by Megan Bailey, Staff Writer

NewFest, New York’s LGBTQIA+ Film Festival, took place earlier this month, and their roster of 140+ films has something for everyone. Last week, I saw three new films, each wildly different from each other. Here’s a roundup of what I attended throughout the festival.

A Nice Indian Boy
Directed by Roshan Sethi
Written by Eric Randall and Madhuri Shekar
Seeking Distribution

This film follows Naveen Gavaskar (Karan Soni) as he finds love in unexpected places. He meets Jay (Jonathan Groff), who was adopted by Indian parents as a child and has a deep appreciation for Indian customs (and Bollywood movies). They bond, but Naveen struggles with finding the right time (and the right way) to introduce Jay to his family. It’s so charming and earnest, just a delightful heartfelt rom-com with a dose of family drama on the side. A Nice Indian Boy may be the funniest rom-com I’ve ever seen, which is a delight in times when a lot of romantic dramas are marketed as comedies. Karan Soni especially shines as the lead in this film, and Sunita Mani, who plays Naveen’s sister, is great as well. A loving ode to films, family, and well, love. I can’t wait to watch this again.

Lilies Not For Me
Written and Directed by Will Seefried
US Premiere at NewFest

Seefried’s directorial debut, Lilies Not For Me, is a mix of beautiful historical romance and gothic body horror. The dark turn is only hinted at in the intro to this film, so I had no idea just how bleak this film would get. I think the best way to see it is to allow the film to wash over you. Told in two timelines, we see Owen (Fionn O’Shea) in a mental institution, then in flashbacks, his budding romance with a school friend, Philip (Robert Aramayo). But Philip has a much harder time with his sexuality, asking Owen to help with a “procedure” to “cure” him. There are some frankly horrifying and upsetting turns in this film, and while I don’t think it’s perfectly done, it’s incredibly affecting—especially the end. The Q&A after the film was also delightful, and I was glad to see the editor (Julia Bloch) and cinematographer (Cory Fraiman-Lott) get some appreciation as well.

Bird
Written and Directed by Andrea Arnold
Premiered at Cannes and will be released soon via Mubi

Bird is a coming-of-age story featuring Bailey (Nykiya Adams). It is at turns heartwrenching, fantastical and toward the end, a beautiful mix of both. Bailey is coming of age in a rough world and trying to find a place to fit in within a messy family, consisting of their father, Bug (Barry Keoghan) and siblings who Bailey feels responsible for. This is a star-making turn for Nykiya Adams, who plays Bailey with the perfect balance of resilience and innocence. I was also delighted by Franz Rogowski’s performance as Bird, an outsider who forges a connection with Bailey. They take care of each other at times when no one else can. This is a visually rich film, and I’ll definitely be thinking about it (especially the ending) for a long time.

Everything I saw at NewFest this year was great, and I know there were a lot of great flicks I simply didn’t have time to see! NewFest is always a delightful time, so I’m already looking forward to next year’s offerings.