A still from But I'm a Cheerleader.
Best Video welcomed the return of a popular film screening series Thursday night as Queer Film Club, a collaboration between the film and cultural center and East Rock House, screened the first of four queer comedies to be shown each month from May to August.
The 1999 cult comedy classic But I’m A Cheerleader led the way, as an exuberant audience filled every chair in the space and then some for the story of Megan, played by Natasha Lyonne, who gets sent to a “sexual redirection” school when her parents suspect her of being a lesbian.
According to Best Video’s own Julie Smith, the last Queer Film Series in the beginning of 2023 was “hugely successful and popular.”
“We had fabulous crowds for it,” she added, so when East Rock House reached out again about restarting the series, she “immediately said yes because it was such a great experience.”
Marianna Apostolakis, cofounder of East Rock House along with Ashley LaRue and Luke Devereux, spoke about the success of the last series.
“As soon as it ended, we were riding such a high,” they said. The DIY collective had so much other programming that they decided to put the series on hold, though they “definitely wanted it to come back.”
While the last series featured four dramas, they decided that this one would feature comedies; the other films to be shown include D.E.B.S., Saving Face, and Bottoms.
“It’s the perfect rom-com lineup of lesbian films,” they said.
Apostolakis also spoke of their personal connection to But I’m A Cheerleader.
“Watching this film helped me figure out I was queer,” they said, adding that it helped them “figure out what a lesbian was.”
“Seeing queer representation really helped. This film is my root. If you’ve seen the film, you know what that means.”
Apostolakis and LaRue joined Smith to welcome everyone and introduce the film, mentioning that they chose comedies this time because “we need to come together and to be able to laugh,” adding that it was “a little reprieve.… This is one of our favorite events because the energy is phenomenal. It’s refueling.”
“Do not be afraid to laugh out loud,” LaRue said.
Karen Ponzio Photos.
Apostolakis and LaRue
Laugh out loud the audience did, and often, as the film, directed by then-25-year-old James Babbit, followed Lyonne’s sweet and somewhat naive titular cheerleader’s journey from not understanding why her makeout sessions with her boyfriend gross her out to the revelation that she is indeed a lesbian, just like her parents and friends have accused her of being, due to her doing such things as becoming a vegetarian and hanging a poster of Melissa Etheridge in her bedroom.
The idea of conversion therapy is, of course, far from a laughing matter. The film keeps a slightly creepy edge to the proceedings, while also eliciting laughs from the obvious ridiculousness of how Megan is treated by her friends and parents (played by cult film mainstays Bud Cort and Mink Stole), as well as the absurdity of her experiences at the school, True Directions. Founder and main teacher Mary Brown, played with fanatical freakiness by Cathy Moriarty, rules the roost and takes the reins in teaching the girls “women’s work.” She is aided by trainer Mike, played by none other than RuPaul, who works overtime to hide his own sexual proclivities while teaching the boys how to be “men” and wearing his “straight is great” shirt.
The movie introduces a cast of characters at the school that make you want to root for them immediately. Clea Duvall stands out as the tough and flirtatious Graham, who becomes close to Megan and helps her realize who she really is and what she wants.
The teens are all made to go through a five-step process that Brown says will, if they are successfully completed, make them straight. Those steps include Rediscovering Your Gender Identity, which stereotypically sees the girls learning how to vacuum and change diapers while the boys work on cars and play football. At one point they all discuss where their root came from, the root being what helped them realize they were homosexual. Much of it is played for laughs (Graham says her root was her mother getting married in pants) but there is also an endearing quality throughout the film that makes the viewer long for these kids to break free.
“Just be yourself,” Graham says to Megan when they all sneak out to go to a gay bar. But Megan doesn’t know exactly who she is yet, and hasn’t really been given the chance to do so. Fortunately, she is beginning to feel more and to trust herself and those feelings more, even as the “instructions” she receives at True Directions try to guide her elsewhere.
Faithful readers know I would not spoil the end for them, but I would recommend a viewing to see how it all plays out. This is a film that was not well received when it first came out, but has since become a cult favorite for pretty obvious reasons. It is a laugh-out-loud yet poignant rumination on following your actual true direction, not the ones forced upon you by parents or peer pressure.
Afterward people stayed and chatted about it all, with Apostolakis saying how even though they have seen the film four or five times, they noticed different things during this viewing. LaRue spoke with delight about how great it was to see the film with a crowd and community. As the two discussed the rest of the series, including the possibility of an outside screening at some point if weather permits, their enthusiasm reiterated once again why the collective film watching experience is its own kind of revelation.
Queer Film Club will meet at Best Video in June, July and August. Admission is free with a suggested donation of $5. For more information about which film is playing when, please go to the Best Video website or follow East Rock House on Instagram.