FAQs - O Manual da Vida

I found FAQS by chance at my local Blockbuster. I'd already seen Luster which was also directed by Everett Lewis, and although I didn't like Luster I decided to give this one a chance. The movie paints gays and straights into very strict categories which works for the message of the film.

The opening credits almost turned me off - as though I was going to be watching some political piece, but instead turns into a believably realistic look at the prejudice that gays in general are often subjected to and manage to overcome.

Without giving anything away, I can tell you there is some acceptable eye candy - but presented realistically - the average gay guy vs some tweaked out gym bunnies.

Overall very satisfying and recommendable even as a date movie.

Yes, this film is low, low, low budget. And yes, its far fetched. But I thought it was tons of fun.

See the world in a surrealist fashion through the eyes of a modern gay teen and thats where you get this movie. Every character has been caricaturized for your entertainment. This film is a modern gay Indi movie with 1960's batman style heroes. All thats missing is the "bam" and "pow" animations during the fight sequences.

So support your GLBT Indi film makers, try not to take yourself too seriously, relax and enjoy this film. And remember, kisses are louder than bombs ;)

i liked this movie, i liked it lots. There was a sweet and endearing story with some really sweet, lovable people (such as Destiny, India, Lester and Guy). The pace, in my opinion, is quite fast which i enjoyed because i often see indie movies that are as slow as a snail driving a car very slowly. There is some decent comedy (destiny comparing herself to Ms.Brady was hilarious) and it's tinged with sadness(every character has been thrown out by their parents and receive some horrible discrimination, e.g. the coffee shop or the pornographer.) Which brings me on to my main problem; the hate. Yes, these people have been treated cruelly and unfairly by society and family but how can they contain so much hate for straight people? any sort of extremism in my opinion is absurd and irrelevant so when each of these characters aim a gun at or plot to blow up people i can't help but feel desperate. The theme of family between the main characters is delightful, to see how much they care for each other but, can it really be true that not one of these persons have no love for any straight people? The repeated line by Spencer had me wanting to bash his face in ("you don't know straights like i do.") I know a lot of 'straight' people and i've never been treated unfairly by them, of course i've had some abuse but i just smile knowing that, i'm the better person as i'm not offending someone by getting personal. This lovely family however seem to be together out of hate for straight people and for the abuse they've suffered. Hasn' anyone ever told them violence doesn't solve violence? But then again, i have no problem watching a few ignorant pigs getting scared or beat up. Overall, this movie is really good, the message clear and simple. if only the director and writer hadn't been so biased, it would be even greater.

First I will say that the movie was a nicely done piece of art. For an Indi film, it was all the better.

However, I didn't like its message of 'straight people and cops are evil', when that just isn't the case.

Also, I didn't like Destiny. I enjoyed his/her character and such, however it is because of flamboyant people such as him/her homosexuals are incapable of getting the respect we wish for.

Yeah, I'm a lesbian. As such, I didn't like the movies portrayal of lesbians either. It seemed to me that the movie felt they were all dykes, and male-hating.

Now, I agree that gay-bashers suck. I hate them as much as the next gay person. I've been the victim of them more than enough.

But not all straight people are like that, regardless of what the movie's characters seemed to believe.

I know they've been given the short end of the stick, and their lives have been less that happy... but still. They movie seemed like nothing more than an overdone 'straight-bash-fest'. There wasn't a single decent thing to say about straight people. Not even 'well, you'll meet the occasional one who doesn't suck'.

Even with all that, I enjoyed the movie. So it gets 5/10.

-Tay

Knowing that director Everett Lewis equated his characters with gay superheros goes a long way toward enjoying this quirky but extremely well-done film. Even when the acting is awkward, there is an honesty about the portrayals that is extremely watchable. Allan Louis is terrific as Destiny, the drag queen "avenger" who is part mother, part Dirty Harry. The cinematography is surprisingly good and the guys look terrific obeying Desiny's '2 hours of nudity a day' rule. Last minute cast substitution Minerva Vier seems incredulous at first as a tough street dyke, but her spunky reality won me over quickly. I cracked up at Destiny's line "Child, I feel just like Mrs. Brady. So white. So suburban. I'm gonna have to get me a pert blonde wig, honey. 'Cause I just feel pert. Pert, pert, pert." Classic. There are some lapses of credibility in the plot, but this is a superhero world, not real life, so go with it and you'll enjoy getting the FAQ's.