(Marco S. Puccioni, Italy 2007, 99 min., Italian with subtitles, Video)

When Anna (Maria de Medeiros, Henry & June) and Mara (Antonia Liskova) return to Italy from a romantic vacation in Tunisia, they are shocked to discover they’ve brought more than just souvenirs and photographs with them across the border. In their trunk they find Anis, a teenaged stowaway from Morocco who wants to make a life for himself in Europe. Anis’s presence in Anna and Mara’s lives radically alters the already-strained dynamics of the lovers’ relationship, setting the stage for a soulful character-driven drama about class politics and the sometimes-detrimental blindness of love. An official selection of the Berlin International Film Festival last February, Shelter Me explores the tenuous balance between having too much compassion and not having enough, and how sometimes holding someone too close will only drive them further away.

For complete selections and ticket information for ImageOut, upstate New York’s largest LGBT cultural event, call (585) 271-2640 or visit www.imageout.org. No Take-10 tickets or passes will be accepted for ImageOut screenings.