Inside Out 2008: Gay Daddies And Psychic Lesbians

It's Victoria Day Monday, and what better way to celebrate that old queen's birthday than by watching a bunch of gay movies at Inside Out? Things kick off at noon with a gay daddy doc double-bill at the ROM. We didn't get a chance to check out Fatherhood Dreams, a Canadian film about four gay men who are all fathers in different ways, but we did see Daddy's Love, a film about a Norwegian single gay man and the American woman who agrees to be the surrogate for his child. It's interesting to see how someone without a partner goes through the process of becoming a parent (especially the bits that involve his adorable and supportive mom). Another doc worth catching is The Beirut Apt, which shows interviews with various gay people living in Lebanon, a country rife with contradictory cultural identities and institutional homophobia. Shot only a year ago, the film also serves as an interesting chronicle of local citizens' reactions to the recent Hezbollah-Israeli conflict.

It's definitely a good night for some lesbian drama. The French coming-of-age drama Water Lilies has been getting a lot of attention. But the real curiosity is Affinity (pictured), a Victorian gothic lesbian ghost story set in a women's prison. Playing out like an even-gayer-than-usual edition of Masterpiece Theatre, the film is about Margaret, a society woman with Sapphic inclinations who becomes a "Lady Visitor" at a prison. Apparently, this is what people who were too rich to have jobs used to do. Anyway, she falls under the spell of Selina, a beautiful young inmate who claims to be a medium at the mercy of a cruel spirit. Things are not what they seem, and Affinity has quite a bit of fun taking you through its various twists and turns. But really, I either had you at "Victorian gothic lesbian ghost story set in a women's prison," or I didn't.

Fatherhood Dreams / Daddy’s Love, 12:00 p.m. at the ROM
24 Flames a Second, 2:45 p.m. at the ROM
The Beirut Apt, 3:00 p.m. at the Isabel Bader
20,13, 4:45 p.m. at the Isabel Bader
Patti Smith: Dream of Life, 4:45 p.m. at the ROM
Water Lilies, 7:30 p.m. at the ROM
Hot and Bothered, 7:45 p.m. at the Isabel Bader
Affinity, 9:45 at the Isabel Bader
You Belong to Me, 9:45 p.m. at the ROM