The Melbourne International Film Festival, Reviewed
The best, the worst, and the weirdest of what's coming to Australian movie screens in coming months.
The Body Horror Doco That Will Make You Laugh:
Do I Sound Gay, dir. David Thorpe
Reviewed by: Glenn Dunks
For some, the scariest thing they could do is watch a horror movie. They curl up into a ball with their hands over their eyes as blood and guts drip down on screen, cats jump out of improbable locations, and people rudely thinking that appearing out of the shadows to clasp a friend’s shoulder from behind while a killer’s on the loose is an appropriate form of greeting. These people wisely avoid scary movies. Why would they subject themselves to that kind of anxiety?
For others like myself, the scariest thing in the world is listening to my own voice. And for me, that makes Do I Sound Gay? from filmmaker David Thorpe akin to a horror movie. Sitting down to watch this film was to confront the thought that I do think I sound gay, and to be honest (and deeply self-loathing), I haven’t stopped thinking about it since.
Maybe I’m just hard on myself. Maybe I don’t have the voice of a nasal mouth-breathing nerd. But then, as Thorpe’s documentary shows, it’s a fear that many of us have; one which could come from years of being bullied because of it, or more generally being part of a society that favours masculinity. Some are able to get over it — as one delightful chap says, “I don’t have to come out to anybody. I say hello and it’s a done deal” — but for others, it’s a lingering condition that can have lasting psychological effects.
Following his own efforts to explore where his voice came from (being around women in our impressionable years appears to be a consensus for most men) and how he can change it, the film examines with humour (much of it self-deprecating) this strange phenomenon. Famous faces like Tim Gunn, David Sedaris, and George Takei all lend their distinctive voices to the discussion and gay male audiences especially may find a lot to take from this entertaining documentary. That’s if they can get over their fears to watch it in the first place.
For fans of: Queer documentaries, LGBT faces (and voices) on screen, gentle masochism
Opening in Australia: TBC