I just finished watching Queerstralia , which is a three-part documentary about the hidden history of LGBTQIA+ people in Australia. It’s hosted by a comedian named Zoe Coombs Marr. To be honest, I didn't know who she was before this, so it took me a little while to get used to her specific style of joking around. The show covers a huge amount of time, starting from when Australia was a prison colony for the British all the way to famous movies like Priscilla, Queen of the Desert . It looks at how being gay was treated as a crime, the stories of trans pioneers, and even "bushrangers" (outlaws) who dressed in clothes of the opposite sex. It also goes into the history of the Mardi Gras festival, drag culture, and how gay marriage finally became legal there. The host starts the show by jokingly saying, "I’m a comedian, I’m not qualified," which tells you right away it's not going to be a stiff or boring history lesson. Over three episodes that are an hour long...
Jamie and Lemmy meet at school and become fast friends after a rather weird gay bashing teenage incident. They both are rather effeminate, yet neither self identifies as gay yet. They are rather rebellious, often cutting class to go on adventures. Their families find their friendship odd but they really cant do much about it. They are both drawn to homosexuality but then they both always make lewd and horrible comments about gays and how they should not be here and all that. In fact they even go to public restrooms to create troubles. They fight it to the point of doing some horribly obnoxious things to those they suspect are gay. However, when they start examining their own desires, what they find is most disconcerting, and their struggle becomes one of self acceptance.
Although the film is about self discovery of the teenage gays, I am not sure was it really necessary to make the characters so darn annoying and obnoxious. It prevents to empathize with them as an audience and when they actually accept they are gay, you don't really feel much for them. Sure the argument could be that rather than internalizing their demons and struggles, they took it out on others but it doesn't justify IMO. The acting is okay. Both boys turn in believable performances, and do a decent job with the material they are given. The ending of the film, where both boys admit to being "one of them" is sudden but done well. I mean its not clear what made one of them finally admit to being gay.
Its not the worst thing in the world but nothing great to write home about. Watch this if you really have nothing else to do and are really looking for something quick and easy no brainer short-ish film. (3.5/10)
Comments
Dare Project is good.