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Born This Way
- Director: Shaun Kadlec; Deb Tullmann
- Producer: Shaun Kadlec; Deb Tullmann
CGiii Comment
What looked like a thoroughly worthy project...is let-down by a couple of unworthy directors, both clearly incapable of spotting a good story in a library laden with good stories.
Apart from it being needlessly boring, it's chronically uninformative...homosexuality is illegal, carrying a penalty of 5 years in prison. That's it, that's all the information you get. Not a mention of the church and state regime...
The display of bad judgment is overwhelming...a protracted conversation with a taxi driver about the female orgasm - totally bizarre and unnecessary. The 'coming out' scene to the rifle-shooting nun - what was that all about?!? The hidden camera in the courtroom filming a case unrelated to the story. Why?!?
There are two high points, the human rights lawyer - deserving of a film all to herself. And, the silhouetted couple's conversation...both touching and horrifying.
This is point and shoot with no aforethought...it's lazy, ineffectual filmmaking. The material was there, in abundance - a disappointing wasted opportunity...the LGBT community in Cameroon deserved better.
Trailer...
The(ir) Blurb...
BORN THIS WAY is a portrait of the underground gay and lesbian community in Cameroon. It follows Cedric and Gertrude, two young Cameroonians, as they move between a secret, supportive LGBT community and an outside culture that, though intensely homophobic, is in transition toward greater acceptance.