Baby (2019) dir. Jessie Levandov

How to choose shorts for Pride Month? Educational or  documentary? Something experimental or more mainstream? Comedy or drama or maybe sci-fi? Angry, defiant, joyful, happy?

Lunch Links has chosen to go low-key. Casual, even. Some groups have been working overtime to remind us that there’s plenty of reasons to feel shitty about the state of Pride in the U.S. and the world lately, so here’s something smooth and simple with room for longing, smiles, solitude and connection.

Director Jessie Levandov’s only other credit is the very odd comedy “The Greggs” which won the “Spirit of Slamdance” award back in 2014. She’s one of seven credited directors on that one (all of which, I’m fairly certain, are also the stars of the film which plays like the brainchild of a group of friends on vacation), so one imagines this is a clearer look at her style as a filmmaker. She has a knack for isolating the teen character without losing his Brooklyn neighborhood, getting the flavor of the area while maintaining sharp cinematography courtesy DP José Andrés Cardona. One gets the sense how the surrounding world affects him, influences the way he navigates blocks and conversations. Little gestures in the end stand out more than the postures at the beginning.

Of course there’s no end to the variety of LGBT+ shorts options, feel free to share your favorites below (or check the Lunch Link tags as the links above are less than half the options just on this site).