Ich Kenn Keinen - Allein Unter Heteros (German Documentary) [Talk Straight: The World of Rural Queers]

This 2003  documentary is about 4-5 gay men, who are living on the countryside of Swabia (a rural area in the south west of Germany) far off from the big cities, where it is easier being gay and not being scrutinized at every given point. Being alone as Gays among an entirely heterosexual environment, they still try to live a rich and happy life. Even though this may be universal story, the reaction of their fellow villagers are unique, allowing us a rare peek of real life in the small villages in rural Germany.

The film starts with a group of older people sitting together and eating and one of the guys giving his honest opinion on what he thinks of gay people. We are then slowly introduced to our protagonists of this documentary. Hartmut, HIV-positive, kept his homosexuality secret in Germany until his diagnosis, but he traveled to Thailand, where he indulged in sex tourism. He now wishes he had started his life much earlier. Heavyset mid-20s forester Stefan would like a steady mate. He is a forestry worker and lives together with his mother. He is occasionally drawn to the gay scene in Stuttgart. But wedging anyone — male or female — between him and his rather overpowering mother could prove difficult. Richard was born in 1924 and had to live out his homosexuality hidden for much of his life. He is now retired and has been in a long-distance relationship with old friend Eduard (or are they just friends?). Goofy military-wear enthusiast Uwe, a 38-year old technical worker, gets his kicks on occasional dives into Berlin’s wild life, while at home, his mum ignores all blunt truths — she still insists it’ll be OK when he “brings a girl home some day.” Fifth principal is Erika, a mother with two grown gay sons. She’s taken up the cause in earnest, starting up a parents’ organization, encouraging tolerance in local churches, etc.

At the time that the film was written, homophobia had begun to substantially diminish in cities and metropolitan areas. Many German public figures at the time were beginning to openly identify as homosexual, and homosexuality was becoming generally more accepted in Germany. Gay men who lived in rural areas, by contrast, were more likely to face discrimination. Homophobic slurs remained in common use in rural areas, a fact which the film highlighted for many viewers. Like most documentaries, the approach of the film is through personal interviews and those of family members and friends. What pleasantly surprised me was the candidness with which most people spoke. They were all being themselves. It was an interesting perspective on how amazingly tolerant, and sophisticated the "backwaters" of Germany are, despite some of them openly accepting how negative their thoughts were when they first heard of someone being gay. You should see some of the chit chat in this film with conservative older generation people like grandpa and grandma and hoe openly they speak their mind. The subjects chosen for the film were an interesting mix of age and families. Sadly, there was no lesbian representation, which would have balanced the film slightly more. But overall the documentary does provide an interesting insight on acceptance and tolerance of gays in rural Germany. (5/10)