It's time they came out of the closet.
"The whole world is full of stupid myths about women."
A Canadian documentary on the subject of lesbians and their culture in the 1940s-1960s. Nine different interviews are interspersed with a story about Laura, a young woman moving away and discovering her sexual orientation in a way reminiscent of classic lesbian pulp novels and their clichés; a common motif throughout. Co-directed by Lynne Fernie & Aerlyn Weissman and released in 1992, it can be viewed online for free at the producer's website
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This movie contains examples of:
- Ambiguously Gay: Played with, the introduction warning audiences not to assume anyone shown is homosexual...or heterosexual.
- Audible Gleam: The heart-shaped locket given to Laura from Meg does this, complete with cartoonish special effects.
- Butch Lesbian: Discussed in detail, more so than femmes, due to the oft unbalanced ratio of the two.
- Cigarette of Anxiety: Laura's visibly nervous as she smokes at the gay bar, though as she becomes more and more comfortable around Mitch, this isn't shown again.
- Closet Gay: Many of the women in the film discuss their life before coming out and what it was like being closeted. The story of Laura also has her closeted initially.
- Coming-Out Story: Most women interviewed discuss their coming out in the past.
- Domestic Abuse: One woman, Stephanie, relates having been in a relationship where her girlfriend basically made her take the house wife role, and controlled her life. This included how Stephanie dressed and who she hung out with.
- Hereditary Homosexuality: One of the women in the film mentions her oldest daughter is also a lesbian (to outrage from her ex-husband).
- Heteronormative Crusader: A police officer who particularly harassed lesbians is mentioned, though the police generally were like this during the 1940s-'50s, according to the women's accounts. One woman also talks about how her ex-husband grew outraged after learning that she's a lesbian, became a homophobic religious zealot and then harassed her for many years in his attempt to "turn her straight" again. He was even more outraged after their daughter came out as a lesbian too, while trying to drive their youngest daughter away from them both.
- Homophobic Hate Crime: It's mentioned that the police used to beat up or rape lesbians with impunity, and the numerous hate crimes toward the Metropolitan Community Church (an LGBT-affirming denomination) are also detailed.
- The Ken Burns Effect: Used often while showing hotels and other gay bars due to limited footage.
- Lipstick Lesbian: They were less common in the 40's and 50's, according to women interviewed, though some of them qualified according to their looks as shown. One also made herself into a femme on getting involved with a fellow butch. Laura and Mitch, the two lesbians from the pulp story, are also quite feminine.
- Male Gaze: Intentionally inverted in the narrative sequences, which generally end with both women looking directly at the camera.
- Masculine–Feminine Gay Couple: One woman, Stephanie, was butch but remade herself as femme when involved with another butch lesbian, a form of abuse as her girlfriend was very controlling.
- Ms. Fanservice: Laura and Mitch, the lesbians from the pulp story, are both very beautiful. They have a sex scene and appear topless at the end.
- One-Night-Stand Pregnancy: One lesbian relates she did sleep with a man once. She got pregnant with her daughter from doing so.
- Police Brutality: The police used to target lesbians with harassment, beatings and even rape.
- R-Rated Opening: Inverted. The film ends with a sex scene between Laura and Mitch, the lesbians from the pulp story.
- Show Within a Show: Interspersed with the real lesbians being interviewed on their lives in the past is a story that's based on the old pulp lesbian novels of the 1950s, about a young lesbian named Laura meeting another woman named Mitch and becoming her lover, with the last shot turning into a picture like it's the book's cover.
- Tomboyish Name: Mitch is the name of Laura's lover in the pulp story. She's feminine like Laura, although more experienced and bold.
- Where Everybody Knows Your Flame: The gay bars of the 40's-50's are discussed, and stock footage is shown of them. Laura in the story also goes into one, where she's hit on by Mitch, a woman there, before going home with her.
- Your Favorite: Mitch orders a grasshopper for Laura, knowing it's her preferred drink before they even speak.
