American Queer Cinema Movie, Billy's Hollywood Screen Kiss (1998)

     After experiencing something horrible movie, the next film called Billy's Hollywood Screen Kiss was chose to watch. This movie was directed by Tommy O'Haver and released in 1998. What am I going to discuss about this film is Queer Cinema.

Synopsis
     The story began with one man who was gay called Billy as a professional photographer got his friend Perry's support to run his Billy's Hollywood Screen Kiss Project. So, he was excited and asked the man who worked as coffee man, Gabriel whether he wants to join his project or not. After promising each other, they both started to share their own life and Billy disappointed that Gabriel had girlfriend (Natelie) before they know each other. However, there was a time when Gabriel quarreling with Natelie and their relationship was over. So, Billy took the chance to imply that he was fall in love with Gabriel. Although Gabriel tried to accept something new like Billy's characteristic, he told Billy that he cannot do that because he was just broke up with her girlfriend and his mind was very complicated during that time. What will happen to them? Do they love each other or not? These need to be confirm.

Theory Discussion

Queer Cinema
     This term was introduced in 1991 at Toronto Film Festivals. It was a idea that re-examined and reviewed the image of gays which also called as homosexuality. Furthermore, it was overturning gender and sexual binaries to show its limitation in question since many people have question in their mind. The objective of this is want to motivate audiences to see the same thing in real life through the movie. 



     From the book Cinema Studies: The Key Concept written by Susan with page 306 and line 24-25, she pointed out that these kind of films proposed renegotiated subjectivities where the gaze had changed from male looking at female to male looking at male. For example, Billy looked at Gabriel just like previous blog how Spade looked at Wonderly and it just the gender was different.



       There are some approaches in Queer Theory which can use to conduct queer reading of texts. Firstly, whether a queer theory can accept or not needs to see in audience reception. For example, there was a scene that Billy started to kiss and touch body of Gabriel and I think it was okay for me if the scene not tried to show something private body parts. 

     Next, non-straight audience started to accept the theory of queer because it changed their closed-mind to think that homosexual is not a bad thing for us. As human, we have our right to choose what we want to be and what we want to do so there is no point for us to judge the homosexual society because most of us do not know what we want to do and be. It was admired to them because they showed what they want with their braveness.

     Thirdly, (Doty 1998, 150) described that queer theory was a straight-identifying film and popular culture theorist, critics or producers that concerns with non-normative straightness. To further explain this, the purpose of this approaches is want to improve the awareness of queer theory in cinema to the society so that people will know the term and not feel that the term is always a new thing for them. 

     Lastly, the last approach will be the films and well-known culture texts, audience positions, pleasures and reading that vocalize spaces outside gender binaries and sexuality categories whether these are outside normative straight understanding of gender and sexuality or outside orthodox, lesbian and gay understanding had stated by (Ibid., 150). To explain this, it wants to show the society know more on the term of gender and sexuality through releasing the queer movie. 


Conclusion
     Finally, this movie had taught me a lot in how the LGBT society was and what were the stresses they struggled all the time. They might be different compared to a normal but we cannot judge them as freaks because these are their true identity. This is the end of my blog, thanks for coming here to see my opinion for movies. I hope you like it. Bye! 

References

S.Hayward (2013), Cinema Studies: The Key Concepts, Fourth Edition, Routledge, London and New York