MONEYBOYS: A Review by Sofia Migaly
In honor of Pride Month, this is the third installment of our weekly Reeling Pride Month Film Showcase presented by MUBI. We are also celebrating the upcoming 41st edition of Reeling: The Chicago LGBTQ+ International Film Festival.
Thanks to MUBI we are thrilled to present the universally critically acclaimed MONEYBOYS, accompanied by the short film AMIHAN, by local Kansas-City based filmmaker and previous guest on …Like Clockwork (A Podcast of Chicago Filmmakers), Ji Stribling.
Don’t forget to take advantage of MUBI’s exclusive 30-day free-trial offer at www.mubi.com/reeling
C. B. Yi’s MONEYBOYS (2021) follows city-dwelling hustler Fei (Ko Chen-tung) as he works to support both himself and his family in the countryside. After a family reunion gone wrong, Fei realizes his relatives will never accept his sexuality and returns to the city to start anew. However, guilt from his past, longing for his first love, and new heartbreak plague Fei as he struggles to heal.
MONEYBOYS is stunning both visually and emotionally. Inventively framed and richly colorful cinematography perfectly captures the attention-grabbing performances of Ko Chen-tung, Yufan Bai, and Zhexi Lin. Yi expertly crafts a contemplative, slow rhythm, unfolding in powerful waves of grief, love, and pain.
Yi poses uncomfortable questions about the place of sex work within repressed societies. The film deeply explores the queer experience, the feeling of being ‘othered’, and the places (or people) in which we find acceptance and belonging.
A review by Sofia Migaly
Upcoming Date/Time: Saturday, August 29 from 3 to 4:30pm at Chicago Filmmakers (1326 W. Hollywood Ave) AND on Zoom.
This month’s meeting will be hybrid, so writers may participate in person or online! Please register to receive the Zoom link via email.
The Queer Writers Club is a monthly meeting for LGBTQ+ writers; open to both beginners and experienced authors, regardless of genre. This is a queer writer’s safe space, a friendly club to hone your craft through creative writing exercises. This time includes focused practice in a group setting and a chance to meet other LGBTQ+ creatives. Whether you’re jotting down poems in a journal or working on your fifth draft of a Netflix-produced screenplay, you’re welcome to percolate fresh ideas, help form a new writing community, and share in the company of this generative space!
Hosted by Colleen O’Doherty (she/her), this club is a project of Chicago Filmmakers and Reeling: The Chicago LGBTQ+ International Film Festival.