CAMP Film:  

There has often been a fascination with queer youth in GLBT cinema: Old men obsessed with the beautiful boy he cannot have, young hustlers living on the streets, and many other depictions of disaffected youth trying to make the best of their situations. I’m generalizing, of course, but it is my article so I can. Dire portrayals indeed, but not necessarily far from the truths many GLBT youth face. This face of youth in GLBT cinema is starting to change, thanks to companies like M6 Droit Audiovisuals, one of the largest television and motion picture companies in France. M6, known to never shy away from depiction of gay and lesbian issues, youth or otherwise, has created a series of 6 films dealing with youth and 3 with issue of interest to GLBT youth.

You’ll Get Over It (Tu verra, ca te passera) introduces us to Vincent, a 17 year-old star student and champion swimmer. Publicly, Vincent is athletic, popular and dating the very pretty Noémie, but privately he is seeing a twenty-something gay man living in the Marais District. Struggling to come clean with his friends and family, Vincent is unexpectedly outed by fellow schoolmate Benjamin, an openly gay transfer student on whom Vincent develops a crush. Forced out into the open, Vincent faces hostility and aggression from his classmates and his family. However, surprising allies surface and Vincent gradually finds the strength to reclaim his identity and his pride.

Close To Leo (Tout contre Leo) is about family—namely, Leo’s family. At 21, he’s the eldest of four and brother Marcel, age 11, is the youngest. The family, with relatively young parents, has always been happy and close-knit. Each is fairly open and accepting of Leo’s homosexuality, but after learning he has AIDS, the family is faced with a situation that will eventually test all bonds. Fearing that Marcel is too young to accept or understand the news, the information is kept from him. Marcel overhears talk about Leo’s health, and thus the bombshell is dropped. Faced with beginning an arduous medical regimen, Leo becomes increasingly more frustrated and he eventually takes matters into his own hands. He decides not to take the cocktail. Then he takes Marcel off to Paris so that he can explain both himself and his situation to his young brother.

Laura’s Paradise (Les Paradis de Laura) Laura is a quiet, young girl who lives with her mother in a suburban neighborhood in France. She’s about to take her final exams and graduate high school, but she’s distracted and unfocused. Laura’s efforts to change her ways prove fruitless when she meets Sophie—an attractive, flamboyant, and intriguing law school student who lives a feverish clubs-and-party nightlife. Laura is immediately drawn to Sophie’s intense and high-octane lifestyle and she begins indulging herself, including experimenting with drugs. Laura continues to pull herself farther off her intended path of bettering herself and deeper into a world she can’t escape. Only after an unforeseen miscalculation forces Laura to confront her self-destructive behavior does she choose to seek a way back to the world in which she can survive.

In addition to the productions from M6, another famous French directing duo who are partners in work and in life, Olivier Ducastel and Jacques Martineau (Jeanne and the Perfect Guy, The Adventures of Felix), add their take on GLBT Youth French style with My Life On Ice (Ma vraie vie a Rouen). The story revolves around Etienne, a cute teenager at a high school in his native Rouen who is given a video camera, and his whole life changes. He becomes obsessed with recording every detail of his life and those around him. At first it feels like any random encounter with a camera but builds up into a compelling video diary. Things seem all very normal until we find that he’s stalking his male geography teacher. His pursuits are always very solitary and he spends a huge amount of time spying on various other people. Ice skating also takes up a lot of his energies as he prepares for a big competition (thus the title of the film). There are some things of which Etienne seems unaware, but his filming has its own inner narrative. In an intense discussion with his best friend, he asks, "Can two men love each other?" By the end of the film, he is on his way to finding an answer.

While these films may never make it to the big screen, they have been very well received on the GLBT festival circuit and will find a long life through DVD/Video. So grab a croissant, throw on your beret, and enjoy the movies!