SEXSUAL ORIENTATION:
Short and sweet, delicate and sensible, “Eu Não Quero Voltar Sozinho” (“I Don’t Want to Go Home Alone”) brings us the story of Leonardo (Guilherme Lobo), a blind teenager who develops a crush on Gabriel (Fabio Audi), a new boy in his school of whom he becomes friends, and Leonardo also deals with the jealousy of his long-time friend Giovanna (Tess Amorim) who is always taking him home, and now she’s more on second plan after the appearance of Gabriel in their lives (Rodrigo Amaro)
daniel-zamudio-death-chile-gay-discrimination-laws_n_1391532.html” title=”Daniel Zanudio´s Case“>daniel-zamudio-death-chile-gay-discrimination-laws_n_1391532.html” title=”Daniel´s Zanudio Case”>la caza del gay”
Human Rights Don’t Discriminate</h2>
<h3>Amnesty International believes that all people, regardless of their sexual orientation or gender identity, should be able to enjoy the full range of human rights, without exception.</h3>
However, every day, across the globe, sexual orientation or gender identity leads to abuse in the form of discrimination, violence, imprisonment, torture, or even execution. Persecution on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity can take a variety of forms and these contravene the basic tenets of international human rights law.
By highlighting instances of abuse against lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) individuals, Amnesty’s activists work to protect the basic dignity of LGBT people.
The recent tragic death of 24-year old Daniel Zamudio following a brutal attack by alleged neo-nazis has brought the scourge of homophobic violence to world attention and cast a spotlight on Chile’s lack of legislation to protect and defend the rights of vulnerable minorities.
-VIDEOS:
Stand up! Don´t stand for homophobic bullyin!
title=”Stand Up”
–Coming Out to Each Other
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2WAKFdS4n6E[/youtube]
– Norwegian Gay Comming Out tv PSA
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qo8DwISxz0A[/youtube]
–Viörar vel til loftárása.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=34ZtT4Th9Ys[/youtube]
FILM: FUCKING AMAL
Sweden, 1998
Running Length: 1:29
Cast: Alexandra Dahlström, Rebecka Liljeberg, Mathias Rust, Erica Carlson
Director: Lukas Moodysson
Hollywood films about teenage girls invariably focus on two things: boyfriends and popularity. It’s not surprising, since those two aspects of high school life comprise a significant portion of the average teenager’s existence. With hormones raging and bodies changing, girls struggle for a means – any means – to bolster their self-esteem. Few ways are more effective than being part of a social circle and having admirers of the opposite sex. When approached with sensitivity and intelligence, this is potentially rich and stirring material, but American filmmakers are often less interested in delving deeply into the psyches of their characters than in presenting lightweight, feel-good romantic comedies that will appeal to the target audience. For that reason, most Hollywood-produced teen movies have a manufactured, formulaic feel. They deny reality and go for the safe, neatly-packaged fantasy. Every boy is Prince Charming. Every ugly duckling turns into Cinderella. And the two dance at the prom as a prelude to living happily ever after.
Show Me Love, the feature debut of Swedish filmmaker Lukas Moodysson, is not bound by those constraints. It’s a powerful, deeply affecting depiction of the tribulations of two teenage girls who are struggling with their sexuality and identities. By forming a deep emotional bond between the audience and the protagonists, Moodysson develops a simple, cliché-free drama that contains great truth. Show Me Love has a romantic element, but it is not the sanitized version prevalent in Hollywood films. Instead, Moodysson captures the uncertainty, anguish, heartbreak, and giddy highs that accompany a first love. And we don’t just observe this happening; we feel it along with the characters. The fact that the romance is between two girls only intensifies the emotions, because both participants face the possibility of being ostracized. Yet Show Me Love is less about lesbianism than it is about self-discovery. The movie might have been less provocative with a traditional girl/boy romance, but it would have worked as effectively on an emotional level.
16-year old Agnes (Rebecka Liljeberg) is a loner living in the small, dead-end town of Amal. Perhaps the worst place on Earth, and certainly the most boring (or so many of the underage inhabitants believe), Amal is a backwards hamlet that always seems to be a step behind the rest of the world. Despite having attended the school in Amal for the nearly two years since her family moved there, Agnes has no friends. Although attractive, she does little to care for her appearance, and rumors are making their way through the classrooms and hallways that she likes girls. However, while the nature of Agnes’ sexuality has yet to fully emerge, she has a deep crush on a fellow female student, the pretty and popular Elin (Alexandra Dahlström), a precocious 14-year old who is every boy’s wet dream. And, like Agnes, Elin despises Amal. One night, prodded by her older sister, Jessica (Erica Carlson), Elin plays a practical joke on Agnes by kissing her on the lips. Giggling, Jessica and Elin race away, leaving a stunned and hurt Agnes behind. Later that evening, however, Elin feels remorse, and returns to Agnes’ house to apologize. She arrives just as Agnes is making a halfhearted attempt to slit her wrists. The two end up spending most of the night together, talking and sharing their innermost thoughts, and their unplanned “date” ends with a real kiss. The next day, frightened by her feelings for Agnes and determined to assert her heterosexuality, Elin nabs the willing Johan (Mathias Rust) as a boyfriend and ignores Agnes, who is understandably devastated.
Show Me Love is an emotional roller-coaster ride for viewers of both genders and all sexual orientations, because the feelings it uncovers are universal in nature. No matter how far removed an individual is from high school, this film has the ability to strip away the years. And, although Moodysson is obviously sympathetic towards both of his protagonists, he does not hesitate to show the mean and selfish sides of their natures. The adults (chiefly Agnes’ parents) are not presented as boorish clods; they are helpful and sensitive to the needs of their children. The script’s perceptiveness provides us with a fresh, non-manufactured perspective on what it means to be a bored teenager. And it gets the details right. Too many movies about this stage of life aren’t concerned with the little things. (In one scene, Jessica and Elin are grounded while their mother is at work. Of course, they sneak out, but, to fool their mother, they gobble down the available snack foods to make it look like they were in all evening, munching on chips and watching TV.)
Both Rebecka Liljeberg and Alexandra Dahlström deserve a commendation for their natural, unforced portrayal of girls who, despite outward dissimilarities, are not so different on the inside. Liljeberg’s Agnes does little to hide her uncertainty and pain. Dahlström’s Elin, on the other hand, is just as confused as Agnes, but she puts on a show of false bravado to hide her turmoil. These two are at their most real when they’re with each other, and it’s during those scenes that both actresses sparkle. When it comes to chemistry, Likjeberg and Dahlström have it, and it’s difficult not to root for their characters to find some way to steal a few moments together.
Released overseas with the attention-getting title of Fucking Amal, Show Me Love became a film festival favorite and an international box office success. It has not fared well in this country, however, due to the lack of an influential distributor. Strand Releasing, which owns the U.S. rights, is doing what it can to ship prints around the country, but the company’s financial resources are limited. It’s a shame that so few audiences will have an opportunity to see Show Me Love. Not only is this the most dramatically sound depiction of the life struggles of adolescent girls since Alex and Sylvia Sichel’s 1997 indie picture, All Over Me, but it is one of the most honest and heartfelt teen dramas ever to grace the screen.
© 2000 James Berardinelli
——————————————————————————————————-
Information from Amnesty International
DIDACTIC UNIT:
(To be translated into English)
Responde a estas preguntas sobre la película…
1. Esta película la calificarías de:
• Interesante
• Verosímil
• Aburrida
• Curiosa
• Divertida
• Polémica
2. ¿Cuál es el tema central de la película?
3. ¿Destacarías alguna escena? ¿Por qué?
4. En la película aparece una relación homosexual. ¿Cómo es tratada?
5. Describe al menos la reacción de tres personajes ante la homosexualidad de Agnes
•
•
•
6. Imagínate que puedes hablar con alguno de los personajes ¿qué les preguntarías?¿Tu instituto se
parece al que aparece en la película?
7. Imagínate que hacen la segunda parte, ¿Cómo te imaginas que sería?
8. Al final de la película Agnes y Elin están encerradas en el cuarto de baño y un grupo numeroso de
compañeros están esperando a la puerta ¿Te parece que podría suceder algo así en el instituto? ¿Cómo
reaccionarías si estuvieras dentro? Y ¿fuera?
9. ¿Conoces alguna otra película cuyo tema sea la homosexualidad?
Responde a estas preguntas sobre la vida real
Las relaciones homosexuales en ocasiones pueden plantear problemas en el mundo actual. Estos problemas
pueden ser:
Sociales – el individuo con las instituciones, estatales o religiosas-
Individuales – él o ella consigo misma-
Interpersonales – con la familia, los amigos, compañeros… –
¿Sabrías citar casos concretos en que los protagonistas tengan problemas por ser homosexual, bisexual o
transexual?
En Estados Unidos hay grupos de presión del colectivo de lesbianas, gays, bisexuales y transexuales
que se dedican a hacer públicos los nombres de personajes famosos que son gays o lesbianas en su vida
privada. ¿Qué opinas sobre ello?
Y ahora.. tú
Si tu mejor amigo o amiga te dice que es homosexual ¿qué le dirías? ¿seguirías siendo su amigo o
amiga?
Si fueras homosexual y se lo dijeras a tus padres ¿cuál crees que sería su reacción?¿ y la de tus
amigos? ¿tu familia? ¿tus profesores? ¿tus compañeros de instituto?
Agnes tiene situaciones problemáticas por ser lesbiana. ¿Cómo reaccionarías tú en su lugar ante esas
situaciones?
DERECHOS HUMANOS Y HOMOSEXUALIDAD
La postura de Amnistía Internacional es que la orientación sexual, como el genero y la raza, está
ligada a aspectos fundamentales de la identidad humana, afectando al eje central del derecho de las
personas a la integridad física y mental.
Amnistía Internacional es consciente de que en muchas partes del mundo no se respetan los derechos de
gays, lesbianas, bisexuales y transexuales:
• Se les niega el disfrute, en condiciones de igualdad, del derecho a la vida, a la libertad y a la
integridad física.
• Se les despoja de otros derechos fundamentales como la libertad de asociación y la libertad
de expresión.
• Ven mermados los derechos a la vida privada, al trabajo, a la educación y a la atención
médica.
Por todo ello, Amnistía Internacional trabaja desde hace más de una década por los derechos de
gays, lesbianas, bisexuales y transgénero:
1. ¿qué opinas sobre ello?
2. Leyendo la Declaración de Derechos Humanos ¿qué artículos consideras que son aplicables al tema
tratado?
3. ¿Conoces algún caso actual donde se transgredan estos derechos en la comunidad de lesbianas,
gays, bisexuales y transexuales?
4. ¿Podrías relacionar los Derechos Humanos con el tema tratado en la película?
En Medellín, a finales de 2002, una muchacha de 14 años fue desvestida en una de las calles del barrio y
le fue colocado un cartel en donde decía: “Soy lesbiana”. De acuerdo a la versión de pobladores del
barrio, fue violada por tres hombres armados, presuntamente paramilitares. Días después fue hallada
muerta, con los senos amputados.
Amnistía Internacional tiene constancia de que al menos 70 Estados han entrado en el siglo XXI
con leyes que prohíben las relaciones sexuales entre personas del mismo sexo. En algunos países, estas
relaciones pueden conllevar la imposición de la pena de muerte.
5. ¿Podrías citar alguno?
Mediante la lucha para poner fin a la tortura y los malos tratos contra esta comunidad, Amnistía
Internacional trata de promover el principio fundamental de la universalidad. Si toleramos que se nieguen
los derechos a un grupo de personas, debilitamos todo el marco de protección de los derechos humanos al
suprimir su columna vertebral, que todos los seres humanos tiene iguales derechos y dignidad. El derecho
a no ser sometido a tortura y a malos tratos ha de aplicarse a todos los seres humanos sin distinción.
6. ¿Qué conclusión puedes extraer de este texto? ¿Te parece que refleja de algún modo la película?
¿En qué?
LET ME IN
Directed by Lukas Moodysson.
Written by: Lukas Moodysson
Memfis Film Sweden 2002 Colour
Genre: Drama/ Soundtrack
Synopsis
16-year-old Lilja lives in a dreary and poor suburb somewhere in the former Soviet Union. She dreams about a better life. One day her mother moves to the USA along with her new man, and Lilja is promised to be able to join them soon. But as no letter from her mother arrives, Lilja realizes that she’s been abandoned. She’s forced to move to a small dilapidated flat with no electricity or heating. Heartbroken and without any money Lilja becomes more and more desperate. Her only friend is the 11-year-old boy Volodja. Together they travel around the area and fantasize about how one could make life easier to live. One day hope arrives when Lilja falls in love with Andrei. He asks her to follow him to Sweden to start a new life. Little Volodja gets jealous and suspicious, but Lilja packs her bags. Suddenly she’s sitting on a plane on its way to Sweden – not knowing what awaits her there.
Review
I can say one thing – Lukas Moodysson is like a sign of quality – it’s not a question if the film is great or not, it’s a question of how great it is. Unlike Fucking Åmål and Tillsammans this is a rather dark film, but you still recognize his style – and it confirm once again that a Lukas Moodysson film isn’t like any other film. Even though you can’t read my complete review yet – every Norwegian newspaper, magazine, radio and TV-program with respect for themselves have of course reviewed Lilja 4-ever – with not one single negative review this time! Almost too good to be true? Well, it’s not very strange. Lilja 4-ever is a very politically correct film, and hard to say anything negative about because it’s about such a real and important issue. It’s a typical film that film lovers love because we love to see all kinds of films, not only those with the standard happy ending, while the normal mainstream audience won’t that easily go to see this film because they want to be entertained, they don’t want to have to think and reflect and leave the cinema hall sad. That’s quite understandable, and is also shown by a massive media interest that isn’t reflected in number of audience – and not a full-scale premiere here in Norway. Smaller cinemas will have to wait a while before they get the film. This is sad of course, but it’s just the way it is. I’m happy that Lukas finally shows us this side of himselves, that he can also make films he knows isn’t for everyone. But he certainly made a film for his true fans… for true film lovers…
FILM: C.R.A.Z.Y
By Allan Tong
A TIFF ’05 audience favourite, C.R.A.Z.Y. is a funny, infectious ride through Quebecois pop culture of the ’60s and ’70s. The movie is seen through the eyes of narrator Zachary Beaulieu (Marc-André Grondin), who was born on Christmas Day, 1960, and has hated sharing that Holy Day with his birthday ever since. Zac is raised in a middleclass family alongside three brothers he can’t stand, an affectionate mother (Danielle Proulx), who irons toast in the morning, and a warm but traditional father (Quebec star Michel Côté) who lip-synchs to Charles Aznavour records at family functions.
Like his dad, Zac expresses himself through music, and C.R.A.Z.Y. is bursting with songs by Pink Floyd, the Rolling Stones and David Bowie. In one memorable scene, Zac sings along to Space Oddity with intensity so that he can escape his drab life yet express his nascent bisexuality. (Patsy Cline’s signature tune supplies the film’s title.)
Zac’s sexuality and the influence of the Catholic Church are two of the themes running through C.R.A.Z.Y. The rough-and-tumble Beaulieus are homophobic, which immediately sets Zac apart from his kin. This storyline is clearer than that of the Church’s, whose influence grips the family in the’60s but wanes in the ’70s. Zac’s eventual pilgrimage and spiritual reawakening are unconvincing. What does ring true is the drug abuse, which becomes Quebec’s new Gospel. Zac and his arch enemy – older brother and bad boy Ray (Pierre-Luc Brillant) – become mired in weed and heroin, respectively.
Vallée’s visual flourishes enchant but do not distract; C.R.A.Z.Y. is a pleasure to watch because it is so full of energy and truth. Apart from the film’s last 30 minutes, C.R.A.Z.Y. skips along like an early Stones song, taking delirious turns along the way. Though the message is blurry at times, C.R.A.Z.Y. is a charming film about growing up a little differently and finding your place in a mad world. (TVA)