Outrage

Today I caught Outrage, Kirby Dick's punctilious documentary about the political closet. Besides naming names, it touches much history, from Reagan's neglect of the AIDS crisis to gay marriage. It provocatively implies that mainstream media, populated with its own closet cases, is part of a conspiracy to censor the outing of politicians

An emotional highlight is former New Jersey governor Jim McGreevey, who speaks with a hard-won frankness. The movie ends with a poignant clip of Harvey Milk arguing for the necessity of everyone being out, & this did challenge a bit my own view that not everyone has to be out. I certainly left the theater thinking that the world of politics is a much gayer place than I thought. By coincidence, Florida governor Charlie Crist, who is profiled prominently, has today announced his run for U.S. Senate.

The movie also boasts very cool intertitles, with text that slides & clicks into focus, the way you see letters when getting your eyes tested for glasses.