Perspektiv på "Milk" i Expressen 26/02

I Kalifornien har debatten kring homoäktenskap blossat upp igen. Lagförslaget Proposition 8, som förbjuder homoäktenskap, gick igenom i samband med valet i höstas. Samtidigt har Gus van Sants senaste storfilm Milk med Sean Penn i huvudrollen nyligen plockat ner dubbla Oscarstatyetter från duktighetsträdet.
Filmen är en sann historia om Harvey Milk, USA:s förste öppet homosexuella politiker som någonsin klättrat till en hög maktposition, men som blev mördad strax efter stort politiskt genomslag.
Antony Hegarty i emogruppen Antony and the Johnsons är dock inte så nöjd med Milk och jämför filmen med gamla rasistiska ”minstrel shows”. En skamfläck av rasism i USA:s kultur där vita artister målade sig ”black faced” och uppträdde i varieteter.
Hegarty menar i en intervju med New York Magazine att Sean Penns Oscarbelönade och fjolliga rolltolkning i Milk är detsamma ”som att måla ansiktet i svart färg” och ”ett perverst sätt av de här heterosexuella jävlarna för att bygga upp sina karriärer, de spökar ut sig med femininitet utan att hållas ansvariga”.

Och bögarna i Milk är flamboyanta på ett sätt som en straight publik redan har vant sig vid att se: som försnällade versioner av heterosexuella.
Och trots att regissören Gus van Sant är gay själv, får den enda flatan i Milk dessutom samma spelrum som en svart elev i en high schoolfilm brukar få. Ett par obligatoriska repliker utan värde för dramaturgin och en minnesbild i eftertexterna.
En ensam, men tungviktig, motståndare till de överrepresenterade bilderna av bögar som ”gay och goda” är i den stenhårda karaktären Omar Little i insomnade serien The Wire. Omar är en enmansarmé till gangster i Baltimores knarkkvarter. Supersvart och supergay.
Kanske håller ”bög” sakta på att bli ”det nya svarta”. I dubbel bemärkelse.

Publicerad i Expressen Kultur 26/02/09

Relaterat: gillar Fredrik Strages text från i måndags om hur den manliga bögkyssen är en oscarsvinnande version av att göra actionstunts.

Not so 'into' the wild

Know that Sean Penn written/directed/noveladapted/inspiredbytruestory/critically asstossed hikingtrip-movie?
I'm sure you've heard of it, it's starring that kid who fucked Jack Bauers daughter in The girl next door. They were even on Oprah promoting the film and she seemed to have ”lohooved it”.
I'm quite positive you've bumped into descriptions like ”life affirming”, ”celebrating the beauty of natures authenticity” or some equally pretentious bullshit? Yeah well, what it's really about is basically a spoiled twenty-something guy who can't cope with the real world and just takes off, into the wild.
This seems like a perfectly good solution if there'd been a huge draft for a nuclear war going down. However, Chris McCandless (played by Emile Hirsch. the fucker, remember?) does it because he feels trapped and unable to fulfill himself in todays urban and commercial ”society”. An environment where noone can call themselves happy in a real sense (the ones that do, are kidding themselves).
Young douche Chris then proceeds to disown his family, change his name to ”Alexander Supertramp” (da hell?) and sets his sights on Alaska, in search of a greater ”truth”.

Sean Penn said to the press a few months ago that he wanted to redefine the question ”what is the meaning of life” and that we instead should ask ourselves what the meaning of death is. (No, I'm not kidding.)
Penn also stated that people who give negative criticism (In general!) or call Chris an idiot only are jealous of his courage.

...Oooh-kay Sean, one question though, shouldn't you be sitting in a van smoking weed, ordering pizza to class or just carelessly pissing of Mr Hand? You see, saying ”you're just jealous!” might have worked at the age of 6 or in some drugdrenched haze, but adults get to criticize each other if they have different opinions. ”Courage” to do what exactly? Leave everyone who cares about you?

This film wouldn't be such a beerbong filled with mammuthjuice to consume if Sean Penn hadn't insisted on being so fanatically convinced of himself and of Mr Supertramps naive "bravery".

Here are two really interesting qoutes from the movie:

”I think careers are a 20th century invention and I don't want one.” - Chris tells an old man who's trying to talk him out of his trip.

What the fuck do you think your individualistic idea of fulfilling yourself by telling everyone to fuck off is? A good old medieval tradition? Written in the constitution? Oh, wait...

”The core of mans spirit comes from new experiences”

Sure, I'm all for meeting new people and going places I haven't been, experiencing DIFFERENT CULTURES.
Where did Chris go och who did he meet? He went on a really long campingtrip to an abandoned ”magic bus” and ate some bad weeds. Shit, even The Fresh Prince went camping in one episode. It's not a lifechanging experience.
Chris then hung out with some stoney (presumably retarded?) dreadlock-kids by a river, a couple of hippieboomers in a trailerpark, Vince Vaughn with a badly faked accent and finally some old man who cried and wanted to adopt him (Da Fuck!?).
Ayway, I don't have to leave all my possessions and put on a fugly beanie to hang out with a bunch of freaks. I just visit a musicfestivals every summer. But I can't say it's made me any smarter or realizing any greater ”truth” than that camping kills people everywhere.

I think you understand what I'm getting at here. Into the wild is nothing more than boomer propaganda, an forcefull attempt to remystify nature and with Sean Penn covering his ears like a baby unless someone tells him what he wants to hear.
Look, why didn't Chris just take a class in basic wildlife survival? Pherhaps he could've avoided death?
No way José. It wouldn't have been for reals, that's why. And that shit's courage. But I have to hand it to the guy, it takes a couple of blue balls of steel to pass up sweaty trailerparksex in the middle of nowheres with a sixteen year old supermodel.