The struggles, strength, and triumphs of growing up as a member of the LGBTQ+ community are given five unique voices in Ryan Ashley Lowery’s warm documentary. Focusing on subjects from Atlanta, he talks to four gay men and one Transgender woman about coming to terms with their identities, the obstacles they faced, and what community means to them. Filmed in a relaxed interview format, the subjects are shown being welcomed and embraced by the crew, before being encouraged to honestly share their experiences, which all vary in context but all have a shared theme of fighting for authenticity.
Octavius Terry, an older gay man whose youth came at a time of even less acceptance, hid his sexuality within athletic achievement as a collegiate hurdler. Another man, Benjamin Carlton, tries to find answers in The Church, becoming a pastor before he was outed. Simone Tisci found her people through the Queer ballroom scene, but still struggled to feel safe enough to transition. There are many stories, and their truth is often emotional to see.
However, what makes the film refreshing is its refusal to dim its joy. Many Hollywood movies coat their LGBTQ+ characters in tragedy – a scene from Green Book (Peter Farrelly, 2019), where Mahershala Ali’s character breaks down over not being “man enough”, is even referenced here. The subjects offer another side, one where their struggles have left their mark, but are clearly steps on a journey toward happiness. For every anecdote about family rejection, there is one about the liberation of finding yourself, and your people.
What’s also interesting is the social and cultural factors. All the interviewees are black and from the Southern states of the US, discussing the ingrained homophobia in their communities and society at large. Religion is a factor in many of their lives, as they reconcile the teachings of their faith with what they feel inside. God becomes either a light or a figure of fear depending on the situation, and it’s clear to see how easy it is for religious doctrine to continue to keep people in the closet to this day.
While presenting the subjects beautifully, with part of the movie set during a fashion show, the piece can often feel in the style of reality TV. Fast cuts, persistent titles, and rapid archive footage is trendy but sometimes takes away from the seriousness of the discussion. It’s a minor quibble, however, in a film that wraps its contributors in so much love. Lowery’s work is as much about the happiness of being Queer as it is the heartache. Indeed, much of the film’s message is about how darkness and light often need to exist side by side on the path to self-acceptance.
Living up to its title, Light Up comes at a crucial time in the United States, where LGBTQ+ rights seem to be under attach daily. With this in mind, these five stories remind both Queer audience members and allies just what they are fighting for.
Light Up is currently showing in various film festivals.
