The history of the HOIST, London’s first and only gay sex fetish bar, follows the cultural evolution of gay life and sex in modern London through AIDS, gentrification, and the ongoing political struggle to decriminalize homosexual activity in the UK. We see interviews with the owner and many patrons who visit the club. The story of how the club started is interesting, and how the scene changed in 80s during AIDS pandemic and how the club has evolved over a period of time. The documentary is sweet, funny and defiant and features both thematically appropriate hardcore sex and familiar faces . The Hoist and its patrons could be seen as representing the antithesis of the recent trend in mainstream gay politics towards assimilation. But, with encroaching gentrification and more people using the internet to hook up, what does the future hold?
I was actually quite surprised to see that so many interviewees were open to the idea of being out there talking about their fantasies and participating in a sexually explicit project. We hear men talking about how they believe the sex act to be a revolution in itself and that the bar here, the S&M club almost single-handedly brought about gay liberation in England by providing a friendly place for guys to fist each other. The film chronicles how this alternative scene has evolved since 1996, an it looks at the possible causes of fetishes. There is a scene with LGBT activist Peter Tatchell explaining how the police would set up gay men in the 1980s, and while he extensively explains the situation, two patrons of The Hoist happily demonstrate why the club is called The Hoist. The political narrative occupies the middle section of the 85-minute film. The opening and ending sections show the interior of the bar, with the slings, hoists, and pillories. Watch it with an open mind. (5/10)
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