My Sister, My Bride

In October 2002, five-year lesbian partners Farrell and Caren decided to have a dedication ceremony at their home in Carson City, Nevada, where--surrounded by friends and some family--they participated in a Jewish b'rit ahuvah, a celebration of commitment. Flash forward to March 2004, when along with thousands of other gay couples, the pair (new baby in tow) arrive at City Hall in San Francisco for a different, more official, kind of ceremony. Interviews with witnesses at Farrell and Caren's San Franciscan wedding (an older couple who changed their views on gay marriage after getting to know the two women at their home synagogue), as well as a few of the officials and celebrants who worked the huge crowds during that month of marriage-license frenzy, are interwoven in this touching film that persuasively suggests marriage can make a difference in the lives of gay people--helping to negate feelings of being “second-class citizens.” Though short in length, Bonnie Burt's documentary is long on heart, courage, and true family and moral values. Recommended. Aud: C, P. (K. Glaser)