An Eye for Arovision

What to watch on Welly’s local streaming service 

In honour of Salient’s Queer Issue, I’m back to recommend some fun, freaky, feeling-forward queer films available to stream on Arovision. Split the rental cost with your friends, flatmates, or polycule and enjoy a full range of emotions. Go to ondemand.arovideo.co.nz and get watching!

I’ve Heard the Mermaids Singing (1987) — $6

dir. Patricia Rozema, Canada

“and those mermaids… were the cocteau twins” — karwaiwong, Letterboxd

This is the most quietly queer film of the bunch. The movie opens with main character Polly speaking into her home video camera as she begins recounting her version of events. We jump between this POV and the film's depiction of the story as it happened. 

Polly, a budding photographer and whimsical daydreamer, lands a job at a hip Toronto art gallery and slowly grows infatuated with the gallery director, Gabrielle. Gabrielle has her own concerns, torn between her artistic ambitions and a recently resurfaced alt-ex-girlfriend.

The film blends other-wordly elements with the hot, queer, Canadian art scene—super exciting stuff. This is Polly’s first experience of sapphic attraction, and we follow as she tentatively explores her queer potential. She’s a little bit manic-pixie (though mercifully without the heteronormative connotations) and a deeply endearing lead. As the film unfolds and shifts between perspectives, we’re invited further into Polly’s wonderful mind. 

No Dress Code Required (2017) — $5

dir. Cristina Herrera Borquez, Spain

“The power of the people is on full show here.” — mariusdownunder, Letterboxd

No Dress Code Required is a documentary following beauticians Victor and Fernandez as they take on the exhausting challenge of becoming the first gay couple allowed to marry in Mexicali, Mexico. 

It’s a frustrating and heart-aching watch, spanning the painful year and a half this couple spent fighting for respect, dignity, and equality under the law. Despite everything, the aroha shown by Victor, Fernando, their lawyers, and their loved ones carries viewers through each hardship with a prevailing sense of hope. 

At a time of immense global pain, it feels important to reflect on these smaller stories of queer resilience. Though this film depicts systemic homophobia, it’s also a quiet celebration of gay love. Victor and Fernando welcome us into moments of tender romance—a kiss shared while fastening each other’s ties—and we see how their love could move mountains.

Totally F***ed Up (1993) — $5 

dir. Gregg Araki, United States

“when your circle gay and unemployed” — henryspencerirl, Letterboxd

The Doom Generation (1995) — $5

dir. Gregg Araki, United States

“extraordinary. a nightmarishly depraved, violent and sexual film, the blood and cum emanates from every frame.” — arkhamoutlaw10, Letterboxd

Nowhere (1997) — $5

dir. Gregg Araki, United States

“kafka’s metamorphosis but bisexual” — spiritguides, Letterboxd

These three films make up Gregg Araki’s Teenage Apocalypse Trilogy. Each one stands alone, but I’d recommend watching all of them. If you're a purist, go by release order—it's interesting to see Araki’s themes evolve over time. Watch one or watch them all, but do look up some content warnings first (I mean it). Here's a quick tagline for each:

Totally F***ed Up opens with a blue screen and white text which reads “another homo movie by gregg araki.” That pretty much sums it up. A disjointed character study presented in fifteen parts, the film follows a found family of six queer teens navigating their lives in Los Angeles. It was shot on 16mm with “virtually no crew”, and definitely feels like it—in the most loving way. 

The Doom Generation is a road movie following teen lovers Jordan and Amy and the affectionately nicknamed “X”, who they picked up on their travels. Though the film was coyly marketed as “A Heterosexual Movie by Gregg Araki”, there's still plenty of queer longing. There's also murder, sex, neo-Nazis, and a pretty banging soundtrack.

Nowhere is hard to describe. Still queer teens, still in Los Angeles—but this time there's an alien lizard creature? The characters are a lot of fun, the set designs are art pieces, there’s an alien lizard creature (with lazer gun!). This is the most zany (and my favourite) of the three, but theres still plenty of totally fucked up goings-on.

Saving Face (2004) — $6

dir. Alice Wu, United States

“this movie has my two favourite things, lesbians and milfs” — esbsus, Letterboxd

This film follows the lives of a Chinese-American lesbian couple in New York while balancing their queerness with the expectations of a conservative cultural community. . 

Wil is a young, very ambitious surgeon living with her single, pregnant mother, who is being shunned by their community. After meeting Vivian—the ballet-dancer daughter of Wil’s boss—at a Planet China social event, the two begin a tentative romance. They try to sustain their relationship through busy work schedules, family drama, and internalised guilt.

Somehow, they manage to figure it out. A happy ending to a queer film??? No way!!! 

This is a beautiful movie. I don’t know how else to sell it to you. It's just really lovely. 

Honorable mentions

I can’t say much about I Saw the TV Glow (2024) that you haven’t already heard. This movie is well loved for a reason, and it’s also available on Arovision for $8.

I wrote a review for My Own Private Idaho before realising it was no longer on the platform (oops), but it’s still very much worth the watch. You can rent the physical DVD for $6 from the Arovideo store at 97 Aro Street.