Love Reinvented (DVD) - Collection Rating C
By Kage Alan

The box claims “Twelve films by 12 talented new filmmakers from around the world” telling stories about gays and lesbians looking for love under the ever present shadow of AIDS. Right. From around the world? Perhaps, but the films themselves are split up between 2 filmed in America and 10 in France. That’s not exactly what I would call “from around the world.” The films themselves range from mediocre to quite thought provoking. Unfortunately, it looks like somebody just decided to take them all and stick them on a disc with absolutely no background information about the pieces, the directors or the context. I’m sorry, but that’s just poor in my book and really takes the potential impact each film could have on a viewer.

While “Close To”, featuring Alexis Arquette, is just plain odd due to its graphic nature and symbolism featured in it, the fairy tale “Pregnant Or Lesbian?” comes off far more enjoyable. “Burn Rubber” is a poignant slice-of-life as is “The Tears of AIDS”, yet, again, without either an introduction by the directors or something on the films themselves, much of their impact is lost. The collection feels like it’s been slapped on a disc and jacked up in price to make a profit. Because of this, it simply doesn’t deliver the directors and films the respect they deserve.