It is rare to find a film that manages to transport an audience so effectively, yet this 2024 Cannes premiere achieves exactly that by immersing viewers in the 1990s and the HIV/AIDS reality faced by gay and bisexual men during those years. Rather than feeling like a modern production reflecting on the past, it functions as a proper time capsule that feels as though it could have been produced during that very era. Given how surprisingly hard it is to find gay-themed films set against the backdrop of the AIDS crisis, this work feels especially necessary. The story at its center is warm enough to allow almost anyone to connect with it, and the film handles the period's emotions with a palpable sense of love and respect. The narrative begins in 1990, centered on a moment at a party where a young couple, Sammy and Emma, both kiss a stranger who offers them ecstasy. This encounter triggers a shift in Sammy, leading him to reveal his bisexuality to Emma; though caught off guard, she responds well. A few years pass, and as the pair prepares to move into a new flat, they are joined by their son, Nathan. Their neighbor, a renowned photographer named Cyril, experiences an immediate creative spark upon seeing Sammy and Nathan and asks to photograph them. While Cyril is HIV positive and managing his condition with AZT, his health remains stable. An irresistible pull draws Sammy and Cyril together into a relationship, one where Cyril is transparent about his status and Sammy remains unfazed. When Emma…

I am somewhat unsure if this should be classified as a film or a documentary, but because it has appeared at several doc festivals, I will label it a documentary for the time being. The premise follows a filmmaker who moves to Chicago after his older boyfriend loses interest in him; once there, he uses dating apps to find new men for a loose, undefined project investigating attachment, compatibility, and attraction—a concept his mother apparently cannot stand. After sitting through the seventy something minutes, I found the experience to be completely aimless, a sentiment that even the creators themselves seem to acknowledge. While the work does pose some genuinely hard questions, they feel less like intentional inquiries and more like natural byproducts of attempting to navigate intimacy without anyone ever setting clear boundaries. After splitting from his older boyfriend, Bethel moves to Chicago to start a new life. He has a vague desire to launch a film project, though he lacks any actual concept for it. To begin, he filters through his Grindr matches and invites roughly twelve men to meet him in person. These discussions, which take place in Bethel's studio, cover a vast range of topics, from how Grindr has altered their dating methods and the way their libidos fade over time to their sexual preferences, their specific subcultures, and general views on art. The vibe of these meetings mirrors a first date almost perfectly—flirtatious and disjointed, occasionally awkward, before abruptly becoming sharp and overtly sexual. The film grows even more experimental as each man is given a…