What to Watch: Out On Film 37

September 28, 9:15pm

“Mother Father Sister Brother Frank” takes all the relatable family tensions — passive aggression, illicit secrets, and awkward interactions with that one family member you can’t stand — and ramps them up to 11 with money laundering, blackmail, and murder. It’s as tense and dramatic as you might expect, while also being absolutely absurd and downright hilarious. While Mindy Cohn as Joy — the titular “Mother” — is a standout, the entire cast’s comedic performances are laugh-out-loud phenomenal. If you only see one film during Out On Film, make it this one; you won’t regret it.

September 28, 4pm

“Becoming a Man in 127 Easy Steps” was a close runner-up for Best of the Fest. This film is truly unlike anything I’ve ever seen. Taken from 127 total stories from Scott Turner Schofield’s one-man stage show, this film beautifully exemplifies Schofield’s aptitude for storytelling. From the ridiculous story about how his Uncle Bill’s death allowed him to wear boys’ underwear for the first time to the stories of falling, contemplating suicide, and the “homosexual experience every man has,” Schofield’s blend of stand-up comedy with heartfelt intimacy — interspersed with animation, archival footage, and cinematic narration — tenderly and truthfully explores the highs, lows, and everything in the middle of trans identity.

September 30, 7pm

When I watch a documentary, I want to learn something. On this front, “Cashing Out” delivers. The doc explores the controversial viatical settlement industry, an industry emerging during the AIDS crisis that gave terminally ill patients the opportunity to sell their life insurance policies for cash to live (and die) on and investors the opportunity to profit off their deaths. For a 40-minute doc, the filmmaker does a pretty great job at capturing the nuances of the industry, despite being the son of an early investor — the genuine gratitude many of these patients felt for their investors and the dreams they were allowed to bring to fruition, along with the conflict between an industry investing in death and the pursuit of a cure for AIDS. The film does much heavy lifting despite its short runtime, and while, of course, that means not every angle is explored in its entirety, “Cashing Out” is still a great introduction to a subject you (like I) may know nothing about.

October 4, 9pm

During the first 10 minutes of this film, I was expecting it to be really bad. A film about an AI artist whose name is Neomy (pronounced like “Naomi”)? Oh, brother. I was shocked to find that “Under the Influencer” actually broached many interesting concepts about how the digital space can breed exploitation — at least until the final 15 minutes, during which the conflict is resolved in a way I found confounding and contradictory of these themes. Despite the bizarre ending, “Under the Influencer” has really good bones, especially when it comes to the racial lines exploitation often traverses and the conflict between mental health and creation. Beyond the plot, you’ll probably love it if you’re sapphic and into age-gap relationships … wink wink.

October 5, 7pm

I’m pretty sure whoever coined the term “romp” when describing a film did so after watching “Big Easy Queens.” This film is the epitome of a good time. It’s a campy, bloody, and absolutely absurd musical that has all the charm of a low-budget community theater production. While some of the acting performances and accent work are questionable, to say the least, the vocal performances will blow you away — plus, it has what I would deem one of the funniest death scenes of all time (your wig will literally be snatched). Even though “Big Easy Queens” can meander at times, it is still an absolute pleasure to bear witness to the absurdity.

October 6, 2pm

If you’re looking to bring your kid to Out On Film, this is a great option. “Maxxie LaWow” is an exceptionally cute film, complete with adorable animation (somewhat reminiscent to me of the old Canadian cartoon “6teen,” which aired on Nickelodeon and Cartoon Network in the early 2000s — if you know, you know). Timid baby gay Simon stumbles upon a magical pink wig and transforms into the absurdly charming and utterly fabulous Maxxie LaWow and antics ensue. It’s family friendly (with some subtle adult jokes sprinkled in) but still laugh-out-loud funny, and it’s a must-see for “Drag Race” superfans: the cast includes Jinkx Monsoon, Monét X Change, BenDeLaCreme (Benjamin Putnam), and Heidi N Closet. There is some awkwardness with the dialogue so that it matches up with the animation, but nothing gets in the way of how enjoyable it is.

October 6, 5pm

This is another doc that you’ll most likely leave having learned something. “Striking with Pride” explores the unlikely alliance forged in the mid-1980s between gay men and lesbians in London and the miners on strike in South Wales. It’s a story about solidarity in the most improbable of places — and how that kind of solidarity may be the most kind of all — told through archival footage, interviews with those affected, and a unique narrative framework: Welsh drag queen Tayce tells the story to a group of kids, illustrating their unfettered capacity for empathy and acceptance. The combination of such a captivating story with original storytelling devices really makes “Striking with Pride” stand out.

September 28, 5pm

As a sapphic woman, I had high hopes for “Ella,” but the film let me down. If you were to ask me what it is about, I wouldn’t know what to tell you. If you’re a fan of slow-burning, slice-of-life films without much plot (think “The Florida Project”), you might be fond of this one, but I certainly am not. Except for one scene when the titular protagonist is forced to interact with a mansplaining crypto bro who, if sexuality were a choice, would make any woman a lesbian, I found the cinematic choices in “Ella” to be boring at best and gratingly bizarre at worst.

October 3, 9pm

If you’re already a fan of “RuPaul’s Drag Race” season 14 runner-up Lady Camden, you’ll love this doc. If you, like me, are not, I don’t think there’s much here for you. “Lady Like” strikes me more as a vanity project than a documentary that tells a particular and necessary story. It lacks narrative structure, bouncing from one boring conversation to a clip of Lady Camden hosting a viewing party, then back to another, equally boring conversation. I think the film did a pretty good job of showcasing the human behind the drag queen, but that’s not exactly something we’ve never seen before. If you’re a “Drag Race” superfan and find the behind the scenes of drag and what it’s like to be on the show inherently interesting, then it’ll probably be worth the watch for you. Unfortunately, I am not one of those people.