We’re all armchair tourists now.

Since March, we’ve been hoping that easy vacation travel was only a speed bump away. But the reality is, well – complicated, because of the continuing COVID-19 crisis that has made airplane travel, border crossings and destination requirements problematic, to say the least.
So how does one satisfy an LGBTQ wanderlust in the meantime?

While it’s certainly no substitute, I’ve found that certain downloads and streams of films and series set in beautiful faraway places can make for a diverting escape from politics and the pandemic.

While it’s unlikely we can fly away to exotic locales, cruise the high seas and party like it’s 2019 anytime soon, here are some virtual vacations you might enjoy in absentia:

The Talented Mr. Ripley

What is it? A 1999 psychological thriller film written and directed by Anthony Minghella, an adaptation of Patricia Highsmith’s 1955 novel. It stars Jude Law, Matt Damon, Gwyneth Paltrow, Philip Seymour Hoffman and Cate Blanchett.

What’s it about? A tycoon mistakes a charming sociopath Tom Ripley (Damon) for a preppy friend of his playboy son and hires him to persuade the lad to return to America. Ripley gets caught up in the lush life abroad – and affairs, intrigue, identity swapping and a murder or two (or three) soon play out among the filthy rich.

Escapist aspect: 1950s Italian elegance amid yachts, swanky hotels and very beautiful people. The film was shot in Venice, Rome, Anzio, the cliffside resort town of Positano, and various villages on the islands of Ischia and Procida, near Naples.

A touch of gay: Bisexual intrigue and a hot killer man-to-man kiss by Matt Damon.

Worth the trip? It’s great to… 

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