I would like to share with you what I have been thinking about since viewing this movie. Profound friendship between women and men is still contested territory indeed. This movie is a progressive documentary into this unusual realm of relationships. Relationships come in all forms, but have we seen this before on the movie screen? Rarely, or Not at all, and is it even recognizable to our lives? The director, Justine Pimlott says in an interview, "With gay men, the relationship, because there's usually no sexual expectation, can be free from that baggage, though at times the boundaries can get confusing." The territory that breaks the most ground is the relationship in which there was a real sexual connection, and due to this revelation, this is the most unusual, pivotal, and riveting of all the dialogues going on. This brings up issues. Yes, one considers: could this be true conversely, with a lesbian that the relationship with a straight man can be free from that baggage? Or what about a man and a woman who are both gay? Indeed the boundaries would be confusing, because there are no role models. And such a relationship would be truly blessed and unique, unlike any other, and the journey to self-love could be profoundly shared. Becoming whole to find the self-love would seem to be a benefit of such a liaison. This film opened up my eyes as to many things I have thought about bisexuality. In the life of one such couple, the gay man openly discusses this unique perspective, describing feelings of how Adam and Eve must have felt being cast out of the Garden of Eden. He describes how he still has a gay identity, and how this feels since he is not currently living in a gay sexual relationship, but still heart and soul connected gay. Going into gay identity while leading a non-gay sex life is revolutionary. Paraphrasing the words as best as I can remember, "She was attached to my heart like a hook, and what I have learned has been a total surprise to me like a chain-saw massacre." If you hear that you realize something very unique is afoot. It was refreshing to hear all of these tender and sweet interviews between fags and hags. This is a progressive documentary which makes it clear that people are going to accept who they want to accept. S.W.I.S.H. makes a very unique debut.
