we were here

WE WERE HERE (trailer) from David Weissman on Vimeo.

Last weekend I saw the documentary We Were Here about the outbreak of the AIDS crisis in San Francisco.  It was a last minute decision to see it and it ended up being an excellent decision.  One, because the director and producer of the film ended up being there for a Q&A afterwards and two, because the film was really fantastic. 

It kind of amazes me that there isn't a whole lot of talk or exploration of the AIDS outbreak in the media nowadays.  Maybe there is and I just haven't seen it, but it seems like it's a story that we're not really talking about or processing.  During the Q&A, the director said that he has many friends who have said they don't want to watch it because they don't want to unearth the immense amount of pain and fear that was so prevalent at the time.  There was one man in the audience who had lived in San Francisco during the outbreak and he commented on how healing it was to watch the film, to have that story given a voice in a very sensitive, thoughtful and respectful way. 

It also occurred to me how much the story of the rise of SF as a gay capital of the US should resonate like crazy with Mormons.  It's the story of a people who were rejected by their families and friends, who left home and gathered in one place where they felt like they could more safely be themselves.  One of the reasons the Mormon pioneers were persecuted was because people were very uncomfortable with the way early Mormons tried to redefine marriage.  (Also, I think one of the guys interviewed for the documentary and who appears in the trailer bears a resemblence to President Monson.)

It's not playing in many cities, but I'm sure you'll eventually be able to get it on Netflix, etc.  Go here to see where and when it's playing and then go see it.