Notable films John Greyson

1 notable films

1.1 0 patience
1.2 lilies
1.3 fig trees

notable films
zero patience

zero patience 1993 musical film challenged aids orthodoxy. 0 patience response particularly randy shilts 1987 book , band played on, notoriously (and erroneously) traced arrival of hiv/aids in north america single person, french-canadian airline attendant named gaetan dugas. based on single flawed epidemiological cluster study, conclusions of shilts book problematic narrative of blame created, suggesting both particular individuals @ fault (for example, dugas willfully spread hiv, although died before virus identified , study in participated 1 of several allowed scientists determine hiv sexually transmitted) , monogamy , normalization of gay male sexual practices proper , adequate response (as opposed focus on safer sex practices).

zero patience features gay ghost named patient 0 returns toronto hook sir richard francis burton who, through unfortunate encounter fountain of youth has lived become chief taxidermist @ museum of natural history. burton engaged in creating hall of contagion. when loses central exhibit, düsseldorf plague rat, casts around replacement, lighting upon patient zero. in comedy of errors, 0 , burton come together, fall in love , attempt figure out burton s earlier attempts defame 0 sexual serial killer.

a number of sub-plots centre around specific criticisms of social response aids politicians, doctors , pharmaceutical companies. there not entirely sympathetic act group engaged in protest against manufacturer of zp0 (a reference azt), teacher losing sight cmv , several scenes involving students, , number of scenes involving animal , human inhabitants of dioramas in hall of contagion. of these feature lively , thought-provoking musical numbers, none have drawn critical attention as butthole duet in burton s , 0 s anuses sing social perception of anal sex , relationship discourses circulating around aids in 80s , 90s. misunderstood film reviewers, song refers number of academic responses popular perception of aids gay disease , discredited belief anus more vulnerable hiv vagina, particularly leo bersani s article rectum grave? bersani thoroughly discredits notion anal sex inherently diseased; greyson takes 1 step further argue unreasonable bias against anal sex linked patriarchy.

the central scene in 0 patience, however, scene in 0 looks through microscope @ slide of own blood. sees subject of esther williams-like song-and-dance number throughout 0 converses miss hiv (michael callen). both lyrically , in conversation, miss hiv informs 0 not first, did not bring hiv/aids north america, , participation in infamous cluster study helped prove hiv transmissible sex , place emphasis on safer sex saved countless lives.

lilies

in 1996, greyson released famous film, lilies, adaptation of michel marc bouchard s play les feluettes, ou un drame romantique. film screened @ numerous festivals, including sundance, , received critical acclaim; nominated 14 awards genie awards @ 17th ceremony, winning 4, including best picture. film won number of other awards, including glaad media award outstanding film. lilies romanticism, lyrical story-telling , gorgeous cinematography combined make film both more accessible mainstream audiences , more popular critics greyson s more controversial , more intellectually demanding works, 0 patience.

following dual chronology of bouchard s play, greyson s film (for bouchard wrote screenplay) moves between 2 time periods: film s present in 1952 , events took place in town of roberval, quebec in 1912. film begins visit bishop bilodeau (marcel sabourin) prison chapel supposed hear confession of convicted murderer simon (aubert pallascio). both men @ school in 1912 when fire supposedly set simon took life of third schoolmate, , simon s lover, vallier (danny gilmore). however, apparently simple story become more complicated when prison chaplain (ian d. clark) , prisoners lock bilodeau confessional booth , proceed stage true story of vallier s death before captive s eyes.

greyson s directorial style in evidence in lilies. film moves freely between realist , magic realist modes, making witty use of deceptively simple cinematic techniques, such way in camera tracks removal of roof of confessional booth, apparently contained within prison building, reveal blue skies of summer-time roberval , arrival of hot air balloon , parisian balloonist, lydie-anne (alexander chapman), precipitates events lead vallier s death. narrative involves simon s difficulties in resolving love vallier in face of homophobic roberval (his father beats him viciously when hears simon (played younger man jason cadieux) , valliers have been seen kissing, though acting out roles in school play), love further complicated young bilodeau s (matthew ferguson) tortuously repressed desire simon , sophisticated attractions of lydie-anne, femininity allows simon dream of safely heterosexual future.

while narrative, involving religious school , schoolboy sexuality, has echoes of catholic child abuse scandals, story deliberately involves telling story reminiscent of mount cashel, choosing instead focus on intensity , romanticism of young men s love each other. narrative enhanced visual style of film, particularly choice cast men in of roles. of course, makes perfect sense, since—on 1 level—all of historical characters being played 1952 prisoners. doubling further enhanced decision allow male actors playing women wear female clothing, making no attempt whatsoever @ realistic drag, relying instead on stellar performances actors alexander chapman lydie-anne, brent carver countess de tilly (vallier s mother) , remy girard baroness.

fig trees

fig trees feature-length documentary opera struggles of aids activists tim mccaskell of toronto , zackie achmat of cape town, fight access treatment drugs. in 1999, south african aids activist zackie achmat went on treatment strike, refusing take pills until available south africans. symbolic act became cause celebre, helping build group treatment action campaign national movement - yet each passing month, zackie grew sicker.

the feature film fig trees (2009) has been recipient of number of awards, including teddy best documentary @ berlinale, best canadian feature award @ toronto inside out film festival, , special award @ torino glbt film festival.