Fabulous! The Story of Queer Cinema

It's unfortunate that most of the audience for this touching and celebratory documentary will be those who don't really need to see it, though of course there's no reason why gays, lesbians, transgendereds, bisexuals, and sympathetic heteros shouldn't. But one wishes that those who think “gay movies” started with Brokeback Mountain could see this overview of the history of queer cinema, which ranges from the early days of the gay rights movement as an underground genre, through the home video revolution, and on to the recent mainstreaming of GLBT films. Interviewed actors, filmmakers, and critics here include Ang Lee, Gus Van Sant, John Waters, Alan Cumming, Christine Vachon, Heather Matarazzo, Michael Musto, and many more, who comment on the absence of films that represented their lives when they were growing up as confused adolescents, coupled with clips from films such as Bound, Hedwig and the Angry Inch, Word Is Out, Watermelon Woman, Paris Is Burning, and Boys Don't Cry. Likewise, general fans of independent cinema will find filmmakers Lisa Ades and Lesli Klainberg's Fabulous!, produced for the Independent Film Channel, to be a fascinating exploration of the passion that drives filmmakers who are looking for more than just fame and fortune. DVD extras include additional interview clips that are often as delightful as the ones used in the film itself. Recommended. Aud: C, P. (M. Johanson)