Luckily, our first film of the day was at the Roxie, a crumbly old theater in the Mission District. And by crumbly, I mean magnificently seedy and run-down. The floor tilts, the lobby carpet sticks to your feet and the seating is set up church-hall utilitarian style - no swooping rows of banked seating here.
But the Roxie will always have a place in my heart as the site of one of the most moving film experiences I've ever had. This was perhaps in 20001, my first years with TIGLFF and I was anxiously awaiting the world premiere of Trembling Before G-d, the documentary about Orthodox Judaism and homosexuality. The film began and it was as stunning as anything I'd ever seen -binding rituals shot with the brutal finesse of Scorcese, shots of the Wailing Wall, prayer services in synagogues all over the world.
Perhaps 10 minutes in, something went horribly awry - the sound had been dubbed onto opposite reels. In other words, we were hearing the voices of people who wouldn't appear on screen for at least another hour, and the the dialogue on screen had nothing to do with the images being presented.
Sandi Dubowski, the young director, calmly walked to the front of the stage, explained what must have happened, and asked the projectionist to turn off the sound in the theater.
He then proceeded to narrate the entire story of his film to an astounded audience.
At the end, we all walked out knowing that we'd witnessed something truly magical. I don't think a person in that theater was surprised at the success that Trembling enjoyed, and still enjoys today.
Back to the Roxie, then. Cure for Love was a great film that I'd watched parts of before. Two members of the ex-gay community, Brian and Anna, are getting married. Each acknowledges their homosexual feelings, but seem to be the perfect postcard for the ex-gay movement as they begin their life together. It's a powerful film, notably when Anna is on-screen. Her passivity, coupled with her unintentionally hostile responses to queries about her husband, make for pretty uncomfortable viewing.
More than most films, Cure for Love, shows the personal toll on gays who are unwilling to turn their back on a hostile religion.
After that, one of the coolest documentary/porn films I've ever seen: The Butch Factor. Ostensibly a documentary about masculinity in the gay community, it was interspersed with so many shots of beefy men working out, muscle men hanging out by the pool, cops in uniform, and bars frolicking at Lazy Bear in Northern California, that I'm sure no one would have minded if the film ran toward 4 hours in length. It's definitely a must-see, and despite the eye candy factor, Butch Factor does blow the lid off some strongly entrenched stereotypes in the gay community.
Next up: Quick trip to the Castro after TACOS TACOS TACOS! Super veggie today, to atone for my meat gluttony (tongue, carne asada and chorizo tacos) the day before. It wasn't me; it was the wheel o' meat, I swear.
In the middle of the afternoon, there were probably 900 people packed into the Castro Theatre to see Little Joe, a documentary about Joe D" Allessandro of Andy Warhol fame. A big fan of all things Factory, except the rampant exploitation of artists, I'll grab a review copy of this for my own viewing pleasure. Not sure if it's got enough appeal for a festival, though. But if you're into the whole avant garde 60s film movement, it's crucial viewing for the shots of Joe in some Cinecitta films alone.
After that, it was back to the Mission for Not Fade Away. There was a line in the film that I'll use as the review and leave it at that: If you can't think of anything nice to say, sit in judgement silently.
Skipped the Tom and Jerry party AND the 10 pm screening of Greek Pete to go home and catch up on some much needed sleep.
And here we are, ready to start another stellar day.
Stay tuned for We are the Mods, Maggots and Men, and Pornography snippets tomorrow.
Hugs, kisses and tan lines from sunny San Fran,
mm
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