Infamous Bon Mots
Mar. 29th, 2007 12:59 pm
A question for all gay boys reading this: do you ever flirt with straight men? If yes, why? If no, why not? I ask because Truman Capote, according to the film Infamous, was a terrible flirt. Despite not being the best looking man in the world--short, funny-looking, squeaky as a mouse and camp as hell--he was a great charmer, unafraid of teasing men with double entendres and seducing women with gossip. The way he talked to guys (at least in the film), without a worry about "outing" himself, made me think of how careful I am when I talk to straight-acting man. I don't know if my reserve is a natural aspect of my personality, or something built in as a defence mechanism (i.e. I won't have to handle homophobia if I don't present myself as gay.) I blame those early years in Brasil, when boys in middle-school called me a faggot (not many times, but it did happen.) Would my daily life be more colourful if I had the guts to tease a good-looking waiter, or share a joke with my office's sexy janitor?
For some men, it's not about being outrageously gay and asking people to take you as you are; it's about mediating your queerness, using your wit together with your sense of sexuality, to present an image of a gay man comfortable in his own skin. It's about using social situations as a form of theatre and reserving your emotions (or the more serious side of your personality) for the most intimate people in your life. I don't know what makes me gay, beyond my attraction to man. Is there anything more? I do sometimes wish I could let go a little, be a bit more spontaneous, a bit more outrageous.
If Truman Capote were a coin, the film Capote would be his head and Infamous his tail. Both films attempt, successfully, to depict the most important time in Truman Capote's life: the creation of his non-fiction novel In Cold Blood. But while Capote contrasts the man's monstrosity with the killers, sticking to a straight-forward view of that period's history, Infamous goes deeper and explores Capote the queer icon, gossip monger and human being. Infamous, filled with famous actors, has a tight script, great performances and plenty of sharp humour. The cinema last night was in stitches; but there were also moments of silence when the film entered its third act and the relationship between Capote and Perry grew. Sandra Bullock, who I never really cared for as an actor, gave us the best performance of her life. And, as
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Afterwards, we went to a pub inside Waterloo station, where a cactus plant nearly poked
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