Why are these two movies in the same post?

1. They’re both queer indie films written and directed by LGBTQ+ people that wound up on Netflix.

2. I (re)watched them again recently and love them so very much.

3. They fall into a genre I like to call “queer people being messy and making a found family with bittersweet endings.” Overly specific? Yes. It will make sense, I promise. So without further ado:

The Half of It

Written and directed by Alice Wu and starring Leah Lewis, Daniel Diemer, and Alexxis Lemire, this movie takes place in Squahamish, a fictional rural town in Washington. Protagonist Ellie Chu mostly spends her time alone caring for her widowed stationmaster father and writing homework for other students to make extra money. When football player and absolute himbo Paul Munsky asks her to write him a love letter he can give to Aster Flores, she grudgingly accepts so that she can pay her house’s electricity bill. She and Aster strike up a correspondence based around art and literature, and Ellie (sophisticated lesbian disaster that she is) falls in love with her, while her friendship with Paul grows stronger. The movie ends on a bittersweet note, with Ellie starting a new chapter in her life.

This movie is fundamentally about the friendship between Ellie and Paul. They balance each other out perfectly, with Ellie being deeply philosophical and cynical while Paul is a very sweet, sincere, and clueless person (he has such golden retriever energy). Their unlikely relationship and Paul’s acceptance of her lesbian identity despite the way he was raised resonates really deeply. It’s something they both really needed, as both of them felt out of place for very different reasons. Paul always got lost in the crowd of his family, while Ellie only really had her father and felt isolated from her community (plus, she and her dad are the only Asians for miles…). Found family and meeting kindred spirits is such an important aspect of many LGBTQ+ people’s experiences, and it tends to be less explored in many “mainstream” narratives. I also appreciate that the characters are still figuring themselves out, especially Paul and Aster. They’re still awkward teenagers learning about themselves and the world, and their uncertainty comes through in a very genuine, relatable way.

This film is witty, thought-provoking, and the cinematography (art!!) and sound design are incredibly immersive. This is the movie to watch when you’re looking for something both contemplative and sweet. Highly recommend it!

Runs In The Family

This South African movie was directed by Ian Gabriel, written by Gabe Gabriel and stars Ace Bhatti, Kathleen Stephens, and Gabe Gabriel (a double threat!). It centers on the relationship between ex-conman Varun and his son River as they go on a road trip to break Varun’s ex-girlfriend Monica out of rehab in Eswatini in time for River to make it to a drag competition so that he can afford top surgery. If this seems like a wild synopsis, know that it doesn’t even come close to doing this movie justice. It’s a wild ride of heists, plots, romance, drama, and so, so much beautiful drag. The film has a mostly happy but slightly bittersweet ending with tons of queer joy.

The core of this film is the beautiful relationship between River and Varun. From the beginning, Varun is unconditionally supportive of his son’s identity and interests and works hard to make sure he knows it. River is very self-assured and a bit stubborn, and tends to clash with his father over it. Together, they navigate complex feelings toward Monica, who abandoned their family when River was a baby. I don’t want to spoil the ending of this film because you should definitely watch it (support trans creators!) but the extent to which Varun will go for his son is really touching and they share a lot of wonderful moments bonding over what it means to be a good man.

In terms of representation, I think the film does a fantastic job portraying the messy realities and freedom of queerness. There are moments that represent the difficult and dangerous facets of simply existing as a trans person (like the narrative about affording top surgery, which is ludicrously expensive). But for all of these moments, there are even more that focus on joy. River is deeply confident in his identity and relationship to drag as a gay trans man, and his best friend (and secret love!) Ollie is equally comfortable in their nonbinary-ness. All due credit to the people involved in the writing and acting process; it’s really wonderful to see multiple queer trans characters of color form friendships and family. Further, drag is treated as an art form and showcased in all its beauty, and trans identity is celebrated as a part of that. All of the queens who are part of the drag show are absolutely gorgeous. Overall, this is a heartfelt, hilarious, and wonderful film. Do yourself a favor and give it a watch!

(Also, Varun’s dad jokes are peak humor and should be appreciated as such, so if nothing else, watch it for that)

This post will explore what’s being banned today in schools, and what the most common justifications are for it. I will be discussing literature, sex education, and critical race theory. 

Literature

Here is the American Library Association’s list of most banned books in 2022: Link

If you take a cursory glance at the titles and reasons for banning, you’ll start to see a theme. All of them have bans for being sexually explicit, most of them contain LGBTQ+ content, and many of them have BIPOC protagonists. This interactive map documents the bans per state in 2022 and provides examples of other media that challengers have attempted to censor. On a list of common reasons for book censorship, topics include racial issues, encouragement of “damaging” lifestyles (cohabitation without marriage, homosexuality, etc), “blasphemous” dialogue, sexual situations/dialogue/education, and age inappropriateness (Butler University).

In addition to the number of bans increasing, the ALA documents that, “…in 2022, 90% of reported book challenges were demands to censor multiple titles – and of those demands to censor library books, 40% sought to remove or restrict more than 100 books all at once.” This is concerning because it indicates a mass effort to censor literature that contains a diversity of perspectives and representation. This means that students who are part of marginalized groups may feel isolated and lack a sense of belonging, and it can also foster intolerance among other students who see these titles being removed.

Sexuality Education

Education on sexuality has long been contested. This was even more of a concern in the 1990s, where there were efforts to remove sex ed. from schools entirely, but there is still a lack of comprehensive education on sex and health. According to Planned Parenthood, today, 39 states and the District of Columbia require that HIV and/or sex education is covered in school, but they are not required to provide medically accurate information and often stress abstinence instead of teaching about these topics.

Lawmakers are often the ones who decide how sexual education is taught in schools rather than instructors or schools. This means that they have the power not to mandate the teaching of certain topics or to ban them altogether. For example, “While 37 states have laws requiring that abstinence is included in sex education, only 18 states require educators to also share information about birth control” (Planned Parenthood). Especially in a post Roe v. Wade nation, not discussing birth control, contraception, and abortion is censorship by omission and could have dangerous ramifications for young people. Additionally, “Six southern states either prohibit sex educators from discussing (or even answering questions about) LGBTQ+ identities and relationships, or actually require sex educators to frame LGBTQ+ identities and relationships negatively.” These laws actively stigmatize LGBTQ+ youth and put them at greater risk for STIs, unwanted pregnancy, and unhealthy or abusive relationships. 

Critical race theory

Critical race theory was developed in the 1980s, but only gained the attention of conservatives recently. After the murder of George Floyd in 2020, the United States faced a “racial reckoning”. In September of that year, Christopher Rufo did an interview on Fox News with Tucker Carlson condemning Critical Race Theory. A few days later, President Trump released a memo warning against CRT being taught in schools, causing a nationwide panic. As of February 2022, 36 states have placed restrictions on how race and racism are taught in schools.

However, CRT has been grossly misconstrued. According to Kimberlé Williams Crenshaw, law professor and pioneer of critical race theory, “It is a way of seeing, attending to, accounting for, tracing and analyzing…the ways that racial inequality is facilitated, and the ways that our history has created these inequalities.” CRT was not created for the purpose of making white people ashamed of their history, it is based on analyzing racial inequality through a critical lens and bringing attention to the ways in which American society was founded on racism. The panic that has accompanied it is a deliberate effort to censor Black history. It is important to note that despite the conservative fixation on CRT, only the North Dakota and Idaho bills directly mentioned it. The rest focus on banning “ the discussion, training, and/or orientation that the U.S. is inherently racist as well as any discussions about conscious and unconscious bias, privilege, discrimination, and oppression” (Ray & Gibbons). This actively works against teaching about racial equity, meaning that students without this education will not have a strong understanding of the history of race in America and may be more likely to internalize bigotry due to ignorance. Instead, their education will be coming from those who have grown up with inaccurate views shaped by revisionist narratives popularized by the United Daughters of the Confederacy. The attacks on Critical Race Theory are so insidious because they attempt to erase Black history and culture and elevate whiteness once again. 

Overall Thoughts

It is important to know what is being censored, because it gives us an idea of what values the censoring parties are trying to uphold. From the examples given, it is obvious that they are driven by fear and a need to maintain the status quo by erasing marginalized groups and denying their rights and humanity. Next week, I will examine how this kind of censorship plays a larger role in political movements, and how it can be a gateway into fascist dictatorship.

 A Short Explanation…

Okay, so here’s the deal. I originally had a very different lineup of movies planned out to review. I was all set to talk about movies with… mediocre representation, tear into Love, Simon and The Prom, etc. when I realized that would not be fun for me or helpful for my audience. There are always going to be people examining the problematic tropes and issues associated with LGBTQ+ representation who can articulate it better than me, with less bitterness. I don’t imagine anyone would have a good time listening to me rant about every little thing in those movies that bothers me, especially because every movie with genuine intentions to represent LGBTQ+ people has the potential to be meaningful to someone. So, if you would like to learn more about common issues with queer movies and narratives, this video series by Rowan Ellis does a fantastic job of explaining them. What I would like to do on this blog is celebrate movies that I actually enjoy and think you should watch. And because there are so many of them, I’ll be talking about them two at a time from now on!

This week’s movies are both Hindi films from Bollywood. In 1864, while India was under British rule, the Indian Penal Code maintained Law 377, which criminalized same-sex relationships. This law fostered an environment of ignorance and bigotry, especially in rural areas. However, on September 8, 2018, the Indian Supreme Court ruled this section unconstitutional, decriminalizing homosexuality. There have been significant shifts in thinking as a result, and although change is slow, the fact that there are Bollywood movies with central queer characters indicates major progress.

Ek Ladki Ko Dekha Toh Aisa Laga (How I Felt When I Saw That Girl)

Directed by Shelly Chopra Dhar, and starring Sonam Kapoor, Anil Kapoor, Rajkummar Rao, and Regina Cassandra, this Hindi-language movie is set in the town of Moga, Punjab. It centers on the story of Sweety Chaudhary, a young woman whose parents are insistent that she find a nice Hindu boy to marry. When she meets Sahil, a Muslim playwright, he falls head over heels for her. However, Sweety is actually in love with a woman named Kuhu and when Sahil finds out, he helps her navigate her family and sexuality. There is family drama, romance, acceptance, and of course a showy and colorful dance number.

This was the first Bollywood film to feature a central gay relationship. While the film does have some issues in terms of accurately portraying the reaction that a small town may have to a gay relationship, it depicts an idealist vision of how people could grow to be accepting and gives Sweety and Kuhu a happy ending. This film is also centered more on the story of Sahil and Sweety’s relationship than the romance, but it is still a core element of the film. Although there are definitely areas for improvement, this is a wonderful start for LGBTQ+ representation in Bollywood.

I personally love this movie because it takes all the classic elements of a Bollywood movie and incorporates a queer love story without compromising the light tone. The cast is wonderful and gorgeous, the fashion and set design is really vibrant, and the production team does a great job making it feel like it takes place in a small, rural town. It’s definitely a feel-good movie while addressing some heavier topics. There’s a lot of debate over whether it’s actually a good movie, but what I can say is that it’s fun and I liked it a lot.

Badhaai Do

[The production company wouldn’t let me insert the trailer, so here’s the link]

This movie was directed by Harshavardhan Kulkarni and stars Rajkummar Rao (yes, the same one), Bhumi Pednekar, and Chum Darang. It centers on Shardul and Suman, who are both gay and are facing pressure from their traditional families to get married. When Shardul realizes that Suman is also gay, he proposes a marriage of convenience. Tensions rise when Suman falls in love with Rimjhim, who pushes her to accept herself and be more open about her identity while Shardul is still repressing his identity out of fear (much to the chagrin of his boyfriend). Family drama ensues, and eventually they find their way into a happy ending.

The tone of this movie is more serious than “How I Felt When I Saw That Girl”. The fear of being outed is extremely pervasive, especially since Shardul is in the police force, which has a very macho culture, and Suman is a teacher and could lose her job. Discriminatory laws, like the one preventing gay people from adopting children, also play a large role. Unlike the other film, people are not immediately accepting. The film also deals with how people can be affected by hiding a large piece of their identity, especially in terms of mental health and lashing out. Shardul especially does some reprehensible things out of fear and anger, but he adopts a healthier mindset by the end of the movie and works to repair the harm he’s done.

It’s really significant that this movie ends happily. Suman and Rimjhim end up together and get to fulfill their dream of starting a family, and Shardul is able to be open about his sexuality and relationship. Their families start on the slow process to acceptance. It’s the ending that makes me love this film so much. There’s a song written especially for this movie, Hum Rang Hai, and the scene it plays in brings me so much joy. I hadn’t really seen a Pride parade in India before (It’s kind of silly, but I wasn’t sure it was possible), and this inspired a lot of hope. 

There have been other Bollywood films with LGBTQ+ themes in recent years (here’s a whole list!) andI’m so grateful that people are able to make them. Movies like these show that progress is possible and imminent, and more are sorely needed.

Thanks for reading through this extremely long post and indulging me. I hope you enjoyed it! See you next week!