Welcome to the ur-tragic dead gay movie. It’s even more insufferable than you’re thinking.
It’s that time of year! Time for us to dive into the history of queer cinema and look at representation through the decades. This year we’re focusing on queer ladies, and that means starting with that most noxious of tropes: the dead lesbian.
The Children’s Hour is a particularly accomplished film: not only does its gay lead kill herself out of terrible guilt for existing, it also has time to be soulsuckingly dull and produce the single most wooden performance of Audrey Hepburn’s career! This was nominated for Oscars, people.
CONTENT WARNING for discussion of child abuse, homophobia, and suicide
1:00 Pride Month
4:00 The Plot
7:00 Your Oppression is Not a Metaphor
10:00 Lesbian Pulp
12:30 The Karen. That One.
15:00 This Movie Hates Women
17:00 The Littlest Sociopath
21:00 Well That Escalated Quickly
23:00 The Two Endings
29:00 Hepburn
32:00 Rules of Censorship
35:00 Bad Child Psychology
41:00 Should You Watch This
Say hi to Dorothy and Vrai on Twitter @writervrai and @dorothynotgale
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