LETTERS From CAMP Rehoboth |
CAMP Film: |
by Joe Bilancio |
Queer Cinema: Then and Now As I look at my shelf containing videotape after videotape of films vying for space in the GLBT portion of this year's Rehoboth Beach Independent Film Festival, a revelation struck me: Where are all of the cutting edge films that were so much a part of the "Queer Cinema" movement of the late 80s and early 90s, Greg Araki's The Living End, Gus Van Sant's Mala Noche, Tom Kalin's Swoon, to name a few. Directors not afraid to stand up and celebrate the uniqueness that became the foundation of queer cinema. The "in your face" exploration of queer identity as showcased through the celluloid experiences shared en masse by the welcoming audience. The atmospheric, edgy film has been replaced by saccharin sweet, homogenized films of the "New Queer Cinema," with films like Kissing Jessica Stein, All Over the Guy and The Broken Hearts Club. While none of these films is unapologetic in its appeal to mass market America, they are not films that are uniquely "ours." The faces and characters of the films of today can be interchanged, boy for girl, girl for boy, homosexuality for heterosexuality; the plots do not hinge on the fact that the queerness is exactly the lifeblood of the stories and permeates every facet of the story. I point to a few reasons why this may become the standard operating procedure for gay filmmakers: broader acceptance of the movie going public, the rise of the cable networks, and the "selling-out" factor. The broader acceptance of gay stories by the general public is a big factor. While audiences in middle America still have trouble uttering the word "gay," let alone seeing gays on screen, much of the population has come to tolerate and even accept them. The public is more willing to see a gay character or gay story, but it is not willing to embrace all of the nuances that are evident in the accurate portrayal of GLBT stories. New filmmakers make films for these folks as opposed to making films to be heard and to provide a voice for those who are seldom heard. They feel they can't push the envelope too much, or they will be relegated to the festival circuit...which is a fact. The rise of the cable networks has been great in opening up avenues for GLBT stories to be told but, once again, the edgy, gritty real stories are supplanted by the more homogenous stories deemed to be of broader appeal to the mass subscribers. HBO, Showtime, Cinemax, Bravo, and Sundance Channel all produce original programming, as well as a huge slate of older films that are screened on the network supported by a media blitz in Out, Advocate, Genre, Instinct and every other media source aimed at the GLBT audience. The "selling-out" factor, for lack of a better word, has once again taken the cutting-edge directors away from the GLBT specific audience and has shepherded them into other mass appeal projects. Lisa Cholodenko (High Art) and Rose Troche (Go Fish) went for high gloss finishes on their latest work, Cholodenko in Laurel Canyon and Troche in The Safety Of Objects. While both of these films contain some subject matter related to GLBT issues, they are again more in line with the tastes of mainstream theatre goers. The underlying factor is money. Success has been so closely tied to finances that a great film can't simply be great; it must be great and profitable. It is not enough to reap critical acclaim or have a film that is relevant to its audience; it must bring in the green. With this need for income as the monkey on the back of every filmmaker in queer cinema, it is not a surprise that we have moved from where we were (cutting-edge, gritty, thought provoking) to where we are today (mass appeal, flashy, what-you-see-is-what-you-get.) In case you couldn't tell...I really miss the good old days of queer cinema. Don't get me wrong. I do appreciate seeing GLBT themed movies at the local Cineplex and laughing along with the hetero couple next to me...but I often long for the gritty and real world of the queer cinema from days gone by, where going to a GLBT festival meant seeing cutting edge films that you would not see anywhere else. Many festivals now are serving as fuel for the marketing engines and PR machines giving notice that the films you are about to see will be coming soon to a theatre near you. With that said, I think I must agree that even mass marketed GLBT films are better than nothing...but here's to hoping that the next phase in queer cinema is the return to its roots! Joe Bilancio is Programming Director for the Rehoboth Beach Film Society. He may be reached at Joe@rehobothfilm.com. |
LETTERS From CAMP Rehoboth, Vol. 13, No. 8, June 27, 2003 |