The World Unseen / I Can't Think Straight

Yay! The World Unseen and I Can't Think Straight were released on DVD in the US on August 15th! Very exciting stuff. Both movies have been written and directed by Shamin Sarif who first wrote the books that were then made into the films. They also star the same actresses which is awesome because come on....they are quite pretty. However, the movies are not a continuation of each other.

Now, I haven't seen either movie, but I've heard really great things from both of them. The World Unseen came out in 2007 and I Can't Think Straight premiered in film festivals in 2008. Sarif has received a lot of praise for both movies, and the trailers make the movies look pretty entertaining. While I don't have the money to buy said movies, I can't wait to ask old Cornell to purchase the copy (might as well put my tuition dollars to good use). Although, I have already asked for The Secrets and Quemar las Naves...hmm, maybe I should use my girlfriend's account (with her permission of course!).

The main reason I'm mostly excited about these couple films is that we are finally seeing some multicultural diversity on the big screen. Most of the movies, save Saving Face, usually do not have a mixed array of cast members, unless they are done abroad (Quemar Las Naves, but even then, that's a gay movie, not a lesbian one), but even then the movies don't really become popular and pretty much sink to oblivion. Hell, even these couple movies were done in England. Regardless however, I think it's really great that we are finally seeing some diversity on a film that doesn't need English subtitles.

I think that's really important because I know of many people, myself included who have used television/movies as a tool to further become comfortable in their own skin and orientation. Be it the L Word, But I'm a Cheerleader! or any of the other movies we have mentioned, they have been priceless tools for the young gay teenager, or at least the young gay teenagers I've talked to. So it's great that now even the minority, young gay teenager can have a movie that we can better relate to.