Behind every glitter lies vulnerability

Thanks to its catchy title and bold self-presentation, My Boyfriend the Fascist is among the more anticipated titles in this year’s programme of the One World festival. In it, Italian filmmaker Matthias Lintner turns the camera on himself with a touch of inevitable exhibitionism and documents a passionate but complicated relationship with his partner. The partner escaped the Cuban regime, so his activism against the repressive system is understandable. However, Matthias a typical Western leftist gradually begins to notice troubling traces of far-right extremism in him, and a political rift starts to emerge between the two men. The film’s extravagant glitter ultimately serves a much subtler study of living together and the role political views play in a romantic relationship. The film will be presented by the director himself.

One of the most audiovisually satisfying films of this year’s edition is Jaripeo, which also blends queer themes with more universal questions about searching for one’s own identity and role in society. This Mexican film by the directing duo Efraín Mojica and Rebecca Zweig visits the masculine environment of traditional bull riding, a setting that carries many stereotypes, expectations, and assumptions about proper behavior. Among the surging bulls, however, three ranchers reveal how difficult it is for them to meet these expectations while reconciling them with their own queer identities and finding fulfillment in life.

A more specific form of fulfillment is explored in the distinctive film The Pink Pill: Sex, Drugs & Who Has Control. In it, Canadian director Aisling Chin-Yee and her protagonist Cindy Eckert observe that while fulfilling sex for men is celebrated and can be aided by Viagra, female sexuality is still taboo. When a man is unable to have sex, society sees it as a problem that must be solved, yet women rarely receive the same attention. The film therefore follows Eckert’s long-running battle with American bureaucracy over the development of a “female Viagra,” which repeatedly encounters resistance from authorities afraid of “horny women.” After the screening, the film’s director will take part in a discussion with the audience.