'I shall be reborn. My breath in the heavens, bear witness. We shall be free. We'll we be loved.'
No the 1996 film Lilies in not specifically an Easter film, but it does include a religious themed play, one with similar themes to the traditional Passion Play. The play within the movie, and within the prison, tackles issues of life, death, passion, betrayal, a miscarriage of justice, and of course, required degree of redemption.
It's also of course titled Lilies, and includes various Lily themed visuals weaved into the movie. The original title was The Delicate Ones, the literal translation of Les feluettes. Based on a play by Quebec playwright Michel Marc Bouchard, the film includes a procession of different types of lilies. Some real, others made from paper and parchment.
I was unaware there is actually something known as the 'gay cult of lilies' Not a formal cult of course, a known association between the LGBTQ community and flower. It is said to have gone back to Oscar Wild, and even further back to Sappho. There is also a reference to the association of the lily flower with the Japanese yuri genre, which depicts intimate relationships between women. Although lilies are not really a symbol of lesbianism in America, they have become associated with lesbian and queer themes in the yuri genre within Japanese media.
I'm sure like many, some FH readers were introduced to the John Greyson directed film on late night television. I remember growing up in the 1990's, and before we had cable, we had a satellite dish, one which picked up several French speaking channels. It was sometime in the late 1990's that I first caught the Canadian gay themed film one late Friday night.
Carver
I was quickly drawn in by the story, and the beautiful male cast. Led by Jason Cadieux and Danny Gilmore. I was especially taken by Cadieux who looking back, with his beautiful face and lips, reminds me of a young Jonathan Schaech. Rounding out the cast were Alexander Chapman and Brent Carver. Chapman and Carver both played women. Given the play takes place in a male prison, all the female roles were played by men.
Chapman & Cadieux
Of course one of the attractions for me, a young and still closeted viewer, were the scenes of male skin. Both Danny Gilmore and Jason Cadieux show a little skin, but it's the beautiful Gilmore who has a full frontal scene within the play. Check it out on the NEXT PAGE HERE:
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