[DO I SOUND GAY? Screens
Thursday October 22nd at 7:30 pm at the Capitol Theatre, one show only.]
Review by Bob Ignizio
David is a gay man who just broke up with his boyfriend and
is hitting something of a mid-life crisis. Part of that involves becoming more aware of
his voice, specifically how “gay” he sounds. “Why do all gay people talk like
braying ninnies,” he asks, not without a little bit of self-loathing? So he
sets out to find answers, and to document his efforts in the documentary film DO I SOUND GAY?
Not only does David want to find out why he sounds the way
he does, he wants to change it. A couple of highly regarded speech therapists
offer some suggestions, and David makes some progress, but is changing his
voice to sound more “masculine” really the right thing to do?
Aside from documenting his personal efforts to change, David
also interviews friends, family, and a few prominent gay celebrities like
George Takei, Tim Gunn, Dan Savage, and Margaret Cho. Cultural attitudes
towards gay speech both past and present are explored, and some convincing
theories as to why “gay” speech sounds the way it does for some, while other
gay men sound “straight” and some straight men sound “gay’ are eventually
offered. Ultimately, though, the main thrust is David’s personal journey
towards self acceptance and confidence, and it’s an entertaining and oft times
informative trip. 3 out of 4 stars.
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