It Is Not the Homosexual Who Is Perverse, But the Society in Which He Lives
It Is Not the Homosexual Who Is Perverse, But the Society in Which He Lives is a 1971 Germancampfilm directed by Rosa von Praunheim. The plot follows the adventures of a young gay man from the province who arrives in Berlin. He gradually leaves behind his innocence led by his increasing appetite for excitement in the big-city gay scene. He moves from one gay milieu to another caught in his addiction for fashion and sexual experiences. Scenes from Daniel's life and the various milieus he frequents are accompanied by voice-overs that are sometimes commentaries about the different gay life styles and sometimes represent dialogue or narrations. There is no synch sound. The voice over and dialogue recorded do not match what is on the screen. The reception of the film was controversial. Many viewed the harsh view of gay men culture depicted as such attack that it prompted the videotaping of a short, Audience Response to Its not the Homosexual…, shot during a screening and discussion interview with von Praunheim in 1973 at New York'sMuseum of Modern Art, and currently precedes many of the film's screenings. The film triggered the modern gay liberation movement in Germany.
Plot
Daniel, a young man from the provinces come to the city and moves from one gay subculture to the next. His adventures begin on the streets of Berlin, where the shy brunette Daniel meets the blonde Clemens, who invites him home for coffee and offers him a place to stay. Soon Daniel is living with Clemens and believes he has found the love of his life. The two try to imitate a bourgeois marriage and its lifestyle. At a party, Daniel's rich lover, attracted to a singer, leaves him at the mercy of his old friends. Progressively disenchanted, Daniel realizes that he has been used as a plaything. Disgusted, Daniel moves out. He finds a modest place to live independently and begins to work in a gay café. Now surrounded by young gay men of his own age, he learns to dress fashionably with ostentatious outfits. Daniel spends his free time at a sun terrace where young men entice each other with their good looks. Being attractive and in good shape becomes the most important thing. Meeting points for homosexuals are vanity fairs. They show themselves off hoping to attract the attentions of others. Daniel befriends Wolfgang, a young man from a better social background whom he tries to emulate. They go to the beach together and share their experiences. Living in Berlin for more than two years, Daniel is no longer content with meeting men in elegant cafés, boutiques, and beaches. Now, he seeks out pickups at the bars for quick sex. He becomes addicted to tantalizing adventures with unpredictable outcomes. He moves on to dark lit parks where older leather-men congregate. He finally descends to the public toilets where hustlers hang out as well as frustrated, closeted types and aging gays who are no longer attractive; the latter only end up being beaten by punks. Gays rarely have difficulties connecting in big cities. It is easy for them to find men they can have sex with because they offer themselves on every street corner like whores. Out of fear of old age they believe they must live their youth to the fullest. At a bar frequented by transvestites, Daniel meets Paul who takes him to his commune where a group of men, lying around naked, openly criticize their superficial, closeted lifestyles, sexual hang ups, fashion, and conformity. Calling for gay emancipation, they advocate social engagement and collective organization against discrimination.
