Out Run

According to this documentary, the Ladlad political party in the Philippines is globally unique for being formed and run by LGBT individuals. But the struggles of Ladlad captured here prove to be a cautionary tale about trying to finesse an election by papering over issues that divide one's base from everyone else. Having failed to secure any wins in a 2010 congressional election, Ladlad regroups and runs three nominees for 2013—among them a gay man (or “bakla,” as gays are sometimes called in the conservative Catholic country) and a transgender woman. Attempting to form alliances with political centrists while assuming that the LGBT community will automatically unite behind Ladlad, the party's candidates eschew controversial issues such as marriage equality and bathroom rights in order to push a more generically appealing anti-discrimination platform. Out Run follows the campaign as this dubious strategy plays out, although filmmakers S. Leo Chiang and Johnny Symons are often distracted by the glittery, self-congratulatory identity politics of transgender and transsexual Ladlad supporters. While the nominees are met with a fair amount of goodwill on the street, anti-LGBT bigotry is never far away, and certain traditions of small-scale election season corruption (such as paying poor people for their votes) are an obstacle. In the end, the election results remind both the Ladlad bosses and the audience that when it comes to politics, a platform that tries to appeal to everyone rarely inspires loyalty. Recommended. Aud: C, P. (T. Keogh)