Lucky Fares & Queers (a BBC mini-series) part 2

Today is the day that I'll be presenting the rest of the Queers monologues, from the BBC mini-series of the same name. Before that, however, let me present a short film that I've recently seen, which impressed me. It's a Spanish film called Lucky Fares.

It is the story of two illegal immigrants, Lucky (Luis Deogracia) and Fares (Jose Ramón Gómez Friha). We find them in a Spanish jail, one is dressed as Santa Claus, while the other is dressed like as of the Three Kings. The boys connect, bond through their fear and their loneliness and perhaps something else, even stronger... The movie itself is no more than 8 minutes - and I do believe that you will thoroughly enjoy it. I did.

The movie has English subtitles, which normally should manifest automatically when you press 'play'. If they don't, click on the 'CC' button situated at the bottom of the screen. Also, to enter "full-screen mode", click on the furthermost button to your right, the one with four arrows pointing outwards. To return to "normal screen mode", either click on the same button again or press 'esc' on your keyboard. The following link takes you to the video:

Lucky Fares

Now, let's return to the last four of our Queers monologues. The fifth part is called I Miss The War, is written by Matthew Baldwin and stars Ian Gelder as Jackie. Ian Gelder is a veteran of film, stage, and TV, whose most prominent roles so far have been that of Mr. Dekker in Torchwood: Children of the Earth and that of Kevan Lannister in Game of Thrones.

The story is set in 1967, the year they legalized homosexual acts between consenting adults in the UK. It appropriately begins and ends with the sounds of the Kinks' amazing Dedicated Follower Of Fashion. Dapper elderly tailor, Jackie, recalls the happy days of his youth as a rent boy to wealthy, closeted worthies. His most emotional memory, however, is one of a war-time encounter with a handsome American soldier. Now that homosexuality is decriminalized Jackie knows he is getting past it but still relishes the days when pleasure was snatched in secret. In short, it's the story of the elderly queer who reminisces about past glories.

Gelder seems to thoroughly enjoy playing the part, dropping Polari left and right and giving us amusing moments of high camp. But the part has a beating heart at its center, which helps to keep it real. The English subtitles won't play automatically, so you have to click on the white rectangle with the two white lines at the bottom. As for entering "full-screen mode", click on the furthermost button to your right, and then press 'esc' on your keyboard to return. The same applies to the rest of the videos.

Part six is called Safest Spot in Town, is written by Keith Jarrett (not that Keith Jarrett), and stars Kadiff Kirwan as Fredrick, a black gay man from the West Indies. Fredrick had arrived in London to study law and enjoy the sexual freedom it offered just before WWII.

Kadiff Kirwan is a new actor, his first TV role came in 2015. Since then he has done a lot of TV, being a regular in shows such as Crims and Chewing Gum.

When we meet Fredrick, the war is in full swing, bombs dropping all the time. As the bombs fall Fredrick survives, thanks to pursuing a sexual encounter with a stranger, rather than visiting a formerly posh night spot, which takes a direct hit.

With this story, we get the chance to take a peek at racism, casual or otherwise, that complicates the consequences of homophobia even more. It's a good story, well constructed and expertly acted. Here it is:

Part seven is called The Perfect Gentleman, is written by Jackie Clune and stars Gemma Whelan, who has been all over British TV during the last ten years, most famously as Yara Greyjoy in Game of Thrones.

Gemma Whelan is Bobby, an elegantly-dressed gentleman of the late 1920s, who is not really a man but a lesbian called Ellen, who discovered her sexuality as a girl but met rejection. Dressing as a man changed everything when she gained a reputation for comforting lonely wives but unfortunately, she comes unstuck when a young girl falls for her, wanting penetrative sex, and her secret is exposed.

It's an elegant piece, with an impeccable sense of humor, and it covers yet another side of the LGBT+ experience. Here it is:

Part eight is called Something Borrowed, is written by Gareth McLean, and stars out bisexual Scot Alan Cumming, an actor with a long and distinguished career that stretches back to the early 1980s. He left his mark on TV shows like Shadow of the Stone, High Road, and The L Word, TV movies like Cabaret and Second Best, and high-profile movies like Emma, Romy and Michele's High School Reunion, Eyes Wide Shut, Titus, Get Carter, The Anniversary Party, X-Men 2, The Tempest, and Any Day Now.

Something Borrowed is the only part that takes place today. Naturally, the subject is marriage equality. Alan Cumming is Steve, who nervously prepares his speech for his wedding to his American partner Adam. Throughout all this, moments of bitterness towards past discrimination he suffered surface. He is full of praise for his mother, who encouraged the union, and, despite some cynicism about the institution of marriage, ends by looking forward to what lies ahead.

It is a joy to watch Alan Cumming act, a nervous bundle of energy with a quick tongue and sharp wit. All in all, I would say that this series is a must-watch, not only for LGBT+ persons but also for people who love good writing and great acting and are interested in understanding an experience which, though not necessarily their own, will help enrich their knowledge of the world around them. Here is part 8:

With this I say goodbye. Don't forget to drop in tomorrow; the companion piece to our weekly statistics will be a brand new countdown that I think you'll enjoy. See you then!