Anyone and Everyone - Documentary Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)Over the years I have seen many coming out films, dramas, comedies, short films, and documentaries. Each of these have had one thing in common: they have told our stories, the stories of gay men and lesbians on their personal journeys. Susan Schutz had produced a coming out film that breaks out of this mold by telling us the coming out journey of the parents of gay and lesbian children. Each family in the film has a unique story -- Schutz has included families from all across the nation covering a variety of ethnic and religious backgrounds. When I first saw this DVD I was totally blown away by the honesty and openness of each family. I laughed, I cried, I was moved. This is truly an amazing film. It should be seen by anyone and everyone.

Click Here to see more reviews about: Anyone and Everyone - Documentary

Connected by having a son or daughter who is gay, parents across the country discuss their experiences in the documentary Anyone and Everyone. In it, filmmaker Susan Polis Schutz, depicts families from all walks of life. Individuals from such diverse backgrounds as Japanese, Bolivian, and Cherokee, as well as from various religious denominations such as Mormon, Jewish, Roman Catholic, Hindu, and Southern Baptist, share intimate accounts of how their children revealed their sexual orientation and discuss their responses. The parents also talk about struggling with the pain of their sons and daughters dealing with not being accepted by relatives or friends, and being ostracized by religious congregations. "It was so evil and so bad that we almost couldn t talk about it... You just had the idea it was so terrible that it was unspeakable," said a Mormon mother in the film. "Having heard all these awful things and what homosexuality was and then having a member of your family, a person that you have seen, a child that you have seen since the child was born, a person that was absolutely wholesome, good, kind, gentle and that put together with the word lesbian didn t add up," said a hispanic mother. This film is especially important since up to 26% of gay teens who come out to their parents or guardians are told they must leave home. Of the approximately 1.6 million homeless American youth, 20-40% identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender. Nearly 40% of LGBT (GLBT) students report being physically harassed. In a 2001 Department of Health study of youth in Massachusetts, about 40 percent of gay and lesbian students attempted suicide, compared to about 10 percent of their heterosexual peers.

Click here for more information about Anyone and Everyone - Documentary