Hasta Luego, Miami + A Jihad for Love, Through Thick and Thin

My adventures in Miami have finally come to an end, and after a glamorous weekend in Miami, I'm trapped on an American Airlines flight where the lights are strobing on and off and the only entertainment option is to watch the CBS sitcom The Big Bang Theory (but without sound, because that's not working either). I'm tempted to liveblog what I believe to be happening in this episode but I'm too horrified by the lead actress's bangs to even get into it. So, instead I'll recap my last few adventures back in South Beach.

In addition to the reviews posted below, I saw two interesting documentaries that, either head on or indirectly, probed the difficult intersection between religion-dominated culture and sexuality. The first, A Jihad for Love, followed gay and lesbian Muslims as they struggled to obey a religion that  had no use for them. The second, Through Thick and Thin, profiled "bi-national" gay couples as they dodged U.S. immigration issues that could simply be resolved if -- like straight people -- they could marry. In each film, Canada is eventually presented as sort of a holy grail, a place where religious and sexual tolerance go hand in hand and the persecuted can flee to be free. Couple these docs with the Toronto-set opening film, Breakfast with Scot, and you've got yourself a very pro-Canada message in the unlikely setting of sunny Miami.

After Were the World Mine closed out the festival last night, we all headed to Miami Art Space for a final party. While downing vodka cranberries (have these replaced appletinis as the gay drink of choice?), I got to meet Sebastian Cordoba, the filmmaker behind Through Thick and Thin, as well as A Jihad for Love's director, Parvez Sharma. I even had a fascinating conversation with a crime scene reporter for one of Miami's local newspapers -- well-timed, as a massive hostage situation had gripped Miami Beach all evening.

And now, after a little bit of sun, I'm on my way back to Los Angeles. Miami was a treat -- how fun to sit in the dark and explore subtle intricacies of the human condition, then emerge from the theater into bright light and gaudy pastels. I don't usually come back from film festivals with a sunburn -- eat your heart out, Sundance.