Cut Sleeve

Produced and directed by N.A. Diaman, Cut Sleeve is comprised of interview clips with gays and lesbians of Asian/Pacific ancestry living in San Francisco. Encompassing a wide range of ethnic backgrounds (Thai, Japanese, Chinese), the four women and four men interviewed touch on the relationship between their culture and their alternative lifestyles, but more often the interviewees share "coming out of the closet" tales which are, frankly, boring. Abrupt edits and occasionally shaky handheld camera lend an amateur look to the less than compelling content, which is only broken by a refreshing guitar piece by Donna Keiko Ozawa in the middle of the program. There's neither an introduction nor a summation to put what the viewer sees into any kind of context. A much better video about the gay and lesbian community, which looks at people who are interesting above and beyond their sexual preferences, and also embraces a much broader range of ages and races, is the excellent Word Is Out (reviewed in our July-August 1992 issue). Those serving Asian/Pacific communities in the Bay area may want to consider Cut Sleeve; for others it's not a necessary purchase. (Available from: Persona Video, Box 14022, San Francisco, CA 94114; (415) 775-6143.)