Fridae

Written and directed by gay filmmaker Bill Condon, Kinsey
is one of best biopics of 2004 — a year that saw many other
strong biopics like Ray (on singer Ray Charles), Finding
Neverland (on Peter Pan author J M Barrie), The
Aviator (on Howard Hughes) and of course, Alexander.

Kinsey traces the life of the great American sex doctor,
Alfred Kinsey, who pioneered the study of human sexual behaviour
in the 1940s, and discovered — among other things —
that homosexuality is a common human trait.

The film, passed uncut by the censors here, even shows Dr Kinsey
and his male assistant going to a gay bar to ask queers about their
sexual experiences. It also shows Dr Kinsey later sexually experimenting
with his male assistant (played by the cute Peter Sarsgaard, who
goes naked for more than a few seconds).

In another memorable scene, a divorced woman meets Dr Kinsey and
relates how her marriage broke down and even her children abandoned
her, after she fell in love with another woman. At first, she was
sad and angry, thinking that she was crazy or diseased. But after
reading Dr Kinsey's groundbreaking research on lesbianism, she found
her peace of mind again.

So all we queers must watch this movie, in salute to the man who
helped us accept ourselves by revealing that homosexuality, bisexuality
and transexuality is no less normal than heterosexuality.

The film itself is a triumphant work of cinema, with outstanding
performances by Liam Neeson as Alfred Kinsey, and Laura Linney as
his strong and patient wife. Both actors received Golden Globe nominations
for their performances, while the film also received a Best Picture
(Drama) nomination.