Welcome back, readers. I was incredibly busy this past week, so I wasn't quite able to finish a TV show or play enough of a game to review it. However, I had the chance to be one of the first people to see the final cut of a new film from Oscar winner Kevin Willmott(Co-writer of Black KKKlansman). UCM held a special screening/Q&A session for the film and I just had to write about it.
No Place Like Home is a documentary that focuses on the struggles of LGBTQ+ people in Kansas.
I appreciated how the film focuses on both the younger and older members of the community. It's refreshing to see the perspective of those from a generation before the legalization of gay marriage. Every person interviewed for the film was great and provided fantastic comments about the state of LGBTQ+ rights in Kansas. Those interviews also provide some hard-hitting stories about two particular deaths(one suicide and one drug overdose) which are devastating and show what is at stake for these people.
The film also emphasizes the legislators who are seeking to limit the rights of LGBTQ+ people. The Q&A session after the film revealed that the filmmakers wanted to interview these legislators for their opinions on the topic, but all refused any interviews. Those legislators should have agreed to interviews because this film exposes them for all of their stupidity and bigotry. It does not hold back in presenting all of the things these people have done and said that go against LGBTQ+ people.
The film loosely has a Wizard of Oz theme that didn't quite work for me. It always felt a little cheesy when after one of the legislators talked about their legislation, the movie would play the part of the tin man song that says, "Just because I'm presumin' that I could be kind-a-human, If I only had heart." Not a huge issue, but I thought it would have been more effective if the film had just been silent after they talked. Really let the audience absorb the absurd things that they say.
This is an important film for me to see. As a biromantic and asexual man, knowing about legislation that hurts my LGBTQ+ allies is very important. This documentary was honestly eye-opening. I knew of legislation across the country that targeted trans people, but I did not know of the ridiculous extent of it. The day before the screening, I attended a lecture that focused on similar anti-trans legislation in Missouri. Both the lectures and the screening have invigorated me to be more active in the community and to fight back against bigoted legislation. So I am very glad that I was able to attend this screening and inform myself about the issues plaguing many people similar to me.
The Q&A session was also an invaluable part of the experience. I really enjoyed learning about the process of making the film. Not only did the Q&A answer my questions about the film, but it also gave insight into general filmmaking which I appreciated.
It was also good to see that many of the collaborators on the film were the same professors that I would be learning from in the coming years. Particularly Mark von Schlemmer, who both co-wrote and edited the film and Eric Newsom who worked on the motion graphics. It's good to know that my professors are actively working on projects outside the teaching environment.
I look forward to seeing this movie again and sharing it with others.
Score: 9/10
That's all I have for this week. From now on, I'm going to include a preview for next week. Here are your hints for the film, TV series, and video game for next week.
Van Gogh
Paranoia
Metal Hell
So you back here next week!
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