Stephanie's QFest Diary for Tuesday, July 14

Films: Tough Love (shorts program)
Future screenings: None

Tuesday night was full of more short film goodness, proving once again that good things do come in small packages. The evening line up included six films, all of which artfully told tales of lesbian love and lust in 23 minutes or less. The first standout in this group was "Mars," a German short depicting the sizzling sexual tension between a young photographer and her subject, the insouciant leader of a girl gang. Whether intentional or not, "Mars" had some striking similarities to Foxfire, the 1996 flick featuring dykons Jenny Shimizu and Angelina Jolie.

"Loving Loretta," the final film of the series, was also exceptionally well done. Granted, I have a soft spot for butch babes, but the chemistry between Loretta and Lily was undeniable and the sweet/sad longing between the two was almost heartbreaking. And as long as I'm drawing comparisons to feature films, this one reminded me a little of Waitress, the Keri Russell pie fest movie.

Other shorts in this program:

• "Don't Mess With Texas" – Rebellious dykes on a road trip get a a big surprise at a diner (and it's not the pie).
• "BFF" – Two friends reconnect in South Africa and hey, big surprise, there's some serious sexual tension.
• "Rope Burn" – An aerial act turns into a dangerous love triangle (and these girls are far better on the trapeze than I was).
• "Dancing to Happiness" – Stern German workaholic meets sassy cleaning lady. Sparks fly. Musical ensemble dance number ensues.

Festival Rating: Very Good

Image Credit: Flickr user pedrosimoes7