Brokeback Mountain excluded, gays in mainstream film have mostly fallen into the category of the main galยs silly best friend (see Sex and the City) or the over-the-top comedic lead (see The Birdcage). But gay film history is in fact very far-reaching, as indicated in Summer Film Series ย 100 Years of Gay History, which closes tonight with Tarnation. Jonathan Caouetteยs 2003 documentary/diary/confessional film tells the story of his dysfunctional family, focusing mostly on his schizophrenic mother, Renee. The film, which had an original production budget of $218, ended up being co-produced by Gus Van Sant and John Cameron Mitchell, and went on to win the best documentary prize at the Los Angeles Film Festival. I Now Pronounce You Chuck & Larry this ainยt. 2 p.m. Creative Life Center, 2014 Commonwealth. For information, call 617-480-2004 or visit www.normsdavis.com. $7.
Sun., Aug. 24, 2 p.m., 2008
This article appears in Aug 21-27, 2008.