The movie is gorgeous to look at, moves along at a bouncy clip, and features some imaginative visual effects. (Mendoza takes the helm as director here, while Richard Wong, who directed Colma, is smartly kept on as cinematographer.) Once again, Medoza's songs soar, but his lyrics are even sharper and funnier this time out. The first musical number, "Public Transit," for example, is an irresistible ode to San Francisco's buses, trains, and trolleys - while "Fag Hag," a paean to the women gay men love, builds to a climactic audience sing-along.

Fruit Fly (a kinder, gentler term to replace "fag hag") focuses on a Filipino performance artist named Bethesda, played by L.A. Renigen (who arguably has the most impressive voice and presence in Colma). She moves to San Francisco to find a venue for her show (a self-indulgent piece about identity politics) and becomes obsessed with finding her birth mother.

"Who am I?" and "Where do I come from?" are big, heady questions for any one person to tackle. Fortunately for Bethesda, she rents a room in a house full of artists, all of whom, in one way or another, are trying to find their voices - a gay set designer, a lesbian couple who acts and paints, a 17-year-old Filipino boy who's run away from home. She also seeks solace in San Francisco's gay club scene. You see, being around a bunch of gay guys trying to fit in makes her neuroses stand out just a little less.

None of the characters really end up finding out who they are. Life, the film suggests, is a work-in-progress. Fruit Fly, on the other hand, is complete, and it's a winning musical that begs to be seen. Fortunately, it deserves to be.

For tickets, visit the Outfest site.

For more information, visit the official Fruit Fly site.