EIFF 2009: Outrage

Harvey Milk (who, as the final scene of this documentary confirms, has truly earned his place as the gay Martin Luther King) famously prayed that any bullet entering him would in turn "destroy every closet door". Outrage, from the director of This Film is Not Yet Rated, makes a villain not of locker-room hompohobia but of this abstract "closet" itself. Exploring the issue of America's closeted gay politicians (predominantly Republican), this is a revealing and shocking expose of how the closet not only suppresses identity, but also breeds prejudice and self-loathing: and on such a scale as Washington's corridors of power, that's a very dangerous thing. Dick interviews activists, journalists, outed senators, a crusading blogger and even Angels In America scribe Tony Kushner, all of whom attempt to unravel the psychology of a closeted power-player. Riveting stuff, but in light of Proposition 8 and events in Russia, also essential viewing.