A Double Bill
"Caught Looking" and "North of Vortex"
A Double Bill
Amos Lassen and Cinema Pride
Due for future release from WaterBearer Films is the double DVD of "Caught Looking" (1991) and "North of Vortex" (1991). They are both interesting film and are a good look at early gay filmmaking.
"Caught Looking" shows a man sitting at his computer as he logs into an interactive game called "Caught Looking". He roams through virtual passages, looks at the rough trade section, gives it some consideration and moves on. He then goes to a teenager, a threesome and sex in a public bathroom and finally comes to "The Grotto of Tiberius" which once was, in the 50's, a kind of homosexual meeting spot. Finally he virtually sends himself back to a couple of sailors and ultimately to a young Tunisian named Karim. As he journeys through his imagination, we get insight into the gay mind. It is a short look into the fantasies of the gay mind and is homage to past gay icons.
"North of Vortex" shows a gay poet who heads west in a convertible. He picks up a muscular bisexual sailor, and they are joined by Jackie, a waitress in a diner. Jackie likes the poet who is not interested in the least but this makes her all the more interested. The poet and the sailor share a mutual care for sex but he sailor makes advances to the waitress who finds him crude. The sailor shows a touch of violence, the poet remains passive and Jackie is detached. We are left to guess as to who gets whom. This is an art film that tells a story, very slowly but it does tend to be a bit too long.
Both are interesting in that they show us something about early gay film. The movies were probably considered outlandish at the time they were released. They seem quite mild today.
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