Until recently when watching the gay-themed short film We Are Animals, it would be easy to say, ‘well, that would never happen’, but considering the panic and virtual house arrest imposed on those potentially exposed to Ebola recently, it’s perhaps not as extreme as it might initially seem.
The short takes us into an alternate version of the mid-1980s, where panic over HIV and AIDS has caused chaos and an authoritarian regime to be imposed, where gay and HIV+ positive people are being quarantined, locked up and forcibly castrated. However one young man has to face his own truth after becoming involved in a breakout.
The short gave its name to last year’s gay short film collection, Boys On Film 11: We Are Animals, and at the time we said, ‘We Are Animals is an angry, intense, intriguing and pretty dark film. It’s also very challenging, leaving you to wonder if either side of the argument is completely right or completely wrong, or if intolerance and rhetoric has pushed both sides far further than ought to be justified. It’s a poem to the resolutely queer who will not pass in ways that heteros deem acceptable. However it doesn’t give them a free pass, asking the audience to question what’s going on.’
You can watch the full 13-minute film below. If you know a short film we ought to be posting, tell us by getting in touch via our contact page. And check out more gay short films and web series here. [Read more…]