Given the horrible events in Orlando over the weekend, one might look at Fandor's tribute to LGBTQ cinema as a chance to cash in on the tragedy. Well, you should stop being so damned cynical, because as they note, “We commissioned this piece prior to the terrible events in Orlando. We publish it now with solemn pride, as but one sincere response of many.”
And what a beautiful, timely supercut it is, put together by video editor Candice Drouet. The aptly-titled "Rainbow Flag of Film" spotlights some of the best in queer cinema including Kimberly Peirce's Boys Don't Cry, Julian Schnabel's Before Night Falls, Ang Lee's Brokeback Mountain, Todd Haynes' Carol, Abdellatif Kechiche's Blue is the Warmest Color, David Lynch's Mulholland Drive and many more, some well-known and others less so. What, no Stonewall? I'm shocked. The whole thing is set to the sounds of Lykke Li’s “I Follow Rivers.”
Weaved into the montage are the colors of the rainbow flag, the universal symbol of gay pride since the 1970s, with each bar representing a specific value that is then matched up to the films within. Obviously something like this isn't going to answer any of the questions we're left with following such a terrible massacre, but the power of movies is to serve as a reminder of everything we should aspire to. If it helps us move past the hate even a little bit, then it will all have been worth it.
