The Flipcritic

Every movie lover by now knows what a breakthrough BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN has been. It is the first major acclaimed film that has dealt head on with the taboo of homosexual romance (I’m sure that there have been others before it, but can you remember them?). But aside from this, it has another distinction. I have seen no other movie that has deterred so many men from the theatre, yet engrossed just as many women. It even inspired Larry David (creator of SEINFELD) to pen a hilarious op-ed piece on why he won’t see it. Though his musings are meant to be funny, they mine some truth.

The Philippines is more or less quite open to the gay community (it’s one of a handful of Asian countries showing the film in wide release). Though discouraged by the Church and quietly ridiculed by the heterosexual majority, most Filipino gays are openly “out of the closet” and fear little rebuke or reprisal. Male homosexuals are stigmatized as “effeminate” (bakla) and lesbians as “butch” (tibo). Yet the younger generation is beginning to shed these stereotypes, particularly due to Western literature and media. Quietly, gays are being accepted.

So here comes Ang Lee’s unconventional love story, putting this theory to the test. And suddenly, old beliefs are returning to the fore. Straight men are staying away from it like avian flu, unless accompanied by their female companions. If you had never heard of it, BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN might have seemed to be the most effective specialized horror movie of its time, regardless of its tremendous emotional craftsmanship. Even close friends of mine, guys whom I had thought to be open and understanding, refuse to see it, even in private (on pirated DVDs).

One would think that such men are deeply biased against homosexuality. But how come we never hear of the same type of abhorrence whenever lesbianism is portrayed onscreen? We all know that a double standard exists against women in society. This also translates to one in homophobia, where male homosexuals are taboo, but lesbians are turn-ons.

God knows how many movies have used female homosexuality to entice male audiences (particularly teenagers). Whether explicitly (as in WILD THINGS) or suggestively (CHARLIE’S ANGELS 2), lesbians are just another form of female objectification. They’re loin-candy if you will, satisfying our fantasies but rarely engaging us intelligently. These sweets aren’t just limited to film, as girl-girl action is tantalizingly referred to more and more in advertising and television.

This is not to say that sexual fantasy has no place in film (it’s been there ever since Valentino). But how can we denounce homosexuality when we can hardly lift a finger against the use of lesbians as enticements? Where was the uproar over Madonna and Britney locking lips at the MTV awards? Some will argue that if a serious film about a lesbian relationship had been made, it would still spark controversy. But think about this, if BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN had been about two lesbian rodeo queens (like the one Anne Hathaway played) struggling to be accepted in the Midwest of the 1960s, straight men would be flocking to the theater in droves, with their partners struggling to keep in step.

So is gay love really taboo? Hardly. What’s really at issue here is the insecurity of the heterosexual male (you know who you are) in dealing with male homosexuality. At the risk of sounding sexist and cliché, women are much more mature in dealing with sexuality, as more of them are willing to see and depict such behavior in movies. If you don’t believe me, watch out for it soon in theatres, onscreen and off.

Posted by FLIPCRITIC at March 1, 2006 09:41 PM