Your video is beautifully done, and I thank you for it. I am not much of a movie goer, but just read a review of Crossing and in looking for more info about the director it lead me to you. I am a 72 year old American mother of a lesbian, always interested in the concerns of the LGBT+ community. I had occasion to host a woman from Georgia via couchsurfing some years back, which I must confess was when I first learned of the existence of that country. I might just have to see both Crossing and And Then We Danced (which is reminiscent of a book by Philadelphia gay icon Mark Segal entitled And Then I Danced, about his experience as a gay rights pioneer). Thanks again !
The hybrid of Georgian dance and vogue at the end is INSANE. As someone who's done and seen countless styles of European folk dance, Georgian remains easily the most masculine and patriarchal in my opinion. To cross that over with an inherently feminine, queer, even specifically transgender style with such beautiful choreography made me cry harder than any other part of the film. It's profound
Hello everyone I am a transmasculine person from Russia. I watched this movie for the first time a year ago with my Georgian friend. She's a lesbian, and we were going through dark times during that period. Even then, queer laws were being passed in Russia and we understood that we needed to leave urgently. We were planning to move to Georgia at that time. It still seemed like a good solution at the time. We watched the movie in the original, a friend translated it all for me. We were inspired by the fact that despite the queer phobia in the society that the film speaks about, there was also a place to show that the community somehow leads its life. We really hoped that it was possible to live more freely and safely in Georgia than in Russia. We saved money, my friend taught me the language.But all our plans collapsed when the Georgian parliament passed queer laws similar to those previously adopted in Russia. Now we have no way out. We both live in constant fear and with a sense of hopelessness.
This video is great! Your storytelling was engaging and I really appreciated how you covered so many interesting topics in a such refreshing and not obvious way The editing was also great Keep up with your work!
Awesome video and good advice too. I was trying to recognise the accent the whole way through. It's like a little Australian, but I reckon you're from the UK, do I have that right?
This was really fantastic and insightful! I'm not sure why RU-vid recommended it to me but I'm glad it did. I hadn't known about the political and social ramifications for Russia but this makes so much sense. I hope that films like this (which I've watched and loved) will help people to see and understand that LGTBQ+ people are just the same as they are. Thank you so much for making this!
Hi Ben, Just watched the 1st & 2nd videos in this series and have to say they are perfect for explaining & breaking down travelling Europe on Interrail. So many videos don't break down or cover pros & cons and those that do sometimes made it so confusing it made me want to switch off!! Thank you for such a clear, informative video😊
Thank you for such a deep essay and a thorough analysis of the topic with the factual info like article links. This movie inspired me to start taking Georgian dance classes even though before watching it I had a superstition that this dance style is stiff and not prone to any type of freshness and change. As a person who currently lives in Russia and sees all that biased anti-lgbt rhetorics it is a relief to hear the part about them choosing an lgbt community to be a scapegoat to distract the public eye from other types of atrocities they are doing. Such a relief that there are other people who see that manipulation. Your video combined three of my favourite things - Georgian dance and culture, support of human rights and good journalism and got me smiling all 19 minutes 😁 Thank you!
Great video thankyou. I'm debating doing this myself in the summer. How did you get back to were you started or were you met by someone. This may be an issue for me. Cheers
Good Morning thank you for your review and posting this on The RU-vid platform. I host a LGBTQA Movie night once a month in Amsterdam. showcasing films that are not on Netflix and bringing new audiences together. Done this for a few years now. Recently showed this sparked a similar debate like your video essay . This week we show it again as interest was SKY HIGH it’s 2024. Five years later and still a talking point.
I would like to congratulate you on putting together a very well-done piece of journalism. So many videos I see on RU-vid are narrated by people speaking in robotic monotone with (proper, but unnatural) over-enunciated speech and nothing to lend credence to or confidence in the source of the facts being cited. Not to say these videos are any less legitimate than yours, but I found it extremely refreshing to see a video where 1) the narration was done in a natural speaking voice, and 2) your sources were well-documented, telling me that you had done your research and weren't just parroting things said in other videos or presenting your opinions as facts. It is very rare for me to give a video a thumbs up, but you definitely deserve one for this. I haven't seen any of your other videos, yet. However, I'm looking forward to viewing more of your work, confident that they are as well done as this one. I hope you continue to put out quality content like this. In my opinion, this sets an admirable example of what this type of content should aspire to. If I could offer one suggestion, it would be to minimize cuts/edits, as (and this may be just me) I find it distracting when I'm watching someone speak, and their face suddenly 'glitches' into another position or location. Although I will say that the editing was done in such a manner that the narration did not suffer any because of those edits.
Thank you for your kind compliments and thoughts on the video! I am def wanting to do more video essays like this in the future but simply don’t have the time to dedicate to RU-vid for the next few months. Comments like yours motivate me a lot to continue anyway so thank you 🙏🏽
Thank you for the video essay! I'm Russian, and I'm studying in the US after spending 2 years of high school in East Africa. Growing up and seeing the unfolding invasion from within the country and then observing from the outside, together with getting more understanding of what is going on, made me more and more worried about my queer friends who stay in Russia. I knew stuff about Russian-Georgian relationship, and I think this video explains it in a way that can be understood by many people who don't know it in detail. Awful things going on, indeed. One day, one day... Thank you very much again! P.S. LOVED the movie
But underlying all of this, what role did religious dogma play in the homophobic attitudes? I suspect, that like in the United States it has a huge role.
Thank you so much for this video! As a Georgian member of the LGBT community, I can confirm that you have mentioned and explained the problems we have here very well.The mentioning of Ru**ian influence was one of the most important parts. Keep it up, this video deserves more views.
Thank you for this great video...well edited etc, We are a coupld of old vegan hikers from Canada hoping to visit our family in Ireland soon and hike part of this trail. Hope your blisters healed up nicely. Cheers
This breaks my heart, I fear that soon my beautiful country will dissappear, our culture, our art, our language, it will become Russian adjacent. I feel so powerless sometimes. Films like this matter, representation matters.
And Then We Danced is my favourite movie. I always try to get other people to watch it, for its gorgeous scenery and beautiful pirtrayal of a young gay man who's just trying to live his life to the fullest. I also adore dancing, and seeing one focused on Georgian traditional dancing? I got hooked. The themes of difficult familial relationships, fighting to get out of poverty, and tradition vs progression were all dealt with respectfully and beautifully. ATWD is a political movie, but done in a tasteful way that also cares about its artistry more than making a statement. It does both and I will always be amazed. And in this video essay you showed that perfectly. It's clear that you've done extensive research, and you explained the context logically and eloquently. It's an amazing video :)
I don’t think the movie cares more about artistry than making a statement. I think the artistry IS part of the statement. The beautiful scenery, the traditional dancing, all of it is meant to highlight the complicated relationship that queer Georgians, and queer people in general who come from homophobic countries, can have with their culture. You love it even though it rejects you, does not make space for you. You have no place in it yet it is still a fundamental part of who you are. It’s really bittersweet.
@@sercemwksiazkach3446 I unfortunately speak from experience as a Mexican 😭 it’s not nearly as bad as Georgia though, and things are starting to change.
Watched the movie for the first time last night.Amazing in all respects but the dvd had no in depth 'extras' to enhance the real situation and struggles of LGBTQ in Georgia .Finding this concise well presented vjdeo essay enhanced the viewing experience ,makes me want to revisit it and find out more .It should so much have been snapped up by the film company to add to the worldwide dvd release as a companion piece.Well done everyone involved and look forward to viewing further essays.After stepping away from Pride in Brighton UK this year as it has become no more than a jolly for many young gays who have little time and understanding of real persecution and the violent depths that homophobia can sink to and still exists .I'm all for a party but it is only possible when an individual can have belief and PRIDE in themself,STAND ALONE FROM THE CROWD have and give respect Religion and politics are only there to promote control and fear in the herd..To much said watch the film ...Beauty,Love Dance and have Belief ....................
Such a poignant essay on the difficulty of sexuality as someone who has asked many questions I found going with who you dream about in intimacy is a much safer guide to your sexuality be it man or woman. I think it's easier to accommodate your sexuality rather than fit it into your lifestyle. If you dream about both you are f@cked 😂😂 joking aside really poignant work.
yet, muscovite queers support muscovite fascism and imperialism. also, dožd support muscovite imperialism, holds fundraisers for muscovite terrorists, platforms nazies, etc.
So refreshing, I genuinely love how you approached the topic! Your research and insight into the general context of the movie are incredible. I shall be on the lookout for more of your videos!
Thank you so much for this video essay. I'm half Georgian half Belarussian and your throrough analysis of the ongoing situation of how Russia weaponises homophobia not only at its own place but in all of the countries around is amazing. I could only wish something changes for better just for a change, but unfourtunately there are no such signs.
Hey, Ben . I'll be in Europe and I want to be sure and you look like the one who can give me the answer. Can I just show the barcode train ticket from my phone in Europe? Or Is it necessary to have it on paper printed?
Are you asking about a digital interrail ticket or just a normal digital train ticket? For normal train tickets most people just use their phone but for the actual interrail ticket I think it's still a physical copy (although they might have gone digital in the last few years)
@drunkonlife. I'll have the eurail/interrail on my phone so my question is can I just show the barcode ticket and they will scan it? or they will not accept it and they need it on paper? And sometimes I'll buy tickets online from apps like trainline so can I just show the barcode from my email or I need to print it in paper?
To me it was also very much a representation of my country since Balkans have similar cultures and values. I hope one day we can show an openly queer movie at the theaters too.
Just out of curiosity, if you're willing to share, how similar is it? I just got back from travelling in Greece and fortunately had no issues but I was going into it assuming I wouldn't really have any issues, that sure, it's more homophobic than Canada, but I would likely be assumed to be straight and cis and since I wasn't travelling with a partner or doing anything to be too visibly queer it would be fine. So I'm non-binary (afab) and nearly every other kind of queer and have very androgynous hair that I think in Canada gets people to think I'm a lesbian and I dress in casual women's shorts and t-shirts so I'm not terribly butch, really, but not especially straight-looking either. I think in Greece people just assumed I was sort of alternative for my hair or something, like how some straight women have short hair because they're cool and not as an expression of gender or sexuality. Even if my hair is incredibly gay and not like a straight woman's pixie cut. We went to some small towns but they were touristy areas so I imagine the locals are more used to encountering queer people than the average small-town citizens might be. The gayest movie options on the in-flight entertainment was Mamma Mia but I attributed that more to it being Emirates (which I know is one of the most homophobic areas in the world) than due to it being a flight to/from Greece. Basically I don't think I was ever really in a position to experience homophobia, just because it wasn't a very long time and we were in what were more likely slightly more liberal areas of the country and most of our interactions with locals were money-related so they would be inclined to keep them pleasant, but I am curious how the homophobia/transphobia of everyday life compares to Georgia here or more western countries like Canada.
