Is it the truth, or a romantic fiction? If the latter, who is telling the story? The vignette at the start of Shûsuke Kaneko’s much-loved manga adaptation packs in every available Gothic cliché. A lonely boy plays the piano late at night, by the light of an oil lamp. He’s disturbed by a sudden gust of wind, which sets white curtains billowing. Leaving the room, he walks along a corridor, slips an envelope under a door, then exits the mansion as a grandfather clock chimes ominously. It’s even a full moon. He’s going to throw himself into the lake, and that’s what we seem to see. But is it what it seems?
Skip forward three months. The school – for that’s what the building is – has emptied for summer vacation, all but for three boys who have nowhere else to go. Seniors Kazuhiko (Tomoko Ôtakara) and Naoto (Miyuki Nakano), together.
Skip forward three months. The school – for that’s what the building is – has emptied for summer vacation, all but for three boys who have nowhere else to go. Seniors Kazuhiko (Tomoko Ôtakara) and Naoto (Miyuki Nakano), together.
- 4/20/2024
- by Jennie Kermode
- eyeforfilm.co.uk
Famous for its surreal genre-mashing and cross-gender casting, “Summer Vacation 1999”'s (1988) cultish elements recall the beginnings of shonen-ai (boy's love), one of many queercoded creative spaces that have been veiled for heterosexual enjoyment. Before our time of identity politics and labels, representations of gender and sexual fluidity wove itself into existence by sheer will and unquenchable desire. Today, in the restored catalogs of festivals such as Queer East, we look back in celebration, but also with a mixed sense of wonder, empathy and relief. In Shusuke Kaneko's futurist romantic-mystery, three boys reel from the return of their supposed-dead schoolmate to their countryside boarding school, igniting tensions and unrequited desires. “Summer Vacation 1999” breathes life into a depiction of queer spaces as innocent, fleeting and beautiful, forever scarred into memory.
Summer Vacation 1999 is screening at Queer East Festival
Under an ominous full moon, we witness the dramatic suicide of the well-loved,...
Summer Vacation 1999 is screening at Queer East Festival
Under an ominous full moon, we witness the dramatic suicide of the well-loved,...
- 4/19/2024
- by Renee Ng
- AsianMoviePulse
NewFest and the Brooklyn Academy of Music (Bam) have announced the fourth annual lineup for their “Queering the Canon” retrospective film series, this year subtitled “Besties.”
This year’s lineup of films screening at Bam in downtown Brooklyn (April 11 – 15) includes a 4K restoration of Rose Troche’s lesbian classic “Go Fish,” the world premiere of the 4K restoration of Brian Sloan’s queer romantic comedy “I Think I Do,” 35mm screenings of Gus Van Sant’s “My Own Private Idaho” and F. Gary Gray’s “Set It Off.” The “Go Fish” screening will be accompanied by a Q&a with Rose Troche in person along with star Guinevere Turner.
The repertory series was created by NewFest, co-curated by NewFest’s Nick McCarthy (director of programming) and Kim Garcia (technical director and programmer), and is presented in partnership with Bam.
The event will also include a panel discussion, “Best of the Besties,...
This year’s lineup of films screening at Bam in downtown Brooklyn (April 11 – 15) includes a 4K restoration of Rose Troche’s lesbian classic “Go Fish,” the world premiere of the 4K restoration of Brian Sloan’s queer romantic comedy “I Think I Do,” 35mm screenings of Gus Van Sant’s “My Own Private Idaho” and F. Gary Gray’s “Set It Off.” The “Go Fish” screening will be accompanied by a Q&a with Rose Troche in person along with star Guinevere Turner.
The repertory series was created by NewFest, co-curated by NewFest’s Nick McCarthy (director of programming) and Kim Garcia (technical director and programmer), and is presented in partnership with Bam.
The event will also include a panel discussion, “Best of the Besties,...
- 3/13/2024
- by Ryan Lattanzio
- Indiewire
IMDb.com, Inc. takes no responsibility for the content or accuracy of the above news articles, Tweets, or blog posts. This content is published for the entertainment of our users only. The news articles, Tweets, and blog posts do not represent IMDb's opinions nor can we guarantee that the reporting therein is completely factual. Please visit the source responsible for the item in question to report any concerns you may have regarding content or accuracy.