Die Unsichtbaren (2012)

Die Unsichtbaren: Directed by Sébastien Lifshitz. With Bernard, Catherine, Christian, Thérèse Clerc. Several elderly homosexual men and women speak frankly about their pioneering lives, their fearless decision to live openly in France at a time when society rejected them.

“The debate over gay marriage (called here u0026quot;Marriage for allu0026quot;) has been a particularly heated one in France. Several hundreds of thousands of people have risen, demonstrating daily, at times violently, against… a new right which takes nothing away from anybody! Quite surprising in a society which seemed yet to have evolved, particularly after over ten countries adopted the measure without making waves. I guess none of these opponents (or at least not many) went to see Sébastien Lifshitzu0026#39;s documentary u0026quot;Les Invisiblesu0026quot;, which is a pity because a part of them could have been faced with the fact that homosexuals are people like all others, that there is love in gay couples as well and that it is accordingly unfair not to treat them on an equal footing with other citizens.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eTo be sure, being gay is no pleasure cruise yet in todayu0026#39;s France, where a climate of homophobia is unfortunately growing. But it used to be much worse back in the nineteen fifties and sixties, the decades when the people interviewed in the film started their sexual lives. A time when coming out was out of the question. An era when societyu0026#39;s tolerance existed only for artists but to a certain extent only (ah, those dirty jokes sullying the reputation of actors like Jean Marais or singers like Charles Trénet!) and when coming out was out of the question for the vast majority of gays. It is the hardship of living oneu0026#39;s sex life when it does not fit into the framework imposed by society which is expressed by the elderly men and women interviewed by Sébastien Lipshitz in u0026quot;Les Invisibles. In soft or curt but always candid words, Yann and Pierre, Bernard and Jacques, Catherine and Elisabeth, Monique, Thérèse , Jacques… will tell you as much about themselves as about the manners of times (not so long) past. With sensitivity, with intelligence, often with humor and always with humanity. What is sure is that Sébastien Lipshitz has chosen his interviewees with extreme care. Coming from various layers of French society, they all share a common point : their articulate ideas and expression.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eAside from this faultless relevance, u0026quot;Les Invisiblesu0026quot; rises above the mere sociological statement : it is also an artistic achievement. Filmed in wide screen (which is seldom the case in documentaries), the movie benefits from a high quality cinematography and a neat sound design. Concerned about the scope of his subject, Sébastien Lifshitz keeps inscribing his u0026quot;charactersu0026quot; within a frame always larger than them. Hence those beautiful shots of nature, at times not in direct connection with what they say, making them not only spokespersons for a cause but three-dimensional human beings.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eI doubt Raymond Depardon ever intended to make a documentary about homosexuality, but supposing he did, the result would be very close to u0026quot;Les Introuvablesu0026quot;, an exemplary illustration of the genre.”