CAMP Film

This year’s documentaries cover a wide variety of themes, including: AIDS, gay youth, and women’s music. The Gift is sure to raise plenty of controversy as it follows the rising phenomena of "gift givers" (HIV positive men who purposefully infect negative men) and bug-chasers (HIV negative men who want to be infected). Brother Outsider: The Life of Bayard Rustin chronicles the gay civil rights leader who lived life in the shadows of Martin Luther King. During the 40s and 50s, as he was fighting Jim Crow, he was relatively open about being gay and made a conscious effort to be open even though it was not the best political move. Fight Back, Fight AIDS: 15 Years of ACT UP traces the political agenda of one of the most outspoken organizations ever in the queer movement. More a review through film clips than an actual documentary, the film truly does document the history of ACT UP through the marches, rallies and demonstrations. Schools Out: The Life of A Gay High School in Texas exposes us to a day-in-the-life of students at an all gay high school—Walt Whitman High School in Dallas, Texas. The film journals the school year 2001-02 where the population has dwindled to 10 students. Get a look at one of only 3 schools of its kind who truly place the students’ welfare at the top of its list. Two films feature women’s music as their subject matter: Radical Harmonies looks at the Women’s Cultural Movement and its evolution from a "girl with a guitar" to a revolution in the roles of women in music and culture. This movement significantly affected the way we view music and the women involved. Rise Above: The Tribe 8 documentary gives us a rare view into the lives of the members of this first ever dyke-identified, hardcore punk rock band that became a pioneering force in music history.

In the past, women’s films have been fewer in numbers and often of lesser quality than their male counterparts. Chalk this up to the overall discrepancies in the difficulties specifically faced by female filmmakers (less funding, male-dominated world, good old "BOY" network that still permeates Hollywood). Couple that with being a lesbian and the difficulties increase drastically. That said, there are a few films that are sure to entice the women out to the theatre. Politics of Fur is a retelling of the Fassbinder film, The Bitter Tears of Petra Von Kant.

Our heroine Una is a career-driven music producer. She has recently been divorced from her past lover and is recouping from a hard time with drugs and alcohol. Enter B, a punk gal who wants to make it big in the music industry and will do so at any cost. The two form a relationship from which each hopes to reap rewards, B with a contract, and Una with the love of B. Sensual, sexual and evocative, the film succeeds on many levels. Did I mention Una has a pet tiger? Gasoline is a sultry film from Italy that definitely gives a nod to films such as Heavenly Creatures, Thelma & Louise, and Butterfly Kisses. Lenni is starting a new life after recently graduating from school and leaving the confines of her overbearing mother. She takes a job at a gas station/café and begins a romance with tough girl mechanic Stella. All is well until Lenni’s mother shows up at the station. When things get rough, Stella intervenes, with tragic consequences. Lenni and Stella take to the road and along the way encounter many circumstances way out of their control, including an unwanted spirit and a homophobic troublemaker. There is a fiery conclusion to the film is all I will say. Suddenly is an award-winning film from Argentina. Shot in glorious black and white, the film follows Mao and Lenin, two dyke punks who wander aimlessly until they prey upon Maria. Maria is a shopkeeper at a lingerie shop who has accepted her position in life, a dull meaningless existence. Mao and Lenin kidnap Maria and help her fulfill her wish to see the ocean. The film plays like an emotional roller-coaster ride—one moment it’s frightening, the next we’re laughing at how ridiculous Mao and Lenin’s shared tough-girl stance is. Finally, the vulnerability and tenderness that lie just below the surface touches us.

Next issue will be guilty pleasures…I promise!