SMALL TOWN GAY BAR (Malcolm Ingram, U.S. /Canada ). 81 minutes. May 24, 7:30 pm, Isabel Bader. Rating: NNNN Rating: NNNN
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Reviews : Red Without Blue |
The title of this impressive doc, whose executive producer is director Kevin Smith, says it all. Focusing on a few counties in Mississippi, director Malcolm Ingram shows what queers living quite happily in the Bible Belt do for fun. He also shows how the communities around those bars react.
The results will rouse even the most jaded queer. Ordinary country folk just want to be themselves in a place where no judgment is made, even though in the past similar bars have been targeted by religious fanatics who have read out (on local radio!) the licence plates of those who frequent them.
Ingram structures his film around two events, the change of ownership of one gay bar and the resurrection of another. The dozens of personal accounts, interspersed with the rants of at least one insane preacher, create a moving and important document. A must-see.
