We are family
Antoine Leonetti
Coordinator of the FIRE!! Mostra
More acceptance in the family please! It's a matter of life and death ...
Seven countries in the world punish homosexuality with death, and eighty still punish homosexuality with prison sentences. In the face of such juggernauting of the most basic human rights, it might seem insignificant, in a country where we enjoy equality of rights, that we should purport to achieve a greater and seemingly bourgeois “well-being” for homosexuals in their family environment. I can already hear the cry: “You've already got everything! What more are you asking for?” Actually, more. Much more, and what is lacking will be much more difficult to achieve than the vote for a law. What remains to be done is a monumental change of mentality: to achieve no more or less than the situation where parents, on finding out that their son or daughter is homosexual, are even slightly prepared to not do a stupid thing. A bad reaction, whether it be explosive reproach or mute censure, could have catastrophic consequences, sinking further the offspring in his or her misery. Beware the statistic: recently it was revealed with precision that not only rejection but also incomprehension in the family multiply by eight the risk of homosexual young people to commit suicide, or to fall into drug-taking. We are not, therefore, talking about something insignificant: silence, rejection, venomous “tolerance”, all kill.
So long live the work of the associations of parents of gays and lesbians! But they cannot operate alone: there is a crucial lack of education in values for parents from health and social organisations. Or more symbolic personalities should go public not just in gossip programmes, saying that having gay children is just as great as having blonde or dark ones. And on the subject of families, let's take a look at bosses: maybe someone in the Royal Family could one day be capable of sending positive messages about homosexuality. Not just saying that they have dear friends who are gay, but also that if a royal prince came out of the closet one day, well a big hurrah. Given that the law of probabilities is 10-15%, and their numerous descendents, Princes and Princesses, we're waiting for you to set the example.
***
Patrik 1.5
Directed by: Ella Lemhagen
Interpreted by: Gustaf Skarsgard, Torkel Petersson, Thomas Ljungman
Feature Film, Sweden, 2008
103´
Première in Barcelona
Göran and Sven are a Swedish gay couple; both have good jobs, classical tastes and they live in a residential neighbourhood of nice condos with gardens, surrounded by families. In the middle of this normality, they decide to adopt a child but, due to a mistake of the social services, turns out to be a complete teenager, problematic, alleged early delinquent and suffering from pubertal instabilities. Therefore, living together becomes uncomfortable.
This situation will change radically everyday life of this couple, and it will revolve at the same time his interaction with their environment and neighbourhood. With a comedy touch – and showing off gardening virtues - Patrik 1.5 shows us adoption difficulties for same-sex couples, and at the same time sheds a clear glance about teen homophobia.
Trailer
Omelette
Directed by: Rémi Lange
Interpreted by: Maurice Cora Arama, Émilie Cordelier, Gérard Courant
Feature Film, France, 1997
78´
Première in Spain
Omelette is considered a cult movie in France. In the still uncertain 90’s (when PACS did not exist yet), Rémi Lange decides to come out of the closet in the most curious way. With his Super-8 camera, he decides to record one by one reactions from all his family members when he announces them his relationship with Antoine with whom he has been for a while. His mother, his sister, his grandma, his separated parents… Reactions turn out to be surprising, always interesting and perhaps not as harsh as Rémi would have expected. An initiative that will even make come to light uncertainties in a father about his own sexuality, and the corresponding frustrations in his mother…
A very valuable document that uses simplicity and an experimental production to get deeply into human mind in order to confront it with novelty, fear, ignorance. We always doubt how reactions would have been without the camera: would it be a simple receptor of reality, or would it act positively as a filter between Rémi and his relatives, to ennoble the dialogue frame and enhance its quality?
Fragmento 1 - Fragmento 2
