Romeo and Julian

JULIAN JULIAN ROMEO and ROMEO nd By Gilles Cooke

It is a curiosity, the nature of LGBT film. In “happy,” non-hetero ending where the leads did particular, what they focus on, and the themes not end the story with trauma (Breakfast on they often choose to explore. While I was thankPluto). But Breakfast on Pluto doesn’t get refully able to continue working over the summer membered. What were the other ones? Capote after the first phase of the lockdown had been and Brokeback Mountain. rolled back, there remained a not-inconsiderdone by a third party as a means to blackmail and ruminate on these negative elements of able chasm in my schedule, which to my eternal Of course, media that examines injustice is not shame was not entirely consumed by attemptwithout need, and films that attempt to tackle ing to develop useful and marketable skills. specific issues and challenges that LGBT people face are not invalid. Pride, in spite of feaTo put it another way, I watched a load of LGBT turing extensive displays of homophobia, is one films. of my favourite films. Films that shock, films And I found a trend in some of the recurring comfortable truths in a more hard hitting and plot threads across the films either centring accessible way are as important as any body of or featuring LGBT characters; angst and untextual theory bound in leather and canvas, but certainty at the possibility friends and family if consumable, sweet love stories were of no valfinding out, either an incredibly uncomfortable ue, then they would never have been made in moment of “coming out”, or an outing that is the first place. or ostracise, experience of mocking and abuse So why does this matter? Ultimately, there is from the community around them, and a generno way around the fact that life deals us all a al emphasising of the unpleasantness and pain great deal of awful hands, and certainly there that comes with many LGBT experiences. ought not be any shortage of documentation of Brokeback Mountain, First Girl I Loved, Boys tween “regular” cinema and “LGBT” cinema. Don’t Cry, Philadelphia, Dallas Buyers Club, Until extremely recently, the latter was a genre Handsome Devil, Normal (2003), 3 Generations, unto itself, with less of a breadth of scope. You They/Them and, perhaps the original piece to could have a gay film, or one that had a distinct address this theme, the German film Different genre that you could settle into with unique from the Others, all take their time to relitigate characters you could relate to. that can put into cinematic language some unthis fact, however consider the separation bethe LGBT experience of being outsiders, of beWhile it is argued that we do not need this more ing targets, and of being the subjects of abuse. casual fare, I disagree. So much of modern adult In 2005 alone, I noted three distinct LGBT timedia likes to pretend hopelessness and pessitles that got a major release, a high amount for mism and cynicism are inherently profound, what remains a distinct category, and yet only rather than the same depressing nonsense that one of them had what we might think of as a you can find self-righteous nihilist spouting on

Reddit. Society acts like we are supposed to outAnd all they want to hear is the noble suffering, grow hope and romance and a love for soft ficthe inspiring hell that they imagine LGBT lives tion somewhere about the age of twenty. Howto be. And certainly, there are unique pains ever, particularly in the context of the world and challenges grappled with that are unique, around us, I am uncertain that I would want and some that are not. However, to focus excluall of my fiction to offer painful reminders of sively on this does a deliberate lie by omission, real life suffering permanently, with no option that our lives are wracked with pain and misto change the channel unless I want to take a ery from start to finish. In truth, it can be filled story featuring characters who I cannot relate with some of the most powerful and colourful to in a fundamental respect. Certainly, some of joy, with moments of such blissful euphoria and it, but that does not describe the current state comfort that perhaps a screen, perhaps an imof media. age, perhaps an entire four hour feature docuBecause, at present, the vast swathe of LGBT Steven Universe and the She-Ra reboot, as more LGBT people enter the industry to write and direct stories drawn from their own experiences, however, prior to this point, the bulk of media has been made by cishet people for cishet people. mentary couldn’t capture it. It can feel so magAgain, this is not for some sort of personal hanificent that any screen that hoped to contain it tred for moody film. Slow, introspective films would find it bursting out at the seams. To tell that put up an uncomfortable mirror are good, only those stories involving LGBT experiences but not when they are the only option, without that regard the misery and the suffering is not alternative. I have watched How To Survive A painting an honest picture; rather, it only reafPlague dozens of times. But sometimes, I want firms a pattern of the media telling us that we to relax, and see fun characters do fun gay can’t be happy. things, free by virtue of fiction from what we in this social context need to worry about. We’re What might be misunderstood in this is that humans, not projects who are to be deathly sewhen LGBT folk get frustrated about grim storious at all times and never see a glimpse of joy. ries about LGBT characters, is that I am not We know perfectly fine the various injustices saying “nothing bad can ever happen to LGBT in the world that despise our existence, and becharacters”, rather that “there’s an oversatuing reminded of it, having it be repeated again ration of LGBT pain without need or purpose and again any time we feature in any media, is in media.” Misfortune is the root of all comedy, not always helpful. People, I would hope, are however there is a space between the rote reallowed to dream, to fantasise of such a world counting of fraught and genuinely painful expewhere the stakes are not whether they shall be riences, and the chuckleworthy awkwardness thrown out of home. That is, after all, the point of misunderstandings, such as an oblivious of fiction. neighbour asking a trans man why he needs to Perhaps in some dour evening where I’m feeling to criminal legislation using binary, gendered particularly shitty about myself what I want language describing how “he or she shall face a are corny gay romcoms following the predictpenalty”, some non-binary people are perfectly able tropes for tired, chuckling consumption. allowed to commit crimes. I do sometimes wonEleanor & Rose, a soppy romcom styled after der how appropriate it even is to be invested the nineties and with a Ska-punk soundtrack. into anything fictional when you’re an adult, esMad Maxine and her comrades scouring the pecially in this world. But by the end of the day, wasteland for the last warehouse full of Estraeveryone craves something that brings them diol. Let gay fiction be as varied as it can be. joy. cinema does not fit this description. More and Just a nice film about LGBT people getting to more we are seeing examples that fit less into be genuinely and authentically happy, that’s all this trope, such as recent animated series like I ask. go to the hospital to get a cup of tea, or how, due