Beloved and I took a road trip to see this film last weekend. If you click on the link, the opening page gives a beautiful sense of what the movie is about: old family photos appear and fade, blending into one another. And that's what the movie is about. Families. Families who happen to have a gay or lesbian individual as a member. Two of the families are very much in the public eye: that of Gene Robinson, Episcopal bishop of New Hampshire, and that of Chrissy Gephardt, whose father Dick was a presidential candidate in 2004. The rest of the families are people known mostly to their friends and neighbors. All are churchgoers. Some are ministers of the gospel. Some are now activists. One mother's activism is in memory of the gay daughter who committed suicide.
Beloved and I sat transfixed for the full two hours of the film. I wept numerous times. I felt like jumping up and cheering at others. For the long ride home we couldn't stop talking about it. Every family's story was its own. Every parent reacted in their own unique way to the news. One of the moments that made me heartsick was when the sweet, grandmotherly face of Gene Robinson's mother was held in closeup, and she said, "I was afraid they would kill him," in her soft Missouri twang.
Please. Please see this film.
Jesus loves me, this I know
For the Bible tells me so
Little ones to him belong
They are weak and he is strong
Yes, Jesus loves me
Yes, Jesus loves me
Yes, Jesus loves me
The Bible tells me so
4 comments:
This was the most stirring movie we have seen in a long time. The Tampa Gay & Lesbian Film Fest for a while didn't think they would get the film because, supposedly HBO wants to distribute it. This was rated the Best Documentary (a tie) of the fest by movie goers , almost 900 people. I will be buying this movie, and loaning it out. Often.
I saw this about a month and a half back, and thought it was so good that I went and saw it a second time. I've been recommending it to all my friends as well. I think I also cried at some point, partially because it affirmed some of my own beliefs on this issue. The presence of Desmond Tutu was a major coup as well.
I saw the film a month ago as well, and I'm eager, eager, eager to see it again. Like you, Cecilia, I was so moved by the unique passage of each family--each parent--each person. The word that comes to mind as I reflect on the stories is "authenticity." They were all completely authentic in their responses, in their flaws, in their failures, in the hope they can offer, and so on. It was the best film I've seen in a long, long time and can't wait to share it with my wider family.
I'm glad you told us about this film. I doubt that it will ever get to Corpus Christi, TX, but I'll look for it when it can be rented.
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