“Coming out of the closet”: What does it mean for a man to assume his homosexuality in Lima? A documentary tells us

In a society like ours, coming out of the closet —publicly acknowledging oneself gay— can sometimes be a painful vital effort. Alberto Castro (Lima, 1989), screenwriter, director and film producer, knows this well, who, about five years ago, decided to turn pain into art and began working on the documentary that today hits television screens. Cineplanet in three venues: San Miguel, Mall del Sur and Plaza Norte. Next week, the Blue Room of the CCPUCP will join this grid.

“Coming Out of the Closet” is, then, a documentary that aims to enter —literally and symbolically— into the privacy of ten gay men who live in Lima. They take the floor and expose before the camera one of the most difficult moments of their lives: assuming, in front of themselves and their close environment, their homosexuality. Each experience is different. None is simple.

The right to live in peace

If there is something that the documentary shows at a testimonial level, it is that our society is not prepared for diversity. It is clear that the rejection of their own and strangers is a monster that has haunted the protagonists for a long time, that fighting against it has not been easy, that the only thing they needed in each case was to feel ‘normal’, at least within his inner circle. But not all of them made it easily. Every exposed story is a wound. In some cases, perhaps, a scar.

“The first showing of the film was at the Cinema Week of the University of Lima. Then, a lady asked to speak and said that this was not a film that only the LGTB+ community should see, but, and above all, parents. Listening to it gave me hope”, says Alberto Castro.

And he adds: “Although it is a documentary made by and with people from the community, it is ultimately an invitation to reflect on equality, otherness and the search for rights for all.”

Inspired by the work of documentary filmmakers such as the Brazilian Eduardo Coutinho, or the Argentine Agustina Comedi, the production of “Coming Out of the Closet” opted for a production that was as minimalist and natural as possible: two cameras and an audio system. Without lights, without ‘boom’, without anything that makes the environment in which the conversations take place appear artificial in any way.

paying off debts

“Peruvian cinema with an LGBT+ theme is still very scarce. Not only referring to characters who represent sexual diversity, but to filmmakers (writers or directors) who openly identify themselves as members of the LGBT+ community and can tell their own stories. The narratives of Peruvian cinema that reach movie screens still fit into the hegemonic and heteronormative”, highlights the director.

Alberto Castro’s dream is that this documentary also encourages the appearance of more diverse voices that are encouraged to make films and tell their own stories. The way for it will never be easy; but today, more than ever, it is necessary to find a way to cross it and make it ever wider.