A gift for gay pride month: Daniel Karslake & Nancy Kennedy's superlative documentary, FOR THEY KNOW NOT WHAT THEY DO

Tackling the little-seen subject (among several here) of a "good" and highly religious couple who end up placing their religion and their idea of "god" above that of the welfare of their child, FOR THEY KNOW NOT WHAT THEY DO -- anyone whose religious life included heavy study of the Bible's new testament will immediately know where those words come from (for those who don't, this is explained near the finale) -- offers up an extremely cogent and moving study of family relations when that family includes children who are on the GLBT spectrum.

As directed and co-written by Daniel Karslake (shown at right) and co-written and edited by Nancy Kennedy (below), the documentary covers four very different families -- different not only in their choice of religion but in how they respond to the needs of their children.

While they do the best they can, the results are very different, and the choice of these four families by the filmmakers proves to be both inspired and inspiring -- and in one case almost unbearably moving.

In two cases, the child in question is merely gay, in the other two he/she is transgendered. That TrustMovies uses the word "merely"  above makes further plain to him how far the GLBT movement has come during his lifetime, as well as making clear the still enormous difference (and continuing struggle) between being accepted as gay, lesbian or bisexual and being so as a transgendered human. The move does not beat this idea to death, but it does make certain that the viewer is aware and appreciative of it.

The film begins by introducing us to the Robertsons, Linda and Rob, first as young marrieds (above) who are deeply involved in their Evangelical Christian church, and later as a family with four fine children, one of whom, Ryan, lets them know during his early teen years, that he is gay.

We soon meet the Porchers (above) and the McBrides (below), both of whose offspring eventually becomes transgendered. The stories told here are as much about the effects and reactions of this "otherness" on the parents as on the kids themselves. Which is as it should be, since it is the parents who exert the most control over their children and can force the situation into something they may regret for life.

Since most viewers will not be familiar with the gay and trans children shown here, or for that matter with their parents (I was not, at least), the filmmakers wisely lay out the stories in a smart narrative form. What we learn about these families -- in one case, as with the Baez-Febos family, shown below, and the major event that their child becomes a part of -- consistently surprises us and often pulls us up short. We get a lot more than the merely "expected" here. The purpose of this documentary may be to change the viewpoint of as many people as possible, but the manner in which it does this is exemplary: it never raises its voice but still consistently draws us in.

The filmmakers clearly knew how to gain the trust of their subjects, and they in no way betray that trust. They also know how to film professionally; their movie is a pleasure to view. Consequently, we're immersed into all these lives (that's the Porchers' son Elliot, below),

but especially into the lives of that couple we first met, the Robertsons (shown below as their older selves). Their story, of a family so torn between fundamentalist religion and love for their son that they make decisions -- like conversion therapy -- that will impact everything, forever.

We've already seen a number of films, both docs and narratives, dealing with the impact of this conversion therapy on the kids who went through it. It's a rare one, however, that gives us the parental viewpoint -- and does it so thoroughly and so well. While what the Robertsons have to answer for may be a terrible burden, what they are doing with this burden proves a wondrous thing.

This month will see a ton of GLBT offerings released for the yearly Gay Pride time. If any one of these is better -- more important, inclusive and hugely moving -- than For They Know Not What They Do, I shall be surprised. (Among the advocates -- for the open and kindly type of religion offered by certain figures such as Jesus of Nazareth -- interviewed in the film are, above, Bishop Gene Robinson and, below, Reverend Dr. Jacqui Lewis.)

From First Run Features and running a succinct 92 minutes, the documentary hits virtual theaters this Friday, June 12. Click here and scroll down to visit the various theaters nationwide and to learn how you can view the film. 

NOTE: This film wil appear on DVD, iTunes 

and Amazon VOD September 15, 2020

HOMO-SAY-WHAT: Craig Bettendorf's and Kai Morgan's brief look at anti-gay descrimination

The title of this new documentary is said to come from an old joke told in school, in which one guy mumbles "homo say what?" to the patsy, and he (probably) answers back the expected, "What?" -- thus confirming to the rest of the crowd that, yes, he's a .... homosexual! Wow. That's some real funny fun.

TrustMovies is not certain why the makers of this doc -- writer/director Craig Bettendorf (shown below, right) and producer/actor/ interviewee Kai Morgan (below, left) chose this to be the oddball title of their film, other than it is yet another example of the anti-gay bias built up over decades in social, religious and political circles here in the USA (and in most countries throughout the world).

The press release for the film explains to us that "Homophobia didn't just happen. Orchestrated campaigns by cultural institutions and public figures have systematically instilled anti-LGBTQ prejudice into American culture by shaping public opinion." Well, yes. That, along with the near-worldwide culture of "macho" that pushes the innate fear of so many "straight" and "semi-straight" men as being perceived as gay into some kind of overdrive. There are reasons for this that precede and go beyond these "orchestrated campaigns."

Still, it is always interesting and anger-making to see that old Southern California stand-by for shit-faced homophobia -- newscaster and would-be guide to culture and morality, George Putnam (below) -- doing his typical stand-up tragedy that now seems so outdated as to be (almost) funny. So the documentary gives us Putnam on the right-wing and Keith Olbermann (two photos below) as a balance on the left.

Mr. Olbermann offers the doc's high point, as he righteously and movingly calls out those California voters who approved the now infamous Proposition 8, asking them to think about, please, the idea of love as a corrective to their actions. Otherwise, the doc covers the usual old-fashioned excuses for anti-gay rhetoric, from homosexuals as predators, murderers, sadists and general corruptors to those who would gladly destroy the sacred American family and its "values."

As a kind of stand-in for us in the audience, the doc offers up three gay men, one young fellow who seem awfully naive and not very well spoken, another young guy who's is less naive and better spoken, and one older man who has clearly been around block politically and in most other ways. These three comment from time to time on what we/they have seen and heard.

From those 1950s "Social Guidance" films to today's anti-gay video games, the movie tries to cover a lot but still manages to be somewhat repetitive, though it is always good to be reminded of what a treasure is historian/playwright Martin Duberman (above) and to hear that now-departed right-wing hypocrite Jerry Fallwell (below) ramble on nastily and stupidly. Some things never change.

One very good thing that the doc points out is how so-called homophobia is less an actual fear than it is a kind of pleasure and thrill that so many straight men find in tormenting men they believe to be gay. Bullying might be the more appropriate term. From Cinema Libre Studio and running just 76 minutes and appearing no doubt for Gay Pride month, Homo-Say-What hit the street on DVD and streaming (via Amazon and Vimeo) this past Tuesday, June 2 -- for purchase and/or rental.

A must-see for legitimate theater lovers: LEONARD SOLOWAY'S BROADWAY

So who the hell is Leonard Soloway? As huge a theater fan as I used to be, I had not heard of him, nor had my spouse. But after viewing the new documentary, LEONARD SOLOWAY'S BROADWAY, we'll certainly remember this guy -- who helped bring somewhere near 70 productions to The Great White Way, beginning in 1954 and continuing to this day (Soloway is now in his 90s and still going strong)!

The funny, informative and relentlessly entertaining doc brings us the man (warts and all), his career, and his lively, acerbic sense of humor -- all wrapped into a delightful 88-minutes of Broadway history and a wealth of interviews with theater VIPs (including plenty of Soloway himself).

As directed by Jeff Wolk (shown at left), who (unless I misread something here) has also been an investor in some of Soloway's productions, and written by Margaret Murphy, the movie bounces along as any smart piece of entertainment should, while gradually building the tale of this son of a Russian immigrant father and an Ohio mother who made his mark early in theater (at the Cleveland Playhouse), went on to study at Carnegie Mellon, and then headed for Broadway when he felt that much-lauded school was actually letting its students down. Always a man of strong ideas and the ability to follow these through, Soloway was also gay and "out" at a time when neither was easy and the latter was practically unheard of.

Soloway's humor, all over the place in this doc, is maybe most redolent in the caption he wrote when his caricature (at right) was framed for the famous wall at Manhattan's Sardi's restaurant. This is surely one of the great double entendres to grace that storied wall.

As Soloway's tale cumulates in size and strength, we hear from everyone from actress Elizabeth Ashley to producer Emanuel  Azenberg and restaurateur Joe Allen -- plus the likes of Olympia Dukakis, Tovah Feldshuh, John Slattery and many more, all of whom have pertinent, funny, sometime moving things to tell us.

Best of all though is Soloway himself, who proves a constant source of information and delight. For his Whoopi Goldberg story alone, I would not have missed this terrific little movie. As it unfurls, the doc also details the move of one of Soloway's latest productions, a tap-dancing review featuring Maurice Hines (onstage below), as it makes its way from out of town toward New York City.

Dyed-in-the-wool theater fans will surely place the doc on their "must" list, but anyone who has loved and/or taken part in theater will probably appreciate it. And once they've met him, they certainly will not forget Leonard.

After pleasing audiences at various GLBT fests around the country, the documentary opens for a four-day run in New York City this coming Monday, November 4, through Thursday, November 7, at the Landmark at 57th Street. From there, via 1091, it will hit digital platforms (iTunes and VOD) and DVD sales on Amazon come next Tuesday, November 12. 

Marie Losier tracks the unusual once again via the gay Luchador, CASSANDRO THE EXOTICO!

If you're familiar with the documentary work of French-born filmmaker Marie Losier (The Ballad of Genesis and Lady Jaye), you'll know that this sweet and humane woman is most attracted to the outsider, the "other" whose existence might seem, in the face of it, almost crazy, if not outright miraculous. So it is with the subject of Losier's latest documentary to find theatrical release, CASSANDRO THE EXOTICO!

This is the story of a man -- Saúl Armendáriz, born and raised in El Paso (though I believe in the film itself, he says he was born in Juarez, Mexico) -- who succeeds, against all odds, as a performer in a profession that would seem about as unwelcoming as you could imagine.

This would as a Luchador -- a wrestler in Mexico, that land of extreme macho -- who is very openly and quite obviously gay. Cassandro's rise and career were anything but easy, as we learn (rather haltingly and far from completely, given Ms Losier's non-inquiring style) during the course of the documentary.

The filmmaker, shown at right, asks few questions and seems content to simply tag along with her subject as he goes about his life and work. Fortunately this is almost enough to fill the 78-minute running time, while making sure that our time passes with reasonable entertainment and interest.

Cassandro (above, right, and below, on top) is a guy given to flamboyant costumes and make-up but who has learned enough tricks of the trade to become a world champion of the National Wrestling Alliance, engaging in kicks and flips that looked pretty spectacular to these maybe somewhat naive eyes. He also bravely refused to wear a mask obscuring his face, as do so many other of these Luchadores (see photo at bottom).

We meet the wrestler's siblings and father (mom is dead, and there is a most unusual scene at her graveside during which some hired musicians play a tune, as her children honor their mom), and we hear about some of the hardships Cassandro encountered along his road to fame.

There's a European tour that includes Paris and London and gives us a clue to how popular is this kind of wrestling abroad. Losier has integrated archival footage into her own filming, so we view the past almost as much as we do the present. This may very well be Cassandro's choice, as it soon becomes clear that his career is coming to an end, thanks to so many injuries -- concussions and various operations -- that are stealing away his ability to perform.

You might wish that Losier had questioned things a bit more (maybe she did, and answers were not forthcoming) as to why, after ignoring his son for decades, Cassandro's father suddenly came back into his life, or if our famous wrestler has (or had) any kind of personal life. Was there ever a love interest or partner for this guy?

Well, we do get a look at some mineral baths and mysticism, the AA and NA key rings attesting to his sobriety over years, and a wonderful-but-unsettling array of old photos of Cassandro's career mixed in with x-rays of his many injuries. Interestingly, Losier saves the best for the last: a series of poses by our boy/man in which we are finally allowed to see him looking more real, more genuine than anywhere else in the entire film. It's a lovely way to end the documentary, and an oddly memorable one, too.

From Film Movement, in mostly the English language, Cassandro the Exotico! opens this Friday, July 19, in New York City at The Metrograph, with an expansion to another 15 cities over the weeks to come. The Los Angeles area will get a look when the film opens on August 2 at Laemmle's Glendale. To see all currently scheduled playdates, cities and theaters, click here then scroll down.

The best fashion documentary in a long, long while: James Crump's giddily entertaining, hugely informative ANTONIO LOPEZ 1970 -- SEX, FASHION & DISCO

How in hell could it be that a documentary this good -- enormously entertaining, full of new information and all about the world's favorite meaningless preoccupation (fashion) -- didn't get a decent theatrical release in the USA? TrustMovies suspects that this was due to the fact that the subject of ANTONIO LOPEZ 1970: SEX, FASHION & DISCO, Mr. Lopez himself, a great fashion illustrator in his day, is simply not that well known outside the fashion field.

Unlike figures such as Karl Lagerfeld and Andy Warhol, who are also seen in this film, Lopez was much better known to fashion insiders rather than to the general public. I myself had never heard of him when I sat down to view this grab-you-by-your-lapels-and-dance-you-off-to-discoland doc -- which held me in thrall for all of its 95 minutes.

As written and directed by James Crump (shown at left), the documentary introduces its unusual subject and then immediately pulls you in via compelling interviews with quite an array of fashion folk and celebrities. Fortunately, these are not simply the usual suspects. (Mr. Lopez's life and career was far too free and full for that.)

By the end of the film, Mr. Crump has made a very good case for Lopez (shown above and below) being one of, if not the most talented and important figure in all of the fashion/celebrity world, easily eclipsing the likes of marketing maven Warhol -- about whom we hear yet again how "not there" the man was, so far as his so-called art was concerned.

We see and hear about Lopez's personal life and rampant sexuality, his groundbreaking illustration (below and further below) and about the manner in which he worked, why the result was so different from anything seen before (or since, really), and of the many icons he discovered -- from Jessica Lange to Jerry Hall to Grace Jones, along with more famous models than I have time to list here.

We also hear plenty from Grace Coddington, whose thoughtful, intelligent commentary greatly enriches the film. Best of all, however, and the moral center of the movie, is the delightfully rambunctious and greatly missed Bill Cunningham, whose remembrances of Lopez and his lover/partner Juan Ramos, provide much of the humor and emotion, together with a sense of great caring for a time, place and people, the likes of which and whom we will not see again.

What a difference is the Bill Cunningham (at left, below) shown here from the older, much more staid fellow we saw in that very lovely (but very "correct") documentary, Bill Cunningham New York! (If you enjoy this film as much as did I, you'll also want to watch the extended interview with Cunningham that is part of the Bonus Features on the DVD.)

Mr. Crump is also to be congratulated for giving us such lovely footage of Jessica Lange (below), seemingly speaking off the cuff and from the heart. She is, as usual, a pleasure to see and hear -- even more so telling us about a time and place we had no idea she'd been such a part of.

The documentary flips back and forth in time between the 60s and 70s yet is so lively and fun, you won't mind at all. And what to make of the young Karl Lagerfeld (below) we view here? Quite a difference from the éminence grise we've seen over the past couple of decades! His treatment of Antonio at the end of the latter's career, as told us by Cunningham, makes for the emotional high point of the film.

Most important, of course, is Lopez himself, and Crump makes it clear what a wonder he was. A better artist than Warhol, he had not a whit of interest in marketing. And that seems to have made the major difference between their careers.

Antonio wanted to live and create (and have as much sex as possible) -- all of which he did. We have not, nor probably will we, encounter this combo of talent, personality and achievement in the fashion field again.

From Film Movement and arriving on DVD and digital this coming Tuesday, February 12, Antonio Lopez: Sex, Fashion & Disco will be available for purchase and/or rental. Click here to view the various ways in which you can see this documentary.

Richard Yeagley's THE SUNDAY SESSIONS: close to a no-agenda-but-truth documentary

How fascinating it is to have viewed within the same week both Boy Erased, the very good and surprisingly low-key (for awhile), based-on-fact narrative film about LGBT conversion therapy which made its home video debut this week after a limited theatrical run, and the straight-to-home video debut of the 2018 documentary by Richard Yeagley (shown below), THE SUNDAY SESSIONS, which chronicles two-years-plus in the life of a young man named Nathan Gniewek, as he goes through this conversion therapy in hopes of... what, exactly? We don't learn the answer to this until the very end of the film, and that answer, though it may surprise, is actually part and parcel of all that's come before. Yet so carefully honed and quietly considered is all we see in this doc that it's the bone-deep character of Nathan and what he thinks he most wants and/or needs that is, at last, the controlling factor.

Although conversion therapy has been completely discounted by everyone from its participants to the scientific community and various heath organizations, as we are properly informed in the opening scene of the doc -- a television interview between the self-aggrandizingly over-rated Dr. Oz and the man who leads this particular chapter of the "conversion" community, Chris Doyle, a "former" gay man supposedly converted to "straight" -- GLBT  conversion therapy is still going strong, if more surreptitiously than ever, these days.

And yet, as we watch Mr. Doyle (shown above) at work doing his conversion, his manner and his therapy often seem much more sensible and understandable -- even helpful -- that what we heard from the angrier and uglier conversion therapist in Boy Erased. The goal may be stupid and impossible (without lying to others and to oneself), but the road there, as shown here, can look awfully tempting.

Ot it might be, were Nathan, shown above and below, not such a difficult, angry, intelligent and uncompromising young man. He is also highly religious, as becomes apparent as the doc rolls onward. We are there in session after therapy session -- director Yeagley was given what looks like unfettered access to Nathan -- regarding his family, his best friend and would-be sexual partner, his theatrical pursuits and more.

From all this we learn that his family, for all its fairly typical problems, was surprisingly kind and helpful; that his best friend would seem to possess the patience of Job; and that Nathan himself is a pretty good actor, given the rehearsals and performance we see. But, what, we wonder, are those professional photos (below and further below) he's having taken: Are they for his acting resume, or maybe rather for use on Grinder. Or both?

As Nathan struggles mightily to understand what's going on and more important what he most needs and wants, the documentary reaches its conclusion. TrustMovies suspects that the GLBT community may not be so pleased with the result, as director Yeagley refuses to takes sides or hand us an easy, built-in answer. But for those viewers willing to enter the world of a religious-but-conflicted young man and stay with him as he tries to reconcile that religion with his sexuality, this is a film like few others.

Director Yeagley calls his work an observational documentary, and as such, I think it is a good example of one. It simply shows, thus forcing us to reach our own conclusion via what we've seen. And while a filmmaker can cleverly twist things by the choice of what he shows (and does not show), what we see here allows us to piece together a pretty fair picture of what is going on.

The Sunday Sessions also manages, without any overt tub-thumping, to explain quite well why The Catholic Church is today in such dire straits. It long has been but until recent decades was able to keep much of this under wraps. (The film also offers a nice rejoinder to Andrew Sullivan's pretty pointless, tiresome and obvious apologia/explanation in the current issue of New York Magazine: This is what happens when folk put their faith, not to mention their life and all else, in the hands of "god.")

When, a good way along in the film, Nathan notes, "It seems that other people's happiness comes at a much lower cost then mine," you can only nod and agree. This poor kid has allowed himself to be brainwashed, top to bottom, by religion. From First Run Features and lasting a just-right 90 minutes, the documentary hits DVD, as well as streaming via iTunes and Amazon, this Tuesday, February 5 -- for purchase and/or rental.