Queerama

The archive of the British Film Institute is a treasure chest of British film and TV history. Composed entirely of excerpts from this archive, Queerama tells the extraordinary story of the development of attitudes to homosexuality in the UK. It uses half a century of British legislation on homosexuality (from the Sexual Offences Act of 1967 to the Alan Turing Act of 2017) as its leitmotif. Chronologically, we see the fears, longings, relationships and oppression of gay men and women, and how they have been portrayed in film and on TV, both in fiction and documentary—from stereotypes to frank interviews. A doctor explains that homosexuality isn't innate, but rather caused by youth trauma. A young soldier meets his comrade’s provocative gaze. A worried mother exclaims, "It’s not normal, is it?" A luscious soundtrack with music by John Grant, Goldfrapp and Hercules & Love Affair not only complements the smoothly edited footage, but also adds its own powerful emotional charge.