Fridae

Russian with English subtitles
Best Foreign Narrative Feature, NewFest

Timofey (Evgeny Koryakovsky) and Vera (Lubov Tolkalina) are a young and successful straight couple living in post-Communist Moscow. They lead the near-perfect life in the near-perfect apartment, until Vera returns home one day to find her boyfriend in bed with another man - a gorgeous man, one might add.

It seems that Timofey is not entire straight, and his chance meeting with the hot country boy Uloomji (Damir Badmaev) has ignited his homosexual attraction to men. But he still loves Vera very much, as does she him. And so a menage a trois was born. Naturally, complications big and small come rattling in - not least in the form of the Uloomji's Buddhist relatives who have come to visit him.

Directed by Olga Stolpovskaya and Dmitry Troitsky, You I Love is a pleasant diversion from the CGI-laden blockbusters that's crowding our cinemas right now. Although the comedy alternates between funny and flat, queer audiences may be more forgiving towards the movie's flaws considering how attractive the lead actors are - particularly Damir Badmaev.

After all, when was the last time we got to see a queer movie from Russia? The only drawback to this film is that it's only showing at the seedy Golden cinemas in Golden Mile Tower on Beach Road. So gather some friends, put on some tacky clothes, bring your own popcorn from home, and have a good laugh.