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Conrad and Joe are joined by Horror Queers' Trace Thurman to discuss Charlie Polinger's debut feature, The Plague (2025).
Expect plenty of discussion about pre-teen bullying, queer-coding, and body horror as we're collectively triggered by this story about hazing rituals gone awry at an all-boy water polo camp.
Plus: praising Kayo Martin as central antagonist Jake, Joel Edgerton's useless Coach, and debate about how rarely (or not!) this kind of story is told.
Seen the film or want to hear more details? Subscribe to our Patreon at patreon.com/TheQueerGaze for a ~33 minute bonus spoiler-heavy discussion.
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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 utopia
Seen the film or want to hear more details? Subscribe to our Patreon at patreon.com/TheQueerGaze another ~23 minutes of spoiler-heavy discussion.
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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 Miles
Seen the film or want to hear more details? Subscribe to our Patreon at patreon.com/TheQueerGaze another ~25 minutes of spoiler-heavy discussion.
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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.
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We're venturing to rural India to discuss Rohan Kanawade's feature directorial debut, Cactus Pears / Sabar Bonda (2025).
This heartfelt romantic drama follows Anand (Bhushaan Manoj), an out gay man in Mumbai, as he returns home for the 10 day mourning ceremony following his father's death, reconnects with his hunky neighbour Balya (Suraaj Suman), and dodges invasive questions about his personal life from relatives.
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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.
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Our final preview of coming attractions from TIFF 2025 hails from queer Spanish director Alejandro Amenábar as he tackles the infamous story of Don Quixote writer Miguel de Cervantes' time imprisoned in Algier.
Starring Disney Channel star Julio Peña in the lead, The Captive is an expensive period piece that follows Cervantes' efforts to develop his skills as a storyteller, execute a daring prison escape and (maybe?) fall in lust/love with The Bey, Hasán Bajá (Alessandro Borghi).
While we agree on the interesting way that religion (both Christianity and Islam) are portrayed in the narrative, Conrad and Joe differ in our readings of Cervantes' sexuality and the way the film ends.
Which way do you folks land?
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The History of Sound (streaming on Mubi) is the new film from Moffie director Oliver Hermanus and stars Josh O'Connor and Paul Mescal as 1920s music students falling in love while they collect samples of American folk music.
It's a beautiful film with great chemistry between the leads, but Joe and Conrad aren't entirely satisfied by the way the narrative plays out, the runtime, and the deliberate lack of sex.
Want to hear our spoiler-filled thoughts? Subscribe to our Patreon at patreon.com/TheQueerGaze for another ~20 minutes of spoiler-heavy discussion.
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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.
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Follow the show on Insta and BlueSky: @thequeergaze.
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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.
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Follow the show on Insta and BlueSky: @thequeergaze.
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Our coverage of this year's Toronto International Film Festival kicks off with a review of Richard Linklater's biopic of Lorenz Hart, starring his 'Before Trilogy' collaborator Ethan Hawke, Margaret Qualley and Andrew Scott.
Set on the opening night of Oklahoma!, the smash hit success of his former writing partner, Rogers, and his replacement, Hammerstein, Blue Moon finds Lorenz holding court in Sardi's, indulging in his professional jealousy, self-doubt, and overwhelming admiration for Elizabeth (Qualley). Oh, and is Hart a whip-smart semi-closeted bitchy raconteur? You better believe it!
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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.
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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.
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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.
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Support 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
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Here's a special spoiler-free bonus episode on writer/director Nicholas Colia's feature directorial debut Griffin in Summer (2024) about a 14-year old playwright who develops a crush on the 25 year old burn-out fixing his pool over the summer.
It's an exceedingly funny, but surprisingly deep film with a cast that includes Owen Teague, Melanie Lynskey, Kathyrn Newton and exceptional newcomer Everett Blunck.
Want to hear more? Check out patreon.com/thequeergaze for an additional ~23-minute discussion.
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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.
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Support 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
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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 simply LaBruce trying to court controversy.
Plus: French vs English acting, ties to Saint Sebastian, and the film's shadow-banning by Amazon.
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Support the show on Patreon for bonus content on every episode, including X minutes more about this film!
Follow the show on Insta and BlueSky: @thequeergaze. Email us: thequeergazeshow@gmail.com
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