The Oscar short list: A French Midnight Cowboy and two righteous babes

Compared to the Oscars of 2006, when Brokeback Mountain and Capote both competed for Best Picture, this year's competition doesn't offer much in the way of gayness among the major competitions. [Ed. note: Of course, we'll see how people dress for the ceremony...]

But there is a double dose of queer content in the shorts categories:

> In the case of Le Mozart des pickpockets (Mozart of the Pickpockets), it's subtle: Two Parisian petty thieves endure the scorn of their fellow criminals while living together in a decidedly modest residential hotel. We don't see them kiss, or swish, or act out any of the things that typically hits straights over the heads and lets them know that they're in the presence of The Other (you know, us.) Instead, they come across as middle-aged equivalents of Ratso Rizzo and Joe Buck from Midnight Cowboy: two losers with a special, unspoken connection. Rather then delineate the plot of this droll, sweet half-hour comedy, I'd rather direct you to iTunes, where you can download it for a well-invested $1.99. 

> The queerness of Freeheld packs a righteousness that's all the more poignant because it comes from two real-life heroes who had to make a point of their relationship. This 40-minute doc tells the store of Detective Lieutenant Laurel Hester, who has a terminal diagnosis of lung cancer, and her younger mechanic girlfriend, Stacie Andree. They've been together for six years, but Hester can't legally transfer her pension. So they take their case to the Freeholders of Ocean Country, New Jersey, who repeatedly refuse the pair even as neighboring counties change their stance on domestic partner benefits in sympathy. This wasn't light viewing for me: Hester's illness brought back memories of my own father dying of lung cancer, and the heartlessness from Ocean Country's elected officials is even harder to witness. But Freeheld is one of those documentaries that's so direct in its message -- ordinary people can overthrow officially sanctioned homophobia -- that it turns sorrow into empowerment. Seek out the film's upcoming screenings on its website, where you can also sign up to be notified of its projected Spring/Summer DVD release.

-- BARRY WALTERS