Acts of Love
Directed byIsidore Bethel
Francis Leplay
Produced byLucie Rego
Pauline Tran Van Lieu
Jamie Gonçalves
Francis Leplay
Isidore Bethel
CinematographyRyan Saunders
Edited byFrancis Leplay
Production
companies
Hutong Productions
Sin Sitio Cine
Distributed byOutplay Films, Here TV[1][2]
Release date
  • April 29, 2021 (2021-04-29) (Hot Docs)
Running time
71 minutes
CountriesFrance
United States
LanguageEnglish

Acts of Love is a 2021 documentary-fiction hybrid film by Isidore Bethel and Francis Leplay that premiered in Hot Docs's Nightvision section, which focuses on future "cult classics."[3]

Plot

When his relationship with an older man in Mexico starts to wane, Bethel, who performs as himself in the film, travels to Chicago. He chats with hundreds of men on dating apps and invites them to make a film with him. A dozen meet him for an interview, and four agree to write and perform in a fictional film that their original conversations inspired.

Meanwhile, passages combining still images and voiceover from Bethel recount memories about the former lover. Throughout, the filmmaker's mother phones him to critique and ridicule her son's unusual project.[4] Describing his collaboration with Bethel in an interview with the Mexican newspaper Reforma, Leplay said, "The first thing I asked him was, 'how spontaneous were these auditions?' And far from being acted, they were quite natural. There wasn't a specific script, but that's how the story came about."[5]

Production

The film received screenwriting and postproduction support from France's Île-de-France region,[6] Eurodoc, and the Thessaloniki Documentary Festival's work-in-progress lab.[7]

Reception

Filmmaker magazine included Bethel on its 2020 list of the "25 New Faces of Independent Film" in recognition of his work on Acts of Love.[8] Upon its premiere, the film received positive press from several publications and blogs, including The Moveable Fest,[9] Xtra Magazine,[10] KinoCulture Montréal,[11] One Movie, Our Views,[12] and ForReel Movie News and Reviews.[13] The Hollywood Reporter wrote that "this exciting, genre-bending film...stands out in its exploration of attraction, desire, sex and intimacy."[14]

Now characterized it as "a bold, brave look at intimacy, honesty and the power dynamics that exist both in interpersonal relationships and between artist and subject."[15] Point of View Magazine noted that Acts of Love "is a thoughtful study of love and heartbreak, but ultimately a celebration of savouring the encounters that define us throughout our journeys."[16] Now,[17] Yohomo,[18] and The Queer Review[19] included the film on their lists of Hot Docs festival recommendations. The film received press throughout its festival run, including from Il manifesto,[20] Lifo,[21] Cult MTL,[22] and WCPT.[23]

Festivals

After its premiere, the film screened at several other festivals, including the Thessaloniki Documentary Festival, Queer Lisboa, RIDM, the Paris LGBTQ+ Film Festival, and the Chicago, Transilvania, and St. Louis International Film Festivals. It received the Tacoma Film Festival's Best Documentary Feature Award and a Special Mention at Milan's Gender Border Film Festival,[24][25] figured among Payal Kapadia's top-five films of 2021,[26] and ranked #4 on MovieWeb's list of Top 10 LGBTQ+ Movies of 2021.[27] Here TV released the film in the United States in 2022.[28]

References

  1. ↑ "Acts of Love". Hot Docs. Retrieved 30 April 2021.
  2. ↑ "Acts of Love". Here TV. Retrieved 20 August 2022.
  3. ↑ "A Year too Real—and a Festival for its Hot Docs". Point of View Magazine. 30 April 2021. Retrieved 30 April 2021.
  4. ↑ "Acts of Love". Hot Docs. Retrieved 30 April 2021.
  5. ↑ "Dedica documental a su ex mexicano". Reforma. Retrieved 13 May 2021.
  6. ↑ "AIDES À L'ÉCRITURE DE SCÉNARIO : 23 AUTEUR.TRICE.S SOUTENU.E.S". Film Paris Region. Retrieved 27 May 2020.
  7. ↑ "22nd TDF: Agora Doc Market". Thessaloniki Documentary Festival. 24 February 2020. Retrieved 30 April 2021.
  8. ↑ "Isidore Bethel". Filmmaker Magazine 25 New Faces of Independent Film. 19 October 2020. Retrieved 21 October 2020.
  9. ↑ "Hot Docs 2021 Review: Isidore Bethel Flirts with Danger in "Acts of Love"". The Moveable Fest. May 2021. Retrieved 13 May 2021.
  10. ↑ "From Black lesbian thinkers to the hottest Hot Docs". Xtra Magazine. Retrieved 13 May 2021.
  11. ↑ "Acts of Love". KinoCulture Montréal. 3 May 2021. Retrieved 13 May 2021.
  12. ↑ "#HotDocs21 Review: Acts of Love". One Movie, Our Views. 7 May 2021. Retrieved 13 May 2021.
  13. ↑ "Hot Docs 2021, "Acts of Love" Tries to Get to the Heart of What Love Means to Isidore Bethel". ForReel Movie News and Reviews. Retrieved 13 May 2021.
  14. ↑ "'Acts of Love': Film Review, Hot Docs 2021". The Hollywood Reporter. 10 May 2021. Retrieved 13 May 2021.
  15. ↑ "Hot Docs review: Acts Of Love". Now Magazine. 29 April 2021. Retrieved 30 April 2021.
  16. ↑ "Acts of Love Review: Dating Doc Swipes Right". Point of View Magazine. 29 April 2021. Retrieved 30 April 2021.
  17. ↑ "Hot Docs 2021: 12 must-see films according to NOW critics". Now Magazine. May 2021. Retrieved 13 May 2021.
  18. ↑ "10 Queer Films To Watch (From Home) At The 2021 Hot Docs Film Fest". Yohomo. Retrieved 13 May 2021.
  19. ↑ "LGBTQ+ highlights at Hot Docs 2021". The Queer Review. 23 April 2021. Retrieved 13 May 2021.
  20. ↑ "When Sex and Art Infect Each Other". Il manifesto. 6 July 2021. Retrieved 20 December 2021.
  21. ↑ "15 unmissable films at the 23rd Thessaloniki Documentary Festival". Lifo. 13 June 2021. Retrieved 20 December 2021.
  22. ↑ "What to watch online at Montreal documentary film festival RIDM". Cult MTL. 18 November 2021. Retrieved 20 December 2021.
  23. ↑ "Out Chicago 10.17.21". WCPT 820. Retrieved 20 December 2021.
  24. ↑ "TACOMA FILM FESTIVAL WINNERS". Tacoma Film Festival. Retrieved 20 December 2021.
  25. ↑ "Gender Border Film Festival: i premi". ildogville.it. 8 November 2022. Retrieved 26 November 2022.
  26. ↑ "L'année ciné 2021 par celles et ceux qui l'ont faite". Le Polyester. 30 December 2021. Retrieved 20 August 2022.
  27. ↑ "Top 10 LGBTQ+ Movies of 2021". MovieWeb. 26 December 2021. Retrieved 20 August 2022.
  28. ↑ "Watch Acts of Love". Amazon (company). Retrieved 20 August 2022.
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