|
At a first viewing, there wouldn't appear to be much of a thematic similarity between "In My Shoes: Stories of Youth With LGBT Parents" and "Billy's Dad ..." - two highlights of the 14th Sacramento International Gay and Lesbian Film Festival, Wednesday through next Sunday at the Crest Theatre.
"In My Shoes" is an earnest, traditional 30-minute documentary focused on the children of same-sex couples. Told through the eyes and voices of the kids, it turns the political gay-marriage issue into the personal by showing that these are happy, well-adjusted kids being raised by caring adults. It won the audience award at the 2005 Frameline Film Festival in San Francisco.
"Billy's Dad," by contrast, is a winking and nudging, double entendre-saturated short parody of 1950s "educational films" that presents a shiny, happy suburban family so deep in the denial closet that everything serves as a symbol (phallic and otherwise) of repressed sexual feelings. It earned rave reviews at the 2005 Sundance Film Festival.
But at their core, both short films convey a similar message: that the lives of families with gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered parents - in or out of the closet - really are like the prototypical Mom, Dad and 2.4 kids in the suburbs.
Normal?
No. But what exactly is normal when talking about family dynamics?
"The kids kept saying they want to be seen as normal," says Jen Gilomen, 27, who directed "In My Shoes" in collaboration with youths from the San Francisco group Children of Lesbian and Gay Everywhere. "To me, normal isn't the best thing to be. A lot of people my age don't want to be seen as normal because that's boring. But they don't want to be treated differently because of who their parents are."
The twist is that the seemingly "normal" '50s family in "Billy's Dad" really is the weird one, whereas the teen girl being raised by her transgendered uncle has a relatively mundane existence.
Many of the other 29 feature-length or short films that will be showcased at the festival explore themes of external acceptance and internal struggle.
These are far from groundbreaking subjects in gay cinema, but the films find fresh takes by injecting humor and rejecting didacticism. The most overtly political film in the festival may well be the full-length "Unveiled." It's about a lesbian who is being prosecuted in her native Iran because of her sexual preference and who flees to Germany in hopes of asylum.
"In My Shoes" eschews narrative altogether and lets the stories flow naturally.
"It was all about the kids," Gilomen says. "I didn't want to bring an adult perspective in too much. And the only didacticism is preaching tolerance and allowing people to get along. Some might find the same-sex issue controversial, but the irony is that, looking into those households, we caught them doing what all families do - eating dinner, washing dishes, getting the kids ready for school. But everyone knows they have other obstacles to face."
Patti Barcena, the festival's program director, said the organizers strive for diversity in opinion, subject matter and tone. But every year, she said, themes take shape.
"We look for well-made films and then see how they fit together," Barcena says. "A lot of our films this year turned out to be about families or relationships.
"I like comedies like 'Billy's Dad,' but I also like films that talk about who we really are. You know, we are on TV. But what are we, 'Will and Grace'? That's not a true representation. Funny as it may be, it's a caricature."
That type of stereotyping isn't a problem with the comedies at this festival, Barcena says. In fact, if anything, it is the straight people who are caricatured. The 12-minute short "Prom-troversy" sends up the prejudice and hypocrisy of conservatives. One concerned mom in the film starts the "Defense of Prom Initiative," with slogans such as those used by anti-gay-marriage protesters.
The short-film format tends to lend itself to comedy, but Barcena made sure the festival included some serious short works. Among the more poignant are "Dani & Alice," about an abusive lesbian relationship, and "Licking Our Wounds," a post-AIDS meditation. Another film with a serious subject is "Starcrossed," about two brothers in the suburbs "whose relationship develops into something more than society could ever handle."
"Now, that one's going to be controversial," Barcena says. "That'll get people talking."
Sacramento International Gay and Lesbian Film Festival
WHEN : 8 p.m. Wednesday, 7 p.m. Thursday -Saturday, 2 p.m. next Sunday
WHERE : Crest Theatre, 1013 K St.
TICKETS : $35 festival pass; $9 one night
INFORMATION : (916) 442-7378
About the writer:
See this article on the Sacramento Bee site (free registration required):
http://www.sacticket.com/movies/news/story/13646446p-14488703c.html
Sacramento Bee online: http://www.sacbee.com
< back to Screenings |
