Small Town Gay Bar

If the reality presented in this documentary is too much for some reviewers, that's too bad. Thankfully for the rest of us this is an incredibly well made, thoughtful documentary for people with enough maturity to realize that while not everything in life can be glowsticks and glitter, that doesn't make it any less worth living.

This documentary shows a lot of different sides of gay life through telling the story of several different gay bars in the "Bible belt," both hardships and the joys. Describing this movie as depressing (and deeming it unfit to see because of it) seems short- sighted in the extreme.

There are a lot of depressing moments. Any time Phelps gets any screen time it is dismaying, but he's a great figure to use to show the very extreme of anti-gay movements. If every queen is out getting blissed out of their mind and ignoring hate mongers like Phelps, his numbers only grow stronger. Know thy enemy. The filmmakers clearly juxtapose Phelps and his followers with the simple, sweet sentiments of the brother of a slain gay man. I think it was quite powerful.

And if anything, I think the film has a message of hope. Despite all the trials, the gay bars in little town are still sticking it out thanks to a few brave individuals, with arguably more heart and sense of community their well coiffed city counterparts can muster these days.\

The film does suffer a bit when it tries to tell the story of "Tula's" mostly because it explores it with less depth than Crossroads or Rumors and it feels a bit tacked on, even though some of the info it offered is interesting, especially in relation to the AFA. But that's my only real complaint.

As a young gay man, I found this movie inspiring. These people are the pioneers in the wild wild west of an oppressively straight (and yes, sometimes cruel) world. It's not safe for them, it's not easy - but they're finding their moments of joy and a place to belong without running away from the places they grew up.

It's easy to wonder - why stay? That's like asking a family in a bad neighborhood - why stay? If there are drug dealers at every corner and bullets flying through the window why do you stay? The truth is, it's not always easy to leave for a number of complicated reasons. There's economics, family, affection for a certain town or landscape... or a mixture of all of them. Should every LGBTQ person flee to a big city, protected in a gay ghetto bubble without having to worry about what is happening in the other 90% of the country? I don't think so. I'd never begrudge them for doing so, as almost every person in the homosexual community has had their fair share of knocks. But to write those who chose to stay off as stupid or miserabilists is unfair in the extreme.

I think they're heroes to be applauded, and I applaud the filmmakers for shining a light on them.

Winner of two awards and beaten at Sundance by a documentary on my "must see" list, this is a film about gay life in the Bible Belt.

Malcolm Ingram, who also writes, and even crewed on Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back, is changing from comedy with his third film as a director, and doing a great job at it.

This film is like a roller-coaster in that one minute you are partying along with the patrons of "Rumors," a gay and lesbian bar in Shannon, MS; and the next you are hearing about a brutal torture and murder of a man in Bay Minette; Then we visit "Crossroads" in Meridian, where anything goes, and are partying big time. Other bars in North Mississippi are also profiled before we end up back at Crossroads and Rumors.

Oh, yes, Meridian is the birthplace of Fred Phelps, so you have to feature him in the film, too. Another piece of the puzzle that is this man? And, of course, you have Donald Wildmon of the American Family Association in Tupelo, so having a gay bar in Mississippi is a challenge.

This was an extremely interesting film about people that just want to be left alone to have fun.

I saw this film at its premiere last year and I still long to see it in wide release... I was fortunate enough to meet Mr Ingram and tell him personally what a moving, beautiful film he created and I reiterate that thought here. This film is a brilliant piece of cinema - EVERYONE should have the chance to see this. It is important, relevant, and heartbreaking. KUDOS again to Malcolm and Kevin Smith (who was the most down-to-earth person I've been lucky enough to meet) for making such a fabulous film. In showing what it is like for a marginalized group in a marginalized region to struggle to survive, the director brings home the point about the fear and hatred that still exists. The soundtrack is perfect for the film. In a word - Outstanding.

My heart goes out to all of the people in "Small Town Gay Bar." As a gay man from a small, rural community who left for the big city at age 18, I could identify with some of the sentiments about finding a home and a refuge within a gay bar.

All in all, though, I found the film very difficult to sit through...I had to wonder why people would stay in such a miserable setting. I'd have liked to see this question explored.

Also, all of the physical locations were depressing...rundown buildings, sad-looking mobile homes, and empty fields full of rusting cars and trash.

Is that really what these towns in Mississippi are like, or did the director only show us certain aspects?

I've watched this film more than once. The only thing about it that is a "downer" is the discrimination and bigotry these people are forced to endure. They address a number of issues...the hostility toward homosexuals, the religious community that is against them, the fact that they have no sense of community with each other than within the walls of these bars.

Although they live under circumstances that are hostile to who they are, they seem like wonderful and delightful people. My favorite part is Jim Bishops speech in the limo. Now you have to watch it to know what I am referring to. You can find it on Netflix.