Joe Bowman

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Frameline 46 Review: “Phantom Project Directed by Roberto Dover’s

Set in Santiago’s vibrant Ñuñoa district, Phantom Project is a breezy, whimsical confection about an aspiring thirtysomething actor named Pablo (a magnetic Juan Cano). Tired of taking gigs role-playing ailments at the local medical school, Pablo longs for his big artistic break. When his roommate moves out without warning, a curious, mischievous presence appears to take up residence in Pablo’s flat, complicating his attempts to fill the empty bedroom.

Through bittersweet hang-outs with his semi-famous YouTuber ex, afternoon cocktails with the girls, and herbal cleansing sessions with the local botanical healer, Phantom Project paints a lively tapestry of young LGBTQ+ culture in Chile. Witnessing relationships—new and old, human or otherwise—deepen just as others drift away, Pablo inches closer toward a harmonious balance that his life seems to have lacked in the past. With warm humor and an inventive spirit, writer-director Roberto Doveris (Las plantas) captures a critical juncture in life of a sensitive millennial, that moment of dizzying rebirth after the dust from one’s Saturn return has settled.

Tickets

The film screens at the Castro Theatre JUNE 17, 2022 3:30 PM — 5:11 PM

Streams online JUNE 24, 2022 12:01 AM — JUNE 30, 2022 11:59 PM

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Frameline 46 Review: “Wandering Heart”: Directed by Leonardo Brzezcki

In a truly electrifying performance, Leonardo Sbaraglia bares his heart, soul, and everything else as Santiago, a gay single father on the verge of a midlife meltdown, in actor-turned-director Leonardo Brzezicki’s moving sophomore feature. With his teenage daughter Laila (Miranda de la Serna) about to leave home for the first time, Santiago must confront his self-destructive behaviors and his deep-rooted fear of being alone over the course of a fateful summer split between Argentina and Brazil.

With a career spanning five decades now, Sbaraglia is no stranger to challenging, demanding roles, from one-half of a gay bank-robbing duo in Burnt Money to Antonio Banderas’ former muse in Almodóvar’s Pain & Glory. But as Santiago, Sbaraglia delivers his finest performance to date, unearthing a magnetic mixture of vulnerability, swagger, and depth. Wandering Heart showcases both a director on the rise and a veteran actor at the height of his talents coming together for a film that lingers long after the credits have rolled.

This film screens at the Castro Theatre JUNE 17, 2022 9:15 PM — 11:11 PM

Streams online JUNE 24, 2022 12:01 AM — JUNE 30, 2022 11:59 PM

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Frameline 46 Review: “Follow the Protocol” Directed by Fabio Leal

With a healthy dose of self-deprecating humor, writer-director-star Fábio Leal navigates the sometimes steamy, other times awkward tribulations of sexual connection amid a global pandemic. For his narrative feature debut, Leal returns to the neurotic comedy and uninhibited sex that made his shorts Renovation(Frameline43) and The Daytime Doorman so memorable and unique.

When his boyfriend announces he’s no longer bisexual and dumps him via Zoom at the height of lockdown, lonesome bear Francisco (Leal) is left with a lot to grapple with—including being nicknamed “the COVID police” by his friends after routinely canceling them on social media for not following health guidelines. But Francisco’s desperate forays into meditation, Jane Fonda’s workout tapes, indoor plants, and trashy movies from his youth don’t change the fact that he’s horny and desperately wants to have sex… but only if he finds someone as militant with all the safety protocol for COVID-19 as he is. But even then, can Francisco lower his guard (if not his mask) long enough to make a connection?

This film screens JUNE 16, 2022 9:30 PM — 10:49 PM at the Castro Theatre

Streams Online JUNE 24, 2022 12:01 AM — JUNE 30, 2022 11:59 PM