"Only marriage between a man and a woman is valid or recognized in California." That 14-word sentence is the simple extent of Proposition 8, the infamous referendum that California residents narrowly passed a year and a half ago and, with one fell swoop, denied gay people their civil rights in the state. In the aftermath, many wondered who was to blame for this stunning setback.
8: The Mormon Proposition, an intriguing new documentary produced-written and co-directed by gay filmmaker Reed Cowan ( along with Steven Greenstreet ) , points the finger squarely at the behind-the-scenes culprit: The Church of the Latter Day Saints ( LDS ) , headquartered in Utah. The film posits that the church poured a sea of money, time and energy ( utilizing carefully rehearsed volunteers ) in its quest to overturn same-sex marriage in the neighboring state of California.
The film—narrated by Dustin Lance Black, the openly gay Oscar-winning screenwriter for Milk ( and ex-Mormon ) —describes the church's position on gay marriage and the "gay lifestyle" ( which the church deems as a choice ) as a holy war and offers striking evidence to make the case. This will not be news to the queer community but, as in Michael Moore's Fahrenheit 9/11, seeing the behind-the-scenes machinations as the events slowly unfolded in a domino effect makes for a great cautionary tale.
Cowan's hard evidence for these abuses mainly comes from Fred Karger, a longtime anti-LDS activist who supplies the filmmakers with documents and snippets of a videotape ( and the complete audio ) played during church services mapping out the campaign to sweep Prop 8 to victory. The film alleges that the California "Yes on 8" campaign used by the Mormons was formulated as far back as 1996, when LDS secretly partnered with the Catholic Church and other conservative groups to stop same-sex marriage in Hawaii.
Cowan, who has paid a heavy personal price for making the film ( being an ex-Mormon, too ) then delves beyond Prop 8, digging into the Mormons' shameful anti-gay history, including its efforts to "straighten" out recalcitrant homo brethren. But we don't get a lot of hard data or background on those testifying on camera, which after awhile begins to dilute the impact of the message. "Enough of the crying homos," I thought at one point, "Give me more from those secret internal documents and more attempts to confront church officials over this hard evidence of anti-gay intolerance."
Not surprisingly, 8: The Mormon Proposition doesn't offer much in the way of an official rebuttal from church officials. We get the idea that the Mormon Church is hesitant to come out about their anti-gay bias publicly so why not, in Michael Moore fashion, keep knocking at their doors, camera crew in tow and embarrass the hell out of these guys? Given the background of the filmmakers, the over-the-top emotionalism that, at times, sullies the message is more than understandable. However, here's hoping that uninformed filmgoers will see beyond the lopsidedness that is, at times, inherent in 8: The Mormon Proposition and have their eyes opened.
Joan Rivers: A Piece of Work, from documentarians Ricki Stern and Annie Sundberg, is a warts-and-all year in the life portrait of the self-described "semi" legend who has long been beloved by the gay community. Rivers is turning 75 as the film begins and, apparently, suffers from constant anxiety over the driving force in her life: her career. Long accustomed to a schedule that would give even an overachiever like Kathy Griffin pause, much of the film follows Rivers in her quest to keep that schedule full of high-priced gigs and higher-profile publicity opportunities.
The result seems very much like a deluxe episode of Griffin's reality show My Life on the D-List and, like the first couple of seasons of the show, A Piece of Work is just as galvanizing and dishy. There are a lot of laughs, tributes from her fellow comics and proteges ( most notably Griffin ) , and some surprising heartfelt revelations. There are seemingly few, if any, boundaries to keep the viewer from "the real Joan." Stern and Sundberg don't play up to their subject nor fawn over her and simply, apparently, honestly record this conflicted woman in daily pursuit of her "second child"—her vocation.
We see a person who has sacrificed for decades in a quest for more of those laughs, more of those millions, more of those magazine layouts and more of those gigs, no matter how small-time. In the process we are given such an overload of laughs that we are also reminded of the comedic genius of Rivers. But, ironically, one wonders if Rivers—so caught up in the marketing of the product that she has made of herself—derives any pleasure from this unique gift or has given it a second thought in years.
Film notes:
—Oscar nominee Robert Downey, Jr.—the star of the Iron Man and Sherlock Holmes franchises ( the sequel of the latter being currently in pre-production ) who has played gay onscreen many times—will be in town to accept the Gene Siskel Film Center Renaissance Award Saturday, June 19, at the Ritz-Carlton, 160 E. Pearson, as part of a celebration of the actor's career. "An Evening with Robert Downey, Jr." will featuring the guest of honor walking the red carpet before a reception, dinner, raffle-prize drawing, a clip-filled career retrospective, and a Q&A led by Todd Phillips, director of The Hangover. Tickets are$400-$1,000; call 312-846-2072.
—The Anita Davis Dance Theater Group presents the world premiere of the feature film Genderblind, written, directed and produced by LaNita Joseph. It is the first Black, lesbian-themed feature produced in high definition to come out of Chicago. The movie—which features an ensemble of Chicago actors including Robyn Daniels, Danielle Jones, Martin Rowse and Paula Gee—is the story of Sincere, a young Christian female artist whose traditional ideas about love are challenged when she meets a lesbian named Grace. The film screens June 25-26 at the Portage Theatre, 4050 N. Milwaukee. A red-carpet event will be hosted by Chicago LGBT Hall of Fame member Pat McCombs. Tickets are $15 in advance for general admission, $20 for VIP ( which include a pre-screening cocktail party with cast and the filmmakers, and preferred seats for the screening and afterparty ) . Food, a cash bar and a DJ are part of the festivities. Windy City Media Group is a sponsor of the event. Tickets and further information are at www.genderblind.eventbrite.com .
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