What’s a Jonty, you ask? Good question, one that has no immediate answer beyond it being the title of a new film from director Lorene Scafaria (“Hustlers”). We also know that A24 is behind it, and that there’s a script from “Succession” scribe Jesse Armstrong and BAFTA winner Sam Bain (“Four Lions). Of course, for queer audiences it’s a Cole Escola moment. The queer Tony Award-winning creator and star of “Oh, Mary!” and nonbinary cultural powerhouse will take a leading role alongside Jesse Plemons (“Bugonia”), who may not be queer himself but who made all of us want to run out and buy a pair of little red gay sunglasses after he wore them to unhinged glory in “Civil War” as an psychotic soldier. Is one of them going to be Jonty? Is Jonty a character’s name? A thing? A planet? A pastry? We’ll be waiting. Impatiently.
Willow Smith dives into the ‘Slime’
It’s been a while since 10-year-old Willow Smith whipped her hair back and forth on the pop charts and now, at 24, she’s stepping into the shoes of her parents and starring in the upcoming animated sci-feature, “Slime.” The queer actress/singer/dancer will voice the lead role alongside musician Scott “Kid Cudi” Mescudi and an impressive roster of co-stars including Teyana Taylor (“One Battle After Another”), John Boyega (“The Woman King”), Anna Sawai (Emmy-winner for “Shogun”) and John Cho (“Tempest”). The story, from Sundance Film Festival award-winning animator/director Jeron Braxton, involves monsters and slime injections and a dystopian future landscape, and that means the anime fans — a powerful box-office force — should eat this right up.
‘A Long Winter’ is coming from Andrew Haigh
The heartbreaking queer British indie film “All of Us Strangers” found writer-director Andrew Haigh nominated for multiple BAFTAs, and for his follow-up feature he’s teaming with young star Fred Hechinger (“Thelma,” “Gladiator II”) for the family drama “A Long Winter.” Adapted from the story by novelist Colm Tóibín, the premise involves two adult sons (one played by Hechinger) who wind up in a search party for their middle-aged alcoholic mother after she gets lost in a snowstorm. What Haigh does very well is pinpoint deep emotional connections between his characters, and when he leans into the sorrow of it all he makes audiences cry without heavy-handed tactics. “A Long Winter” is a new production so it’s early in the process. Casting and script details can change along the way. But the source material is solidly in the serious vein, so it’s safe to say you should get out your handkerchiefs.
Elliot Page takes a ‘Second Nature’ walk
The word “unnatural” is one every queer person has heard in their life, always delivered by someone who has no idea what they’re talking about. And what you never learned in high school biology class is that the animal world, on land and sea, is very queer. Documentary filmmaker Drew Denny explores this subject in the new film “Second Nature,” narrated by Elliot Page and featuring transgender evolutionary biologist Dr. Joan Roughgarden. Joined by a variety of other queer scientists, Roughgarden presents some of the over 1,500 species that bond — and often parent — in same-sex pairs, that change sex in the course of their lives (like the clownfish), live in matriarchal communities and generally behave in ways that are not heteronormative at all. Go see it and lay some facts on your drunk uncle at Thanksgiving. The film takes its world premiere bow at New York’s NewFest on Oct. 18.
