Majorettes in Space

Am I really the first person in cyberspace to offer comment on these films? They are of varying quality but definitely worthy of more attention. Coming from the country that used to stigmatise homosexuality as being _la vice anglais_, a moniker that would today be more accurately applied to making slushy romantic comedies with Gwyneth Paltrow, these five short movies explore a wide range of responses to the gay experience. The first is worth the price of admission alone, at least here in Ireland where Arthouse cinemas are heavily subsidised: a riotously funny pythonesque fable demonstrating the sheer absurdity of homophobia which, in an ideal world all bible-belt queer-bashers would be forced to watch. The second is an inconsequential tale about a forgotton condom, the third a weird, disturbing tale exploring voyeurism and necrophilia. The fourth is more camp, a reversal of _The City and the Pillar_ in which a gay man discovers his latent heterosexuality. The fifth and longest casts a dark shadow over the rest, a story of an introverted drag queen and his young son. When I watched this film, most of the couples appeared to be in same-sex relationships: this is a shame, because these films deserve recogntion in a wider, non-gay audience.

First of all, I have to say that I laughed harder at this short film than I have at any film of any kind in literally years. The narration is hysterically funny precisely because it doesn't try too hard - it's like the guy you know who, in a perfectly serious tone of voice, says things that are unintentionally funny.

By the end, however, it has all tied together to present a very serious message. A lot of the humor is aimed at helping you see how idiotic and illogical anybody who would argue with the film's message is, and since I do agree with these filmmakers, kudos to them!

"Des Majorettes Dans L'Espace" can easily be mistaken for a jumble of images only brought together by a very sharp commentary; in fact, they have been carefully chosen and form a perfectly coherent whole. This film is an extraordinary example of how the medium can actually be used to convey ideas without necessarily having to embed them in a sequential narration. A literary equivalent I can think of right away is those short stories of Borges or Calvino which are not quite stories but rather something between a story and an essay. "Majorettes" would be closer to Calvino (if an actual comparison of the kind were valid - it isn't, on that level) because of the humour. You start by laughing your head off because of the tremendous wit on display; by the end, you'll still be laughing - but some extremely serious issues will have been brought up. That it is left to the viewers to sit up and take notice if they want to is just another way in which "Majorettes" manages to bring entertainment and intellectual stimulation together.

Hmmm. This is quite provocative. We start with "Vincent" - a naked gay lad putting on a condom that's been made from latex provided by a nearby tree. He likes to have sex and celebrates at gay pride for the same rights as the heterosexuals who also like to make love. They also need to use condoms else they'll have too many children to fit in their small car! Think, though, of the poor Soviet cosmonauts up on the Soyuz 27. They are heterosexual men who like sex but what opportunity? Perhaps needs must on their prolonged mission? Well no, because "Igor" forgot the rubbers and so "Dimitri"has gone outside in the huff. Majorettes don't know about sex yet as they are too young and then, finally, there's the Pope. He lives in airports and communes with invisible beings so he has something in common with the young cheerleading "Julie" who also converses with extraterrestrial beings (think Marvel etc.). How can we tell them all apart? Well show them instructional videos of course - of sex. This has the Pope furious and leaves the young girl bemused. She can't do any of her baton twirling in space - gravity etc, even if majorettes are the fantasy of the poor blokes stuck in space with their increasingly blue helmets. Now we learn that "Vincent" has AIDS and isn't long for the world. The pope is old, so neither is he - but at least he can drink Polish vodka to take the edge off that thought. "Dimitri" also likes vodka and after quite a few shots imagines that he is now a majorette. Well until he takes too much of the stuff and falls asleep. The moral? Only mankind knows from the start that he is destined to die. Only mankind can write poetry. This is funny and potent, especially as the narrative - which is delivered in short and pithy statements - approaches the end of this feature and points out the inconsistencies of what is "shocking and scandalous".