Holy queer! A new revolutionary queer romance drama film from New Zealand has hit the theaters with ‘Mysterious Ways’ starring Richard Short and Nick Afoa.
Short and Afoa play the lovers, Peter and Jason, who go through the trials and tribulations of being in an interracial gay relationship vis-a-vis religion as they fight for their right to get married in church.
Watch the mysterious trailer here:
The synopsis says “‘Mysterious Ways’ tells the story of Peter (Short), a vicar who wants a church wedding with his boyfriend Jason (Afoa), who is Samoan. For Anglicans, this is not allowed, and homosexuality itself is still very taboo in Samoan culture. When news of the marriage makes headlines a media storm erupts, and God is forced to step in! It’s a side of the rainbow community not often explored on the screen despite the impact of religion on millions of LGBTQ+ people around the world.”
Afoa who played Simba in the international production of ‘The Lion King’ shared that there were many angles in ‘Mysterious Ways’ that listened to voices from different communities he was involved with as a Pasifika person, as a Christian, and as someone who had lived his life.
Aside from the main story of the movie, another major topic in the film is the role of fa’afafine or transgender women in families and communities and the issues they face which was given to life by the young actor Joe Malu Folau who plays Jason’s nephew, Billy, a fa’afafine.
‘Mysterious Ways’ is directed by Paul Oremland who also co-wrote the film with Dianna Fuemana and Harry McNaughton. The film premiered on August 17 in New Zealand cinemas and will be making its way to Wellington next week. No details yet about a worldwide premiere.
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