Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy’s Revenge (1985)

This episode is once again horror themed episode where I am joined again by Jonny Long, a visual artist and filmmaker, to discuss and dissect possibly one of the queerest horrors ever, Nightmare on Elm Street2: Freddy Revenge.

The film is the second installment of the Nightmare on Elm Street franchise  and features  antagonistic figurehead Freddy Kruger, a malevolent spirit of a child killer who usually plagues and kills people in their dream. His signature burnt face, red and green stripe jumper and trademark metal-clawed, brown leather glove has become the symbol for 80s horror.

A film very characteristic of this golden decade horror, but not just in its horror but also in the setting of the high school and the subsequent stereotypical high-school dynamics, depicting teenagers as high highly sexualized. Yet simultaneously inadvertently or maybe not so inadvertently as we will discover, Freddy’s Revenge is a very gay film, with a copious examples of examples not so subtle subtext, touching upon anxieties present in the time of release in 1985 in the backdrop of the AIDS crisis and a Republican conservative America

Links: substack.com/daniel-theophanous

Music: James Jones @james-jones-music

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EPISODE 21: Nightmare On Elm Street 2: Freddy's Revenge - Interview With Visual Artist Jonny Long

Martyr (2018)

When I attended BFI Flare a few years back, I came across a Lebanese film by filmmaker Mazen Khaled called Martyr which left quite an imprint on me. I was taken aback by its beauty and its meditative pace which along with its deliberate experimental flourishes created an immersive drama which subtly commented on Lebanese society and further contemplating ritualistic traditions, specifically around tragedy and death.

Mazen’s choice of mise-en-scene in some moments is reminiscent of a renaissance painting, filtered through a Middle Eastern lens, telling the story of disenfranchised young man Hassan from Beirut, who sees an abrupt end to his life when in act of peacocking, jumps into the Beirut corniche, the city’s rocky seaside promenade. And what follows is a continuous, flowing montage of transporting Hassan’s dead body from the water through the city to his parents’ house.  

In retrospect I feel what captured my attention was the film’s tantalising homoerotism even if its subject matter isn’t necessarily queer. With copious amounts of explicit male flesh, predominantly of Hassan’s body, as well as his friend’s and an abundance of scenes of non-sexual physical intimacy between them. I felt that Mazen boldly queerizes a traditional Islamic tradition yet simultaneously highlighted my own affected Western gaze, which is perhaps narrow-minded in its view of male intimacy.I had the privilege  a few weeks back to chat with the director himself, now based in Florida, over zoom. Where he filled me in on the whole process of making Martyr, its unintentional queerness and the meaning of martyrdom in Islam. 

Music: James Jones @james-jones-music

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EPISODE 22: MARTYR - Interview with filmmaker Mazen Khaled

Greek Pete (2009)
Dir. Andrew Haigh

Greek Pete is a documentary /mockumentary drama released in 2009. It is the debut film by British director Andrew Haigh, who’s camera gains unfettered access into the day-to-day existence of gay male escort Pete Pittaros. Filming him over a prolonged period time, documenting all aspects of his life. From the interactions with clients, his relationship, his friendships, his ambitions, his contradictions, his work ethic, to his family and his immigrant background. 

Without it ever being exploitative or judgemental, Haigh’s first feature is a bold, in-depth character study which highlights the life of an individual who functions very much in the periphery. The film is indicative what is to become Haigh’s signature style, a reserved observing style which simultaneously feels very intimate. In Greek Pete he zooms in on the mundaneness of Pete’s life in equal measures as the more extraordinary moments. Scenes of Pete doing house chores muster the same sensation as a full-on explicit sex scene with a client. Further having Pete at points, just ramble on at the camera, he manages to capture what lies beneath the muscled, sexed-up, ambitious bravado, which is a sensitive, young, immature soul, still trying to make sense of his life.

Joining me on this episode is film critic Gary Kramer who boldly agreed to talk to me about the film. Gary has extensively written about queer films and his writing can currently be seen in Salon.com, Gay City News, San Francisco Bay Times, Philadelphia Gay News, The Queer Archives etc

Thank you for listening.

Music: James Jones @james-jones-music

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EPISODE 23: Greek Pete - Interview with film critic Gary Kramer

Paris 05:09 Theo and Hugo (2016)

Dir. Oliver Ducastel and Jacques Martineau

For this episode will be talking about the film Paris 05:09 Theo and Hugo. Released in April 2015, Theo and Hugo is directed by French director duo and real-life couple Oliver Ducastel and Jacques Martineau. 

The film stands out for its striking with its 20-minute opening scene which takes place in a Parisian gay sex club, where we are privy to a continuous un-simulated orgy. Visuals which feature copious amounts of naked male flesh and erect penises in all manner of sexual positions. What is most interesting, despite the scene's explicitness it never feels gratuitous, exploitative, or unnecessary. Theo and Hugo explores ever so delicately the boundaries of what is deemed pornographic in the context of arthouse cinema.

Once out the sex club, the film takes a romantic trajectory but one with a twist as the protagonist couple traverse through the Parisian night. The revelation of Hugo’s HIV status complicates matters for the new-found lovers, but in doing so brings forth vital discussions around HIV and gay relationships in the modern world of pep and prep, scarcely explored cinematically elsewhere.

For this episode, I invited back on film critic Gary Kramer. I hope you enjoy our discussion as much as I did. Thank you for listening!

Music: James Jones @james-jones-music

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EPISODE 24: Theo & Hugo - Interview with film critic Gary Kramer

For this episode along with my guest will be dissecting Derek Jarman’s historical, religious, but ultimately queer debut Sebastiane.  

Released in 1976, is set in a sun drenched rocky coast line of the Mediterranean island of Sardinian. With a dialogue entirely in Latin, Sebastiane tells the story of the martyrdom of Saint Sebastian.

The film is not a biopic by any means but more of a queer BDSM interpretation of this biblical story. The film, was seen as one of the first unlicensed ‘underground’ queer films, which was allowed into the public spaces of commercial cinema and television and one that featured positive images of gay sexuality, in comparison to previously released queer films. But also, interestingly it was also the first ever film passed by the British Board of Film Censors that depicted an erect penis.

To talk to me about the film, I invited along film critic and writer Robert Stinner. It’s a  conversation I very much enjoyed where we able to discuss in depth the films audacious homoeroticism, its timelessness and its influence on future queer filmmaking.

Thank you for listening!

Music: James Jones @james-jones-music

Follow us on I: @ltcompanion / F: @LongtimeCompanion

EPISODE 25: Sebastiane - Interview with writer Robert Stinner

Longtime Companion is a podcast dedicated to conversations and analysis of queer themes in film.

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