Afternoon Greg: “Two Spirits” is a moving Outfest film; John Barrowman dazzles in drag!

I’ve been taking some blogging breaks each day and making my way over to the newly renovated Park LaBrea pool area which has recently been doubled in size.

One thing I always hated was listening to people talking on their cell phones having those obnoxious conversations that they want everyone to hear: “Yes, my play opens tomorrow, you must come!” They are never as loud saying something like, “I had a bag of Cheetos for breakfaast.”

But I did not realize in this new and improved pool area cell phones have been banned! So I’m yakking away this afternoon and a staff member comes over and busts me! What is this, high school? After I recovered from this episode, I realized it means I don’t have to listen to people yammering on their phones all summer long.

Hooray!

Okay, Outfest 2009 items for you. Tonight there’s a Funny Girl sing-along at Ford Ampitheatre that you know is gonna be tons of fun. But if that’s not your cup of tea, may I suggested a really moving documentary  called Two Spirits: Sexuality, Gender, and the Murder of Fred Martinez.

It screens at 7:15 p.m. at Fairfax 1 tonight. I watched a screener and it pretty much shattered me. Filmmaker Lydia Nibley explores the cultural context behind the murder of a transgender Navajo youth murdered by a guy who bragged toi his friends that he “bug-smashed a fag.”

We learn in this fine film that Fred was not rejected by his family – especially by his mother who just breaks your heart – he instead is part of an honored Navajo tradition known as “nadleeh” or “two spirit.” This is someone who possesses a balance of masculine and feminine traits.

It’s a beautifully done film and well worth your time.

*** I’m glad I can recommend something to you tonight and that I did not recommend that you see Greek Pete last night. It was a fictionalized documentary about a London rent boy who was very handsome and sexy but the characters got annoying really quick and you realize the film would have worked better as a real documentary so you could at least care about these guys, or as a pure fictional narrative piece that did not grind to a halt so many times.

This movie had the most graphic sex of any Outfest movie so far this year and it was not sexy at all.

I should have stayed for the Q&A to find out what the director was trying to accomplish but I just wanted to get the hell out of there! But the night at the DGA was not a total waste because the 14-minute short film preceding it, Protect Me From What I Want was absolutely wonderful.