Cinema:
Gay teens in Taiwan
ASIAWEEK May
5, 2000.
A
rosy hued documentary gets a mixed reception in the Lion City
By JACINTHA STEPHENS
Singapore
"DOCUMENTARY filmmakers
are very political," declares Taiwan director Mickey Chen. He is also
gay and proud. Hence Boys for Beauty, his cinematic celebration of homosexual
youth, which, he says, performed creditably at box offices in the island
last year. And if the documentary is any sort of indicator, 33-year-old
Chen stands at the more accommodating end of the political spectrum.
Boys focuses primarily
on the lives of three teenagers - a drag dancer, a straight-A scholar from
an elite institution and a student from an average school. Chen had ruthlessly
whittled the "leads" from
a shortlisted series of interviews with 12 boys and their families. Those
choices, however, came under some fire at a special screening of his film
organized in Singapore last month in conjunction with his visit. "Why
is it that you depict only effeminate gays?" demands one member of
the predominantly male audience. The boyish Chen quips: "Because I
believe in the power of sissyhood."
A more serious criticism,
though, is that his documentary fails to address the problems that gay
teenagers encounter, and Chen replies in kind. "I am very protective
when it comes to gay society.
I only showed those
accepted by their families because I wanted to present positive images
of homosexuals," he explains. It's not that he doesn't want to "deal
with darkness," he says, but that he's careful in his representation
of the teenagers. Chen fears that any depiction of the uglier side of homosexual
life may be taken out of context and used against the youngsters.
All the same, his documentary
is unapologetically intrusive. The camera's unblinking eye captures the
teenagers' changing moods, their petty squabbles over love lives and their
worries over matters ranging from weight problems to sexual encounters.
But what comes across as a seamless chronicle was painstakingly spliced
together from hundreds of hours of footage. Toting a fuss-free digital
camera, Chen had followed gay teenagers around Taipei for a year. "At
first, I spent hours and hours just chatting and talking nonsense with
them." The time was well spent, for the trust that Chen earned is
evident in his film. His subjects appear relaxed and their frank answers
to probing questions provide an insight into their different psyches.
One boy declares: "Being
gay is very high class. I have never found anything wrong with it."
An assertive stance. But confusion and low self-esteem are more familiar
feelings among many gay teenagers. "I dare not tell anyone. I thought
being gay was equal to having AIDS. That I'm not a good son," says
one. Adds another: "I'm like Mulan [in reverse] - a boy dressed in
girls' clothes."
Bin's father is one
of the most memorable interviewees. While he repeatedly declares that he
is proud of his drag-dancer son, "Papa Bin" cannot comprehend
the teenager's sexual preference. "It doesn't make sense. But he is
my son, so I must try and understand him," he says, though he hopes
the boy will "come to his senses" eventually. Indeed, Bin's father
is a supportive dad and even drives him to his gigs. At the gay bars where
the boy performs, Papa Bin is often complimented by other teenagers craving
acceptance from their families. But the father still feels guilty for "not
knowing how it happened." He adds: "How could [society, friends
and relatives] blame me for not giving [Bin] a normal orientation? Luckily
he didn't blame us."
The most dramatic,
and tragic, case that Chen came across did not even make it into the raw
cuts: a father who discovered his son was homosexual when he found the
youngster asleep with a gay magazine in his hand. Shocked and furious,
he tore up the publication, set it alight and then held the flames to the
boy. The family agreed to be interviewed on camera, but Chen says his conscience
would not allow him to spotlight a parent who momentarily let his anger
get the better of him. "The father acted not from his heart but from
the pressures of society," he says. "I've no right to play God
[and judge]. I don't have the right to burn Chinese society." Instead,
the director presents portraits of well-adjusted teens who enjoy some degree
of acceptance, even support from loving parents.
In any case, the New
York-trained filmmaker reckons attitudes are softening in Taiwan. Not only
was Boys financed by a $12,000 grant from the United Daily News, one of
the island's leading newspapers, the authorities even entered his documentary
at a foreign film festival. What's more, Chen adds, the government recently
approved ground-breaking funds to promote the rights of gays and other
minorities.
Chen's rosy pictures,
however, may be what trouble Singapore officials most. Gay activists, who
sought permission for a screening through the arts organization The Substation,
could only show the film to a restricted adult audience. A 1992 censors'
panel decreed in 1992 that while gays should not be persecuted, it could
not allow works that glorify homosexuality or agitate for its acceptance.
That stance, observes T. Sasitharan, Substation's artistic director, stems
more from officials' desire "to protect the conventional family."
And lest anyone forget, a series of formal debates and officially supported
activities in recent years help hammer home the message: Singapore must
nurture "strong families."
But activists like
Alex Au question the definition of this basic social unit. It's time, he
argues, to re-examine the assumption that "family values" can
only be built in a heterosexual setting.
"Pigheaded"
pressure on gay sons and daughters only creates barriers to communication.
Rather than strengthen the family, Au says, insisting on conformity only
tends to fracture them.
Similarly, Au feels
denying Singapore teens the chance to view films such as Boys is more damaging:
"By cutting off information about their own sexuality, gay teenagers
are left with negative self-images and feelings of isolation." He
concedes that Singapore isn't a wholly homophobic society, but says many
people still adopt "Jurassic" attitudes. Equality for the gay
community is "still very far away."