Conrad and Joe check out Roger Spottiswoode's sprawling 1993 adaptation of Randy Shilts non-fiction tome, And The Band Played On.

Featuring a star studded A-list cast, the film falls somewhere between medical procedural and contagion film as scientists and activists try to identify the AIDS virus and overcome systemic/bureaucratic hurdles.

Plus: villainous Alan Alda; tension in the editing bay; and questioning the representation of queers who want to keep the bathhouses open

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Conrad and Joe checked out Elliot Tuttle's feature directorial debut and we had to record our spoiler-free thoughts on the film. C/W: Sexual Abuse

Starring Kieron Moore and Reed Birney as a camboy and his older client, this intimate "delicious onion film" is a dialogue heavy two-hander that is controversial, challenging, and confronting. We *highly* recommend it.

Seen the film or want to hear more details? Subscribe to our Patreon at patreon.com/TheQueerGaze for our spoiler-heavy discussion on Tuesday

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Conrad and Joe travel BACK to Canada for John Greyson's New Queer cinema entry Zero Patience (1993), a musical about the Quebec flight attendant scapegoated for bringing AIDS to North America.

Plus: the use of real historical figures; assigning blame for the disease; and the first of two appearances this theme by actor Michael Callen (playing Miss HIV)

Seen the film or want to hear more details? Subscribe to our Patreon at patreon.com/TheQueerGaze for ~23 more minutes of spoiler-heavy discussion.

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Joe and Conrad kick off a new theme on 'HIV and AIDS' with a look at the earliest text to discuss the disease: An Early Frost from 1985.

NBC's made-for-TV film is something of a marvel considering advertisers wouldn't touch it. Thankfully audiences, awards bodies and an all-star cast had no problem!

Plus: Aidan Quinn's lead performance, the lack of intimacy between Michael and his partner Peter, and how the film may be more about straight people than queer people...

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After six films, Conrad and Joe wrap up our 'Sex Work and Pornography' theme by revisiting common threads and themes, our favourite discoveries, and the titles we'd most recommend to listeners.

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Conrad and Joe wrap up our theme with Camille Vidal-Naquet's 2018 film Sauvage ('Wild'), a purportedly "judgement-free" documentary-style, gritty depiction of 'Sex Work and Pornography.' The trauma porn narrative, however, feels pretty moralistic to us!

Plus: comparisons to 2024's Baby; Félix Maritaud's "brave" central performance; Léo and Ahd's interesting relationship; and a tease of why Félix and Claude's romance doesn't work.

Seen the film or want to hear more details? Subscribe to our Patreon at patreon.com/TheQueerGaze for ~21 more minutes of spoiler-heavy discussion.

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Conrad and Joe hit pause on 'Sex Work and Pornography' to discuss one of 2025's biggest queer films: Harry Lighton's Pillion (2025).

It may surprise you to discover that we're ambivalent about the film! We don't entirely understand its reception as a romance, especially given how disaffecting (and possibly abusive) the central relationship is.

Plus: adaptation changes from Adam Mars-Jones's novella Box Hill; fantastic lead performances; Conrad's theatrical experience; and the moments of comedy that work

Seen the film or want to hear more details? Subscribe to our Patreon at patreon.com/TheQueerGaze for ~23.5 more minutes of spoiler-heavy discussion.

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The second to last entry in our 'Sex Work and Pornography' theme is Brazilian director Marcelo Caetano's Baby (2024) about a newly released convict who is introduced to a life of sex work by an older man.

From cruising spots to the intersection of sex & drugs, this beautiful film features a great debut performance by João Pedro Mariano as the title character. But there are a few elements, such as the contrived last act conflict, that don't entirely work for us.

Seen the film or want to hear more details? Subscribe to our Patreon at patreon.com/TheQueerGaze for ~15 more minutes of spoiler-heavy discussion.

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