The Funniest Gay Movie of the Year

“Always be yourself; everyone else is already taken!” With this Instagram wisdom, as deep as a puddle in a Paris heat wave, Jim Parfait delights his followers. Does it even need gendering? Half of France follows the fitness influencer, or at least the half of gay France.

Jim Parfait is the gay guy every big city—and especially every small town—has: the proudest peacock of them all, spending his time either in a palatial gym or at a giant party. His muscles are more than a six-pack; his sweat makes other men wheeze. All his hair sits in exactly the right place. His ego: higher than the Eiffel Tower. Yet unlike a UNESCO World Heritage site, Jim’s status is fragile, something he’ll have to learn soon.

Lucien, the Twink with a giant dildo collection

In another palace lives Lucien. He isn’t even half as broad as Jim and is more than a head shorter. A blonde, skinnier Twink who only knows Jim from his phone. And from his secret chamber, a walk-in Jim shrine: the 23-year-old Lucien curls up in a bathrobe on the Jim rug, Jim posters lining the wall as high as the ceilings.

On the shelves: a substantial dildo and cockring collection. His Fleshlight collection he calls his “little miracle.” This is his little square meters of a perfect world. Outside of this room, Lucien cannot be who he is.

The Shock: Heterosexuals Have No Anal Orgasms

Reason: His mother is the country’s conservative Health Minister. And so toxic that it’s only a matter of time before Lucien starts hoarding self-help books to understand his childhood. His mom, in her stern pantsuit, brings him hot chocolate to bed. But when he asks whether he can go to a party this weekend, she shows her manipulative side.

The next morning Jim’s world collapses: one abdominal muscle is missing—and then another. A trip to the emergency room, obviously. There, a friendly physician informs him: He has contracted a new sexually transmitted infection. Heterosex makes him a football fan, monogamous, fuels an unquenchable desire for children, and leads to questionable wardrobe choices.

Bears, Puppies, Sneaker Sniffers

In short: the virus makes him heterosexual. And the doctor’s most terrifying verdict: heterosexuals have no anal orgasms. There is a possible cure, but she at least offers a tip. Some crazy scientist might have an idea. For Jim Parfait, a race against time begins. And, of all people, Lucien might be able to help him. It starts as a classic hero’s journey.

The French-Belgian animated film “Jim Queen” uses this seemingly absurd story as a genuine homage to the gay community. Because Jim and Lucien must traverse every subculture on their path to the heterosis cure: bears, puppies, cruisers, drag queens, sneaker sniffers, or drug zombies still hanging out in some techno dive bar. The animation gives the film extraordinary freedom to play with clichés.

Almost a Musical

Those unfamiliar with the gay talent for shoving themselves into every possible box will come to know and love it thanks to “Jim Queen.” And those who already know it will have the time of their lives. Because the screenplay quartet, which includes the two directors Marco Nguyen and Nicolas Athané, truly leaves no gay stereotype unchecked—and often lands right on the heart of it.

Marco Nguyen knows the scene up close, having organized the Paris parties where he now has Jim Parfait dancing and drag queens lip-syncing against each other. He also contributed two of the outstanding songs that practically turn the film into a musical. The rest of the soundtrack comes from the duo “Kirosen”—music that fits every subculture just right.

The Leather-GAYstapo

“Jim Queen” is exaggerated but respectful. Rarely has a film teased and celebrated us with such affection. And that is what great satire does. The directors did not impose boundaries on their thought. Among BDSM enthusiasts there exists a faction that calls itself the GAYstapo. Yet their aim wasn’t merely to shock; they emphasize this in a TheColu.mn interview.

The vibrant animated comedy “Jim Queen” will make everyone—queer or not—laugh. The film also holds up a mirror to gay men, unashamedly. It’s about hierarchies within the community, about norms we thought we had broken free from, only to impose even stricter ones on ourselves. And about exclusion.

When Reality Catches Up to Fiction

Because once the news spreads that Jim is hetero, his follower counts plummet. The community wants nothing to do with a heterosexual. It is not accidental that this harks back to the AIDS era—and even if the stigma is lessened by PrEP, it still lingers. And a health policy that won’t lift a finger for those infected because they belong to marginalized groups triggers painful memories.

After the next French presidential election in April, with Marine Le Pen likely to push for a hard-right victory, such a turn could become a chilling reality. The filmmakers did not foresee that eight years ago when they began writing the story. Reality can catch up with fiction.

The Most Beautiful Form of Queer Self-Irony

Perhaps that is why “Jim Queen” became a genuine sleeper hit with more than 300,000 tickets sold in France. Its Cannes debut this year had critics whispering about it as a hidden gem. The success may repeat itself in Germany: at this year’s Queer Film Festival, multiple showings of the funniest gay film of the year sold out. Animated features for adults often struggle here, but the loud, riotous sci-fi comedy “Lesbian Space Princess” proved a film could find its audience. Not to mention that the German dubbing, even the songs, are genuinely well done.

Jim Queen manages what few films can: it is uproarious without being coarse. It pokes fun at the community without belittling it. And it raises important issues without sermonizing. That, perhaps, is the purest form of queer self-irony.