The Queer Gaze

Our TIFF 2026 coverage continues with Bertil Nilsson's feature directorial debut Masc (2026) which explores the intersection of race, queerness, and neurodivergence.It's a challenging and occasionally confronting film, but a rewarding one, particularly how it employs dance/chroreography to recontextualize the main character.Seen 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: [email protected] Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Conrad and Joe continue our TIFF 2026 coverage with a spoiler free(ish) review of David Turpin’s Ancestors, a "dreamy" 1980s AIDS drama about Irishman Beau (Éanna Hardwicke) searching for enigmatic musician Tiny (Jack Wolfe) across parallel timelines. Also starring queer icon Rupert Everett and Christina Hendricks, this languid film aims at art cinema, but falters from a too long runtime and comparisons to other texts like Longtime Companion.Subscribe to our Patreon at patreon.com/TheQueerGaze for more bonus contentLike the show? Rate, review and subscribe to help others find usFollow the show on Insta and BlueSky: @thequeergaze.Email us: [email protected] Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Joe and Conrad dig into the first episode of the renowned Brazilian filmmaker Marcelo Gomes' HBO Max series Oxygen Masks Will (Not) Drop Automatically, which tells the true story of a group of flight attendants who smuggle treatment drugs from America into the hands of patients with AIDS in 1980s Brazil.Subscribe to our Patreon at patreon.com/TheQueerGaze for more bonus content.Like the show? Rate, review and subscribe to help others find usFollow the show on Insta and BlueSky: @thequeergaze.Email us: [email protected] Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Joe and Conrad hit the most popular of our 'Gay Panic' titles with I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry (2007).This is a film that thinks its funny because it's offensive to everyone, but really all of these actors should be put in jail.Or maybe we're being too mean? Jessica Biel's character is clearly the moral center of the film and the movie clearly sides with queer people.Seen the film or want to hear more details? Subscribe to our Patreon at patreon.com/TheQueerGaze another 15.5 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: [email protected] Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Conrad and Joe continue our 'Gay Panic' theme with Canadian writer/director Xavier Dolan's Matthias & Maxime (2019). It's a return to his roots for Dolan, who explores the crisis of masculinity that follows a meaningful kiss.Plus: mocking the English language; more mommy issues; and a significant birthmark.Seen the film or want to hear more details? Subscribe to our Patreon at patreon.com/TheQueerGaze another ~16.5 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: [email protected] Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Our second entry in the 'Gay Panic' theme is John Hamburg's 2009 American bromance I Love You, Man, which we struggled to connect with.Issues with the ending aside, there's only one joke that truly worked (credit to Thomas Lennon), though we did enjoy seeing Jon Favreau get puked on.Mostly we just feel bad for Rashida Jones. Seen the film or want to hear more details? Subscribe to our Patreon at patreon.com/TheQueerGaze for ~16.5 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: [email protected] Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Conrad and Joe kick off a new theme on 'Gay Panic' with a look at Lynn Shelton's Humpday (2009).Starring Mark Duplass and The Blair Witch Project's Joshua Leonard, the film explores the intersection of intimacy and sex when estranged heterosexual friends drunkenly decide to make a sex tape as an art project.It's a sitcom-level premise executed to surprisingly good effect (thanks to great direction and excellent lead performances). Also: Ana is the best.Seen the film or want to hear more details? Subscribe to our Patreon at patreon.com/TheQueerGaze for ~21 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: [email protected] Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Conrad and Joe tackle their second Jean-Marc Vallée title with 2013's Dallas Buyers Club.Starring Matthew McConaughey (in full McConaughassance) as real life figure Ron Woodroof, this is more biopic than HIV/AIDS text.Plus: Jennifer Garner as patron saint of queer films; bemoaning Jared Leto's presence and the depiction of a transwoman; and why the film's message about medicine is troubling.Seen the film or want to hear more details? Subscribe to our Patreon at patreon.com/TheQueerGaze for ~22 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: [email protected] Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Conrad and Joe return to discuss the back half of Mike Nichols' multi-award winning HBO limited series, Angels in America.Does the series pay off its lengthy time commitment? Does the visual scope of the production justify its costly expense? And who is the real villain of the piece?Plus: Conrad's frustration with the ending; baring all (nudity!); and not caring about Mary-Louise Parker's final monologueSeen the film or want to hear more details? Subscribe to our Patreon at patreon.com/TheQueerGaze for ~21 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: [email protected] Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Conrad and Joe drop a (mostly) spoiler-free review of writer/director Adrian Chiarella's feature debut Leviticus (2026) about two boys who fall in love in a religious community that punishes them by using their attraction against them. It's a beautifully shot and acted film - more of a romance than a horror film, though several moments still unsettled us. Don't miss this when it plays near you!Like the show? Rate, review and subscribe to help others find usFollow the show on Insta and BlueSky: @thequeergaze.Email us: [email protected] Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Settle in because we are discussing the first three episodes/hours of the HBO miniseries adaptation of Tony Kushner's Pulitzer-award winning play, Angels in America.Directed by Mike Nichols and starring a combination of prestige A-list actors (Pacino, Thompson, Streep) and rising newcomers (Wilson, Kirk, Wright), Millennium Approaches proves to be a dense, challenging watch.Plus: Harper's magical realism; our interest in Joe, Prior and Louis; Thompson's American accent; and how the $62M budget makes things a bit too glossy.Seen the film or want to hear more details? Subscribe to our Patreon at patreon.com/TheQueerGaze for ~20 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: [email protected] Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We're discussing the most popular title from our slate of 1993 films depicting HIV and AIDS: Jonathan Demme's Oscar winning movie, Philadelphia.Starring Tom Hanks and Denzel Washington, the film is equal parts character drama (for Washington's Joe Miller), and courtroom/activist piece as Hanks' fights his discriminatory firing.Plus: Demme's intrusive direction; Washington's (not nominated?!) performance; the film's failure to critique homophobic/uninformed beliefs; and why this film feels soooo 1993. Seen the film or want to hear more details? Subscribe to our Patreon at patreon.com/TheQueerGaze for ~21 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: [email protected] Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Conrad and Joe check out Roger Spottiswoode's sprawling 1993 adaptation of Randy Shilts non-fiction tome, And The Band Played On.Featuring a star studded A-list cast, the film falls somewhere between medical procedural and contagion film as scientists and activists try to identify the AIDS virus and overcome systemic/bureaucratic hurdles.Plus: villainous Alan Alda; tension in the editing bay; and questioning the representation of queers who want to keep the bathhouses openSeen the film or want to hear more details? Subscribe to our Patreon at patreon.com/TheQueerGaze for ~21.5 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: [email protected] Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Conrad and Joe checked out Elliot Tuttle's feature directorial debut and we had to record our spoiler-free thoughts on the film. C/W: Sexual AbuseStarring Kieron Moore and Reed Birney as a camboy and his older client, this intimate "delicious onion film" is a dialogue heavy two-hander that is controversial, challenging, and confronting. We *highly* recommend it.Seen the film or want to hear more details? Subscribe to our Patreon at patreon.com/TheQueerGaze for our spoiler-heavy discussion on TuesdayLike the show? Rate, review and subscribe to help others find usFollow the show on Insta and BlueSky: @thequeergaze.Email us: [email protected] Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Conrad and Joe travel BACK to Canada for John Greyson's New Queer cinema entry Zero Patience (1993), a musical about the Quebec flight attendant scapegoated for bringing AIDS to North America.Plus: the use of real historical figures; assigning blame for the disease; and the first of two appearances this theme by actor Michael Callen (playing Miss HIV) Seen the film or want to hear more details? Subscribe to our Patreon at patreon.com/TheQueerGaze for ~23 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: [email protected] Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.