poster for the cage match / Brüno
This week, the U.S. senate is moving to pass the new hate crimes bill, somewhat ironically by adding it on to the “defense bill.” The hate crimes bill would expand the definition of a hate crime to violence motivated by gender, sexual orientation, gender identification or disability. The news of this landmark bill somehow perfectly complimented all the thinking i’ve been doing this week about homophobia in America - reflection that was prompted by seeing the new Sacha Baron Cohen film, Brüno.
GLBTQ people have a long and illustrious history of being the victims of terrible hate and violence. Centuries of religious-based persecution point to all major religions inciting hate crimes. State sponsored violence against GLBTQ people has also been widespread. Many nations, such as Iran, Saudi Arabia and until recently Afghanistan, have laws that allow for homosexual acts to be punishable by death. While many parts of the world condone brutality against GLBTQ people, it is generally seen as distasteful (and is of course illegal) to commit or incite violence against a gay person in the USA.
In the past ten years, the american perception of gay people has shifted. Thanks to the internet, revised psychology books, prominent figures coming out of the closet, and the tireless work of activists, the straight masses seem to be more tolerant / accepting than ever before. Unfortunately, for most of us, the level of “tolerance” still feels grossly inadequate, unjust and at times regressive.
We live in a time when state laws against gay sex were invalidated by the supreme court a mere 6 years ago (this pertained to 13 states!); where the civil rights of gay people have been subject to a massive public debate (don’t doubt the impact this has on GLBTQ people — it feels awful to turn on the television and hear pundits, ministers, politicians, and call-in nobodys given air time to voice their hateful and discriminatory views). However, it is also a time where many GLBTQ people do feel safe to come out and live their lives in the open. Is that safety real? So many remain closeted or face discrimination from their communities. But daytime tv has progressed from Rosie to Ellen…so where are we at?
This all brings me to the main topic of this post — Brüno.
I watched the film a few days ago with my hands covering my face out of sheer discomfort (like everybody else in the movie theatre) and have concluded that Brüno is the most ridiculous gay character ever created. Through him, Sacha Baron Cohen manages to draw attention to so many gay stereotypes (some real, some urban legends), one can barely absorb them all in just one viewing. The movie played out as a fascinating cringe-fest of anecdotes and situations, which culminated in a scene that in my opinion, was a revelation. Each scene was meticulously built to set up the character and to get him to the final explosive scene. Parts read as poignant investigative journalism and others as offensive, slap-stick episodes using gay stereotypes as the punch line. Those scenes were super hard to watch (especially the motel staff fiasco that ended with Brüno and his assistant barreling through an anti-gay rally half naked, handcuffed and decked out in bizarre kinky sex gear) and on their own are terribly offensive.
Despite the fact when we watch the whole movie, we are not seeing these scenes out of context, this is obviously what is troubling about the film. At times, Brüno’s antics feel more like a gay joke than the clever critique of anti-gay attitudes and stereotypes you hope was intended. Organizations like GLAAD have issued critical responses, saying that Brüno reinforces negative stereotypes and decreases the public’s comfort with gay people. Gay people and their allies are very worried how the “guy sitting next to me in the movie” feels after seeing it. Do they get the satire? Are they laughing because they are homophobic or laughing at the jokes about homophobia? It’s a common concern that intelligent people have about comedians, artists and programming that make jokes about racism/sexism/classism/homophobia/etc… everyone has their fingers crossed that the masses will be able to make the distinction between that, and actual racist/sexist/classist/homophobic jokes.
However, by the end of the movie, i felt convinced of the effectiveness of Sacha Baron Cohen’s most predominant comedic tactic: using a fantastically strange and abrasive character to make people feel uncomfortable, to get their guards down, the hope being that if Brüno is so flamboyantly showing his true colors, then others will too. It’s brilliant theatrical detective work.
There is a lot of discomfort around the self-consciousness of a statement like GLAAD’s, that “Brüno decreases the public’s comfort with gay people,” as if gay people should feel a responsibility to make the straight public feel comfortable with them. Any reasonable person would understand that there are many types of gay people out there. Those more visibly gay people, and always the annually theatrical gay people (think pride parades), bear more of the brunt of homophobia and violence. Brüno is an extremely exaggerated, fictional version of those people who are at the front line of the fight for gay visibility without ever having officially volunteered for the position. I have a great deal of respect for the real life characters whose unchangeable visibility has gotten the attention of the masses.
This all brings me to the climax of the movie.
Brüno, who in a moment of desperation and depression reflects on some of america’s biggest hetero stars - John Travolta, Tom Cruise, Kevin Spacey - and realizes that to be famous he would have to be straight. After a rigorous rehabilitation process, he launches his new career, as “Straight Dave,” an anti-gay host of a caged fight in Arkansas. The arena is full of screaming, bursting, crazy-eyed people cheering and spitting beer with glee as Straight Dave announces that he’s “glad that there aren’t any fags here tonight!” Then, a meek voice yells from the crowd “you’re a fag!”
Straight Dave then calls him down and we realize that it’s his scorned ex-assistant / ex-lover. Straight Dave lets him into the cage to fight him. They throw punches, kicks and scratches, and of course eventually end up kissing, then taking off each other’s clothes, generally going at it.
Meanwhile, the audience, (who obviously think they’re here for their shared love of brutal fighting and disdain for fags) starts flipping out, and the camera catches them running away, screaming “nooooo, noooo!” crying, frothing at the mouth, wanting to attack, throwing chairs, food, garbage over the cage, charging the stage.. it’s pandemonium.
I couldn’t hear anyone in the audience laughing at that point. It was terrifying and so depressing seeing these people respond to “Straight Dave” (and i think it’s significant that he was not playing Brüno here) kissing a man. Their reaction was so extreme, that if you had tuned into the movie at exactly that point you might have thought that something psychotically terrible had just happened, like maybe Osama bin Laden had burst out of a giant cake in the middle of the ring, wearing a star spangled bikini, then proceeded to release a deadly and infectious airborne virus into the crowd.
Instead of talking about how troublesome Brüno is as a character, we should be discussing the reactions of Straight Dave’s audience. Seeing the parallel he draws in the the end between the ridiculousness of Brüno and the ridiculousness of all the oblivious haters featured in the movie. If Sacha Baron Cohen is correct in saying that making people uncomfortable makes them vulnerable to reveal themselves, then hopefully the brilliance of a fictional character like Brüno will not be wasted, but continue to push the gay movement forward, encourage everyone to reflect on their reactions, and expose the real life hate.
Today i took down the ol’ recipe box interface of eestorey.com. It is a joyous occasion for me, a person who clearly knows the importance of a website, yet never has/takes the time to update her own. And so, eestorey.com has become STOREY ELEMENTARY: A place for learning, creative and intellectual collaboration. I will now be working with talented directors, writers and programmers so it’s not just me anymore, you see.
