The Butch Factor

A documentary examining masculinity and gay men titled The Butch Factor is scheduled to be released on DVD in December after having toured gay film festivals in recent months. One review from the film's site:

The 87-minute feature explores gay men's complicated relationship with masculinity. The core segments of the film, and the freshest material here, are profiles of several gay men who play traditionally masculine roles: rugby player, construction worker, rodeo bull rider, and so on. Candid interviews about real people's lives often make for the best documentary material, and that's certainly true in The Butch Factor. We learn about the confusion these men felt while growing up and their sometimes painful experiences with living in the closet, as well as the camaraderie they feel just from hanging out with the guys. Hines is a pro, and to paint a complete picture, he includes a few gay men with different approaches to masculinity. Along the way, the movie makes the point that sometimes the effeminate gay men are the toughest because they had to become that way. The movie was exhaustively researched, with interviews of a wide variety of men all over the U.S. The subjects are likable and there's enough humor in the movie to at least lighten up the expansive subject matter.

(Tipped by JMG reader Jim S)