Monday, January 29, 2024

Outrage (2009)

 


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Outrage is a documentary film which premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival in 2009.

 

An on-screen message placed at the beginning of the film presents the three closely-related topics the director wants to explore:

 

This film is about politicians who live in the closet; about those who have escaped it; and about the people who work to end its tyranny.

 

Here is some basic information about this film:

 

** Writer and director: Kirby Dick

** Producer: Amy Ziering

** Language: English

** Subtitles: English

** Run time: 89 minutes

 

According to this film, several American politicians and several persons who work for them are living a double life: 

 

In their public life, they are hetero-sexual. But in their private life, they are gay. These people are hypocrites. But this is not all. It gets worse:

 

Some politicians – and some members of their staff - who are hiding their identity as gay men are actively working to hurt members of the LGBT community.

 

They will introduce and support legislation which cause problems for members of the LGBT community and they will constantly vote against legislation which might make life easier for members of the LGBT community.

 

Why are they hiding their true identity?

 

They know there may be some serious consequences if they decide to come out of the closet: perhaps their private life will fall apart. Perhaps their political career will come to an end.

 

They assume a clever method to hide the fact that they are gay is to present an anti-gay façade and to support anti-gay policies.

 

The logic seems to be based on the following assumption: If I am attacking gay people, nobody will discover the truth about me. Nobody will suspect that I am actually a gay person.

 

Several persons are interviewed in this film.

 

Some of them are openly gay.

 

Archive footage is used between the talking heads. Archive footage is used to support and supplement the statements made by the persons who are interviewed.

 

The lives and careers of several politicians are presented and discussed. The names of these politicians are not hidden. Their names are mentioned.

 

What do reviewers say about this film?

 

Here are some results:

 

64 percent = Meta

75 percent = IMDb

76 percent = Rotten Tomatoes (the audience)

79 percent = Rotten Tomatoes (the critics)

 

As you can see, the ratings are good, but not great. They range between 64 and 79 percent.

 

On Amazon there are at the moment 63 global ratings; 20 with reviews.

 

The average rating is 3.6 stars which corresponds to a rating of 72 percent.

 

Here are the details:

 

5 stars = 45 percent

4 stars = 20 percent

3 stars = 09 percent

2 stars = 05 percent

1 star = 21 percent

 

The mixed reviews on Amazon reflect the fact that this film covers a highly controversial topic.

 

A majority of 65 percent is positive: they offer four or five stars. But a significant minority of 26 percent is negative: they offer only one or two stars.

 

I understand the positive reviews and I agree with them. I cannot agree with the negative reviews.

 

The topic explored in this film is important. The story of how some politicians who live in the closet are supporting legislation against the LGBT community deserves to be told, and in this film, it is done very well.

 

I want to go all the way to the top with this product. I think it deserves a rating of five stars (100 percent).

 

PS # 1. If you like Outrage, I think you will also like the following film which premiered in 1996:

 

The Celluloid Closet

Here is some basic information about this film:

Directors: Rob Epstein and Jeffrey Freidman

Writer: Armistead Maupin

Based on the book The Celluloid Closet by Vito Rosso (first edition 1981) (second edition 1987)

Run time: 107 minutes

 

The purpose of this film is to investigate a question which was and, to a certain degree, still is highly controversial in the USA:

 

How have American motion pictures, especially Hollywood movies, portrayed characters who are gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender?

 

PS # 2. Kirby Dick (born 1952) is the director of several documentary films, including the following:

 

** The Invisible War (2012)

** The Hunting Ground (2015)

** Allen v. Farrow (2021)

 

REFERENCES

 

# 1. Books

 

On the Fringe:

Gays and Lesbians in Politics

By David Rayside

(1998)

 

Out and Running: Gay and Lesbian Candidates, Elections, and Policy Representation

By Donald P. Haider-Markel

(2010)

 

Frank: A Life in Politics from the Great Society to Same-Sex Marriage

By Barney Frank

(2015 = hardcover)

(2016 = paperback)

 

# 2. Film and video

 

Serving in Silence

A historical drama (based on a true story) which premiered in 1995

Director = Jeff Bleckner

Run time = 91 minutes

 

Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell

A documentary film which premiered in 2011

Director = John Walsh

Run time = 85 minutes

 

The Strange History of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell

A documentary film which premiered in 2011

Directors = Fenton Bailey and Randy Barbato

Run time = 85 minutes

 

*****

 

 

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