Southwest Gay & Lesbian Film Festival 2008

Indie film maker Bruce LaBruce has done it again in his latest offering, Otto; Or, Up With Dead People. With his signature themes of explicit sexuality, nudity, dark humor and political commentary, he is now taking on the zombie horror film genre. Young, gay ‘zombie’ Otto (Jey Chrisfar) sets out to remember his past, alone, on a remote highway in Germany. He hitches a ride to Berlin to start his venture and wandering the streets, he eventually runs into Medea, who is an avantgarde film maker with her own queer-political-zombie vision: Up With Dead People. She, along with her crew of misfits, decides to take on filming a documentary about Otto himself. This premise works out well for our title character, since he seems to have the part down pat. But we soon realize that there’s more going on as slight memories are gradually evoked from his past and he discovers a wallet with clues to his life before joining the undead. Young, confused Otto, as filthy, dirty, smelly and bloody as he tends to be, is an attractive twink, and as we watch him feeding on roadkill, pondering his existence, or having hot gay zombie sex (prepare yourself!), we can connect to his life, death, and complete alienation. Over the years, Mr. LaBruce has assaulted us with enduringly painful and wonderfully deviant sexual images such as in his previous works: Raspberry Reich (2004), Hustler White (1996) and No Skin Off My Ass (1991). Otto retains all of the strident imagery and off-beat characteristics that we’ve come to love and expect from this important queer film maker. —David Zaintz