Liz in September

Liz in September (Spanish: Liz en Septiembre) is a 2014 Venezuelan romance drama film directed by Fina Torres.[2][3] The screenplay is an adaptation of the American play Last Summer at Bluefish Cove by Jane Chambers.[4][5] A work-in-progress project of Liz en Septiembre (Liz in September) screened at the 2013 Miami International Film Festival,[6] followed by the theatrical premiere in Caracas, Venezuela on October 3, 2014.[7]

Liz in September
Theatrical release poster
Original titleLiz en Septiembre
Directed byFina Torres
Produced by
  • Fina Torres
  • Judy Miller
  • Laura Oramas
Screenplay byFina Torres
Based onLast Summer at Bluefish Cove
by Jane Chambers
Starring
Cinematography
  • Celiana Cárdenas
  • Rodrigo Pulpeiro
  • Gerard Uzcategui
Edited byAleshka Ferrero
Distributed byCinema Management Group[1]
Release date
  • October 3, 2014 (2014-10-03) (Venezuela)
Running time
92 mins
CountryVenezuela
LanguageSpanish, English subtitles

During its publicity campaign, the film was marketed as the first Spanish language[lower-alpha 1] lesbian film.[9] Regarding this, actress Patricia Velásquez stated that she and the other crew did not immediately think of the film in this fashion during its initial stages of production, but came to realize its importance to others during the filming process.[9]

Plot

Eva (Eloísa Maturén) is on her way out of town when her car breaks down on the side of the road. She makes it into a small town and when she asks for directions to a hotel, the mechanic points her to Margot's (Elba Escobar) place. Margot owns a small hotel and every year some of her friends come to celebrate Liz's (Patricia Velásquez) birthday. She usually would not accommodate another guest during this time, but seems to take pity on Eva and lets her stay. Unbeknownst to Eva, Margot and all of her friends at the hotel this week are lesbians. Having just recently lost a young child to cancer and found out her husband may possibly be cheating, she seems to have a lot on her mind when she arrives.

Liz takes a liking to her after Eva sabotages her fishing outing and invites her to dinner with her friends that night. When her friends see her, Liz bets one of them that she can have Eva in her bed within three days. At dinner, Eva discovers that these women all have something in common: they are lesbians. Almost all of them have had or are currently in relationships with one another, and some have kids from previous heterosexual relationships. This seemingly catches Eva by surprise and it can be assumed that she hasn't had much interactions with homosexuals and has been a heterosexual her whole life.

Eva seems to be more open minded than most people to the women's situation. They explain that they reside outside of town in order to escape the wary looks and slander from those in town. As relationships are being formed, an even deeper relationship forms between Eva and Liz. Part of this is because that Liz makes a bet with one of the other women that she can get Eva in bed with her within three days. Although this was Liz's initial motivation for getting close to Eva, it is clear that it slowly becomes replaced with true feelings for her. As they go on different adventures, Liz's secret, one that she has kept from everyone except for Dolores whom she had a very intimate relationship with, is revealed and it takes a toll on everyone involved: her cancer is back. Coincidentally it was the same illness that Tommy, Eva's son, had when he died.

Unfortunately, on the night of Liz's 37th birthday celebration, she collapses and is rushed to the hospital and finds out that she has only a couple months to live. While trying to cope with her fear of not having left a memorable impact, she spends her time surrounded by her friends and Eva, who later reveals that she is pregnant and will name the child after Liz if it is a girl, which it turns out to be. The film ends with the death of Liz, agreed and brought out about with the help of Eva, and then a scene of the ladies playing cards briefly talking about Liz. Eva is still with them and plunges into the sea with Lizzy, her young daughter.

Cast

Release

Liz in September premiered in Venezuela on October 3, 2014. Worldwide distribution rights was acquired by Cinema Management Group in November 2014.[10]

The film screened at the Miami Gay & Lesbian Film Festival[11] and the Frameline Film Festival in 2015.[12][13]

Home media

The film was released as Liz in September on DVD and as VOD by Wolfe Video on November 3, 2015.[5][14][15]

Reception

Variety gave Liz in September a favorable review, commenting that although some of the elements of the play had been changed, the movie would "be a crowd pleaser primarily among lesbian audiences in various formats."[16] The Hollywood Reporter praised the film, writing that "Torres strips away much of the 1980 stage play’s bigger plot points ... for a more streamlined drama about healing, closure and identity."[17] AfterEllen described Liz in September as a "treat" that was "deep, funny, and filled with several great performances".[18] El Nacional was critical of the movie, as they felt that the "story loses power because of the weakness of the script", although it found Torres's attentiveness for the film's aesthetics favorable.[7]

See also

Notes
  1. As a matter of record, the Spanish-language lesbian romance film Costa Brava, directed by Marta Balletbò-Coll, was released in 1995.[8] and the Spanish-language lesbian comedy My Mother Likes Women (A mi madre le gustan las mujeres), directed by Inés París and Daniela Fejerman, was released in 2002.

References
  1. Press Release (6 November 2014). "CMG to sell Liz en Septiembre". Cinema Management Group.
  2. "Liz en septiembre aborda la sexodiversidad y la eutanasia en una historia 'muy venezolana'". Correo del Orinoco (in Spanish). July 20, 2014. Retrieved May 8, 2016.
  3. Plaza, Desde La (2014-09-26). "Fina Torres: Liz en septiembre no es una película sobre homosexualidad". Desde la Plaza (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 2015-08-02. Retrieved 2016-05-08.
  4. Tinubu, Aramide A (October 14, 2015). "Aruba Film Fest Interview: Venezuelan Director Fina Torres Talks 'Liz in September', Her New Film About Life, Love & New Experiences". IndieWire. Retrieved May 8, 2016.
  5. Trasandes, Monica (November 3, 2015). "Actress Patricia Velásquez and director Fina Torres on their new film 'Liz in September' Monica Trasandes". GLAAD. Retrieved May 8, 2016.
  6. "Encuentros". Miami International Film Festival. 2013.
  7. González, Sergio Moreno (3 October 2014). "Las decisiones de Liz en septiembre". El Nacional (in Spanish). Archived from the original on October 3, 2014.
  8. "Costa Brava". Barcelona Film Commission. Generalitat de Catalunya.
  9. Coffin, Lesley (November 10, 2015). "Interview: Liz in September Star Patricia Velásquez on Her New Film, Memoir, and Publicly Coming Out". The Mary Sue. Retrieved May 8, 2016.
  10. Kay, Jeremy (6 November 2014). "CMG to sell Liz En Septiembre". Screen Daily.
  11. "Liz in September". OUTshine Film Festival. April 25, 2015. Retrieved May 5, 2016.
  12. "Liz in September". San Francisco International LGBT Film Festival. June 19, 2015. Retrieved 5 May 2016.
  13. Sandel, Adam (June 17, 2015). "13 Frameline Films You Can't Miss". The Advocate.
  14. News Desk (November 3, 2015). "Romantic Drama LIZ IN SEPTEMBER Comes to DVD & VOD Today". Broadway World.
  15. "Liz in September". Wolfe Video. 2015.
  16. Harvey, Dennis (January 20, 2016). "Film Review: "Liz in September"". Variety. Retrieved 5 May 2016.
  17. Kerr, Elizabeth (March 30, 2015). "'Liz in September': Filmart Review". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved May 8, 2016.
  18. Costa, Daniela (May 18, 2015). "Patricia Velasquez captivates in "Liz in September"". AfterEllen. Retrieved May 8, 2016.
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