F.H.A.R (Front Homosexual d'Action Révolutionnaire) was a French radical movement of homosexuals and lesbian feminists in the early 1970s, just after the uprising of the student protests that happened near the end of the 1960s, and was known for granting visibility to gays and lesbians when the student uprisings shunned them out.
The homosexuals were given a voice, a face and a personality when everything else dislocated and alienated them from anything to do with the word "gay".
This documentary, directed by Carole Roussopoulos, shows a fascinating insight in the lives, opinions and motives of radical gays and lesbians, feminists and queer activists. Mostly the activists rant against the bourgeois and traditional society that had so suppressed them. The film is presented only with the answers that they give to the camera. Some of them don't agree with each other and they don't agree with themselves. There is one scene when one man laughs at what the other is saying with a truly hilariously irritating laugh and the camera pulls to him to reveal his pig-like face.
This group only stayed active until the mid to late 1970s, with several key members leaving for several reasons. Not everyone got along. I think it's important for activists to maintain a certain amount of closeness and good friendship in order to stay human in sometimes stressful circumstances.
It's a very interesting film that captivates the rare and early stages of gay and lesbian rights in France. It's inspired many activists to go out and film their own documentary about debates on queer and feminist issues.
The homosexuals were given a voice, a face and a personality when everything else dislocated and alienated them from anything to do with the word "gay".
This documentary, directed by Carole Roussopoulos, shows a fascinating insight in the lives, opinions and motives of radical gays and lesbians, feminists and queer activists. Mostly the activists rant against the bourgeois and traditional society that had so suppressed them. The film is presented only with the answers that they give to the camera. Some of them don't agree with each other and they don't agree with themselves. There is one scene when one man laughs at what the other is saying with a truly hilariously irritating laugh and the camera pulls to him to reveal his pig-like face.
This group only stayed active until the mid to late 1970s, with several key members leaving for several reasons. Not everyone got along. I think it's important for activists to maintain a certain amount of closeness and good friendship in order to stay human in sometimes stressful circumstances.
It's a very interesting film that captivates the rare and early stages of gay and lesbian rights in France. It's inspired many activists to go out and film their own documentary about debates on queer and feminist issues.
