Post by klep on May 13, 2019 7:08:15 GMT -6
MOVIE OF THE WEEK for 5/13: But I'm A Cheerleader
ALWAYS THE BRIDESMAID WEEK!
Conversion therapy is terrible. It ruins lives, destroys families. People who are fortunate get through it with only light trauma, and are able to go back to being the people they know they are. People who are unfortunate are deeply traumatized and/or spend the rest of their lives in denial and self-loathing.
But conversion therapy is something else too. It's laughably unscientific. It is based in the twin wrong ideas that being queer is a wrong choice people make and that strict adherence to traditional gender roles is important to keep you on the 'straight' path - that if a guy acts "manly" enough, he'll stop being gay. Jamie Babbit's But I'm A Cheerleader takes this facet of conversion therapy and brutally mocks it.
When Megan's (Natasha Lyonne) parents decide to send her to True Directions, her sheltered life has left her unaware that she might not be straight - she thinks her boyfriend is a bad kisser, for example, instead of her just not being attracted to him. The one good thing True Directions does for her is correct her naïve ignorance - making her realize that she really does look at women differently than other women, and that she is actually sexually attracted to them. When Megan comes to this realization, she seems both sad and happy - she's been made to believe that being gay is bad, but she's also learned this truth about herself that explains so much.
But that's only the start of True Directions' machinations. For leaders Mary (Cathy Moriarty) and Mike (RuPaul), admission is only the first step in becoming ex-gay. Much of the rest of the film consists of the other campers being made to act out their "proper" gender roles in a futile attempt to convert them. It's hilarious watching watching the campers get aroused or titillated by the unintentionally suggestive ways in which they're led through activities like car maintenance and housecleaning, or the hilariously inept way they perform tasks they're entirely unprepared for like chopping firewood or changing diapers. It's also hilarious watching Mike struggling to deny his intense attraction for Mary's son Rock (Eddie Cibrian) as he constantly acts in suggestive ways.
The campers are mostly embodiments of various queer or non-conforming stereotypes - something which the film has drawn criticism for, but it never feels like the film is laughing at them. Instead it feels like the film is using camp and satire to show that there's no "right" way to be gay or straight, male or female. Notably one of the female campers reveals herself to be straight despite being the most "butch" among them.
In fact several of the ten campers end up leaving through various means - including Megan after she is caught canoodling with fellow camper Graham (Clea DuVall). It's clear from the first time we see her that Graham is under no illusions about who she is or what this place can do. She's secure in herself, and contemptuous of the camp. She's just hoping to graduate so she can go home without being disowned.
It's Graham's confidence in herself which helps Megan to achieve her own self-actualization. Megan initially protests that she can't be a lesbian in part because she's a cheerleader. But at the end of the film she realizes she can be both. She takes up her pompoms and bares her heart with a cheer, proudly declaring her love for another woman, and they ride off into their happily ever after.
OUR NEXT MOVIE OF THE WEEK for 5/20: Rabbit-Proof Fence
ANTI-INTERVENTIONISM WEEK!
For Anti-Interventionism Week our pick is Rabbit-Proof Fence, a film about the forced removal of aboriginal children from their families in Australia in the early 20th century. Join us next week for our discussion! Rabbit-Proof Fence is available for rent in the usual places.
NEXT PICTURE SHOW PODCAST for 5/14: The American President
The podcast's next pairing is about more optimistic looks at American politics, with the new Long Shot and 1995's The American President. Join us Wednesday for a thread about the older film, available on HBOGo/HBONow and for rent in the usual places.
ALWAYS THE BRIDESMAID WEEK!
Conversion therapy is terrible. It ruins lives, destroys families. People who are fortunate get through it with only light trauma, and are able to go back to being the people they know they are. People who are unfortunate are deeply traumatized and/or spend the rest of their lives in denial and self-loathing.
But conversion therapy is something else too. It's laughably unscientific. It is based in the twin wrong ideas that being queer is a wrong choice people make and that strict adherence to traditional gender roles is important to keep you on the 'straight' path - that if a guy acts "manly" enough, he'll stop being gay. Jamie Babbit's But I'm A Cheerleader takes this facet of conversion therapy and brutally mocks it.
When Megan's (Natasha Lyonne) parents decide to send her to True Directions, her sheltered life has left her unaware that she might not be straight - she thinks her boyfriend is a bad kisser, for example, instead of her just not being attracted to him. The one good thing True Directions does for her is correct her naïve ignorance - making her realize that she really does look at women differently than other women, and that she is actually sexually attracted to them. When Megan comes to this realization, she seems both sad and happy - she's been made to believe that being gay is bad, but she's also learned this truth about herself that explains so much.
But that's only the start of True Directions' machinations. For leaders Mary (Cathy Moriarty) and Mike (RuPaul), admission is only the first step in becoming ex-gay. Much of the rest of the film consists of the other campers being made to act out their "proper" gender roles in a futile attempt to convert them. It's hilarious watching watching the campers get aroused or titillated by the unintentionally suggestive ways in which they're led through activities like car maintenance and housecleaning, or the hilariously inept way they perform tasks they're entirely unprepared for like chopping firewood or changing diapers. It's also hilarious watching Mike struggling to deny his intense attraction for Mary's son Rock (Eddie Cibrian) as he constantly acts in suggestive ways.
The campers are mostly embodiments of various queer or non-conforming stereotypes - something which the film has drawn criticism for, but it never feels like the film is laughing at them. Instead it feels like the film is using camp and satire to show that there's no "right" way to be gay or straight, male or female. Notably one of the female campers reveals herself to be straight despite being the most "butch" among them.
In fact several of the ten campers end up leaving through various means - including Megan after she is caught canoodling with fellow camper Graham (Clea DuVall). It's clear from the first time we see her that Graham is under no illusions about who she is or what this place can do. She's secure in herself, and contemptuous of the camp. She's just hoping to graduate so she can go home without being disowned.
It's Graham's confidence in herself which helps Megan to achieve her own self-actualization. Megan initially protests that she can't be a lesbian in part because she's a cheerleader. But at the end of the film she realizes she can be both. She takes up her pompoms and bares her heart with a cheer, proudly declaring her love for another woman, and they ride off into their happily ever after.
OUR NEXT MOVIE OF THE WEEK for 5/20: Rabbit-Proof Fence
ANTI-INTERVENTIONISM WEEK!
For Anti-Interventionism Week our pick is Rabbit-Proof Fence, a film about the forced removal of aboriginal children from their families in Australia in the early 20th century. Join us next week for our discussion! Rabbit-Proof Fence is available for rent in the usual places.
NEXT PICTURE SHOW PODCAST for 5/14: The American President
The podcast's next pairing is about more optimistic looks at American politics, with the new Long Shot and 1995's The American President. Join us Wednesday for a thread about the older film, available on HBOGo/HBONow and for rent in the usual places.