gmail.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

To kick off our 'Cruising' theme, we're checking out writer/director Eliza Hittman's Beach Rats (2017) featuring the feature film debut of Harris Dickinson.We've got questions about Frankie's kink (expect talk of 'Daddy' issues) as well as his dependency on drugs and alcohol.Plus: shitty boyfriend behaviour, bad friends, and debate about why the film doesn't inspire an emotional connection.Seen the film or want to hear more details? Subscribe to our Patreon at patreon.com/TheQueerGaze another ~27 minutes of spoiler-heavy discussion.Like the show? Rate, review and subscribe to help others find usFollow the show on Insta and BlueSky: @thequeergaze.Email us: thequeergazeshow@gmail.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

So much for swimming! It turns out the 2014 Dutch film Jongens is actually a track and field 'Sports Gay' film.Directed by Mischa Camp, this beautifully shot made for TV film was so popular that it was eventually shown in theatres and distributed around the world.Plus: Marc's patience with Sieger, motorcycles, and another fair!Seen the film or want to hear more details? Subscribe to our Patreon at patreon.com/TheQueerGaze another ~18 minutes of spoiler-heavy discussion.Like the show? Rate, review and subscribe to help others find usFollow the show on Insta and BlueSky: @thequeergaze.Email us: thequeergazeshow@gmail.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Our last true "Sports Gay" entry is American football film Riley (2023) from writer/director Benjamin Howard.The film stars Jake Holley as the titular character, Dakota Riley, a promising high school football player who can't suppress his same sex attraction.The problem (and most interesting aspect of the film) is that his sexuality doesn't "fit" in the narrative that he and his oppressive father/coach have constructed for his future.Plus: issues of consent and strict binaries, more beards, and a holdover from the short that doesn't work in the feature film.Seen the film or want to hear more details? Subscribe to our Patreon at patreon.com/TheQueerGaze another 24 minutes of spoiler-heavy discussion.Like the show? Rate, review and subscribe to help others find usFollow the show on Insta and BlueSky: @thequeergaze.Email us: thequeergazeshow@gmail.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The second entry of our 'Sports Gays' theme is super cute Irish friend-com Handsome Devil (2016).Featuring a great supporting role by Andrew Scott (before he was, you know, "Andrew Scott").Plus: muddled messages about conformity, 90s vibes, and the cycles of queer issues.Like the show? Rate, review and subscribe to help others find usSupport the show on Patreon for bonus content on every episode, including ~25 minutes more about this film!Follow the show on Insta and BlueSky: @thequeergaze. Email us: thequeergazeshow@gmail.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We're kicking off a brand new theme on Sports Gays with In From The Side (2022), the feature film debut of Matt Carter.Co-written by Carter and his partner Adam Silver, this is an intriguing title that asks the audience to identify with an adulterous protagonist.Plus: finding community in sports, white gay issues, and how the film uses rugby.Like the show? Rate, review and subscribe to help others find usSupport the show on Patreon for bonus content on every episode, including ~26 minutes more on this film alone!Follow the show on Insta and BlueSky: @thequeergaze. Email us: thequeergazeshow@gmail.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We're closing out our 'Family Drama' theme with Bruce LaBruce's 2020 'twincest' film, Saint-Narcisse.The truth is that this film is much more beautiful, self-aware, and interesting than LaBruce simply trying to court controversy.Plus: French vs English acting, ties to Saint Sebastian, and the film's shadow-banning by Amazon.Like the show? Rate, review and subscribe to help others find usSupport the show on Patreon for bonus content on every episode, including 24 minutes more about this film!Follow the show on Insta and BlueSky: @thequeergaze. Email us: thequeergazeshow@gmail.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We're continuing our 'Family Drama' theme with a look at Barry Jenkins' Oscar winning film, Moonlight (2016) - a triptych dedicated to a specific queer, Black experience that is nonetheless undeniably universal.Like the show? Rate, review and subscribe to help others find usSupport the show on Patreon for bonus content on every episode, including 26 minutes more about this film!Follow the show on Insta and BlueSky: @thequeergaze. Email us: thequeergazeshow@gmail.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We're continuing our 'Family Drama' theme with a look at Quebec director Jean-Marc Vallée's 70s-set coming of age/coming out film, C.R.A.Z.Y. (2005).It's a visually stunning film, filled with needle drops, and a fantastic lead performance by Marc-André Grondin.Plus: Tupperware witches, baptism transitions, the Quiet Revolution and more!Like the show? Rate, review and subscribe to help others find usSupport the show on Patreon for bonus content on every episode, including 21 minutes more about this film!Follow the show on Insta and BlueSky: @thequeergaze. Email us: thequeergazeshow@gmail.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We're kicking off a brand new theme on 'Family Drama' so what better (popular) text to begin with than Mike Nichols' 1996 film, The Birdcage?The American remake of a French farce feels like a product of its time, particularly how it handles queer issues (which ultimately makes it feel made for straight audiences).Plus: Lane and Williams' iconic lead performances, bland children, and draaaaaagLike the show? Rate, review and subscribe to help others find usSupport the show on Patreon for bonus content on every episode, including an additional 28 minutes on this film!Follow the show on Insta and BlueSky: @thequeergaze. Email us: thequeergazeshow@gmail.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Conrad and Joe continue our themed exploration of 'Doomed, Sexy Experimentation' with a look at Alfonso Cuarón's scintillating Mexican road trip movie, Y tu mamá también (2001).It's an incredibly hot film, and though the sex and nudity is a major talking point, the film is about so much more!Plus: Joe's coming out in part thanks to Gael García Bernal, Conrad's knowledge of Andor, and praise for secret MVP Maribel Verdú.Like the show? Rate, review and subscribe to help others find usSupport the show on Patreon for bonus content on every episode, including 29 minutes more about this film!Follow the show on Insta and BlueSky: @thequeergaze. Email us: thequeergazeshow@gmail.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We're kicking off a brand new themed pairing on 'Doomed, Sexy Experimentation' with a look at Luca Guadagnino's adaptation of Call Me By Your Name (2017).We're giving big props to the chemistry between the leads, tackling the film's controversies (Armie Hammer; the age gap), Timothée Chalamet's nuanced performance, and that cold winter ending.Seen the film or want to hear more details? Subscribe to our Patreon at patreon.com/TheQueerGaze for additional content, including our spoiler-heavy 33 minute discussion about the (peach!) sex scene and more!Like the show? Rate, review and subscribe to help others find usFollow the show on Insta and BlueSky: @thequeergaze.Email us: thequeergazeshow@gmail.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Our second entry in 'Secret Adolescent Love' is 2023's Monster.Directed by Hirokazu Kore-eda and written by Yuji Sakamoto, the film is a puzzle narrative in the form of a triptych that constantly asks audiences to re-evaluate their understanding of characters in order to answer the question: "who is the monster?"Plus: leading with empathy, fave quotes from school principal Fushimi, secret queerness, and debate about the film's ending.Seen the film or want to hear more details? Subscribe to our Patreon at patreon.com/TheQueerGaze for an additional 22.5 minutes of spoiler-heavy discussion.Like the show? Rate, review and subscribe to help others find us.Follow the show on Insta and BlueSky: @thequeergaze.Email us: thequeergazeshow@gmail.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.