Review: Call Me Kuchu

Originally published on www.biggaypictureshow.com

Call Me Kutchu takes an intimate and thought provoking look at the state of affairs for members of the LGBT community in Uganda, against the backdrop of the kill the gays bill.

In recent years the world has become aware of the negativity shown towards gay men and women in Uganda, and this film shows us what activists in the country are doing to try and make inequality a thing of the past. It also shows us the final year of gay rights activist David Kato towards the latter half of the film, which will evoke strong emotions from the audience, some of you may even cry.

The documentary is an eye opener for those of us who live in the West that don’t realise how easy life is compared to that of many around the world. In the documentary we hear a number of harrowing tales from a select group of gay people and activists in Uganda that range from violence, stoning, abandonment and even rape. Some of these tales will leave you open mouthed and shocked that nearly 50 years after gay liberation started, some people are still subjected to persecution on a daily basis. The realisation of just how severe things are in Uganda is shown when David Kato is murdered and the scene that ensues at his funeral.

One thing that is particularly good about this film is the way in which directors Katherine Fairfax Wright and Malika Zouhali-Worrall show us the debate on homosexuality in Uganda from both sides. We see the negative affects it has on people on a daily basis and what they are doing in the fight for equality, but they also enable us to see the mind-set of the people trying to oppress them and how they are targeting gay people. This is most evident when we are told by the managing editor of The Rolling Stone newspaper that in the name of journalism, they would ignore the right of privacy to expose gay people for public knowledge, and also how the paper itself links gay people to terrorism.

However against the sadness of the documentary you see hope in the LGBT community, as they enjoy themselves together and remain positive in a shared optimism that one day Uganda will be fully equal.

Overall the film is a touching and informative human tragedy that will have you engrossed from beginning to end, and cheer when you see just how much progress they are making. But as they mention throughout the film the struggle continues.

Review: Searching for Sugar Man

Originally posted on www.moviemuser.co.uk

Searching for Sugar Man takes the unsuspecting viewer on an amazing journey of how a career that almost never was makes a remarkable comeback.

The documentary tells the story of Rodriguez, who after a brief stint in the music industry 40 years ago disappeared after failing to set the charts alight. However the story was quite different in South Africa as this mysterious musician, who many describe as anti-establishment, helped inspire and motivate a generation and in turn helped to aid a revolution.

This amazing story is not what I expected, when I first heard about the documentary I expected it to be just a little detail about how he apparently failed in the music industry only to be brought back years later as a bit of commodity, I couldn’t have been anymore wrong if I’d tried. This documentary takes you on a journey through the life of Rodriguez’ music, from its humble beginnings in smoke filled bars to recording his first album only to be dropped by the label when it didn’t set the charts alight. Then it takes us to South Africa where the artist made a huge and lasting impression.

Finally, after a long hunt to discover this mysterious musician – who many had thought was dead – the documentary uncovers him and brings him back into the spotlight to do what he does best, and find out what he’d been doing in his nearly 30-year musical absence.

This film is really sweet and touching as we see someone filled with talent finally make it after being discarded and discover the success he knew nothing about. The film makes you think about just how many talented individuals are out there that have succumbed to the same fate.

It’s also an excellent observation of how shallow and harsh the music business can be (Clarence Avant comes across as a less than favourable individual), and also an insight into how bad censorship can be for individuals.

Helped along by excellent and artistic looking visuals and a superb soundtrack, which is the music of the films enigmatic hero, this is more than just a documentary; it’s a real life rags to riches story twice over.

A remarkable and unique documentary everyone should see.

We Remember: The Celluloid Closet

Originally posted on www.differentscene.co.uk

Over the decades there have been numerous films that have openly centred on gay people and gay themes, then there are those that explored it more covertly with undertones of homosexuality.

One film took a look at a huge selection of these films, from early Hollywood cinema that enforced the production code that labelled homosexuality under the bracket of sex perversion preventing the display of gay themes, to more recently where a number of films have been able to explore homosexuality.

The Celluloid Closet began its life as a book back in 1981 and was written by Vito Russo. Then in 1996 it was turned into a documentary film narrated by the ever-talented Lily Tomlin.

The film takes a look at 100 hundred years of Hollywood cinema and explores the way in which they tackled homosexuality, from the beginning of cinema with the often present effeminate male character, that although was never openly stated as being homosexual, relied heavily on a stereotype that was developing in society. To the days of the production code that didn’t allow a man and woman to be shown in bed together, never mind two men. This is where homosexual themes in cinema went underground and became more covert, up until the 1960s when the gay rights movement began and the production code was finally disabled, allowing homosexual themes to be explored more openly.

The film is a great documentary for anybody who is interested in film and anyone who is interested in the representation of homosexual characters within film history. It gives you a great insight into how a number of negative representations began surrounding homosexuals and how these started in the medium of film, and helps you see how being gay in not only cinema but in society has come a long way since the early 1900’s.

I think it’s a great documentary, and is extremely important when discovering the history of LGBT cinema. The film should be seen by everyone in order to help them understand how the powerful movie companies repressed homosexuality and how this had a lasting effect. It also helps you see that although it was repressed it is still there in an enormous amount of films, and shows the viewer that gays in cinema have come a long way, even since the 1980’s never mind the 1930’s.