SIFF Sighting: LOVE FREE OR DIE (Documentary, USA)

Gene Robinson led a traditional life for many years. He married, had two daughters with his wife and then divorced a few years later.

He began dating Mark, who would become his husband, soon after. Oh—and he's also a man of the Lord.

In 2003, Gene became the first openly gay bishop to be consecrated in the Episcopal church. Struggling with death threats and the old-world beliefs of many who belong to the same faith, Gene has become a figurehead for religious equality and a symbol of hope for the Christian LGBT community.

This film tells his story and chronicles his time behind the scenes as his church was voting on crucial LGBT issues.

The footage of his various news coverage (60 Minutes, The Today Show, The Daily Show) is entertaining, and the interviews with Gene, his family and other bishops are earnest and sincere.

Really, the film is a simple reminder of how people who claim to follow the teachings of Christ should probably act a little more like Christ (non-judgmental) to achieve the peace and harmony our universe so richly deserves.

LOVE FREE OR DIE screened at the 38th Annual Seattle International Film Festival.

Cinebanter #34: SICKO

The MP3 file of Cinebanter 34 is available here.

In this episode, Michael and Tassoula pray they won't get sick as they reflect on SICKO. They also share their Last Five®, and discuss the IMDB top 20 documentaries. Tassoula closes out the episode with some show notes. The breakdown is as follows:

• 00:00 Intro
• 00:32 SICKO Discussion
• Break
• 27:23 To Sum It Up
• Break
• 28:05 The Last Five®
• Break
• 42:31 Documentaries Discussion
• Break
• 55:54 Show Notes
• 58:26 Credits and Outtakes

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Michael's Last Five in this episode were: APOCALYPTO, PARIS, JE'TAIME, TIME OUT, RATATOUILLE and BLACK SNAKE MOAN. Tassoula's Last Five in this episode were: 1408, ESCAPE FROM ALCATRAZ, GOODFELLAS, THE EDUCATION OF SHELBY KNOX and SHERRYBABY.

Special thanks to Brad Daane and Mark Cummins for providing the music in this episode.

Reviews and/or notes of every movie Michael sees can be found at his MichaelVox website.

Tassoula has reviews, musings and movie-related product links at Tassoula's Movie Review Blog.

Feedback is always welcome - you may leave comments here or e-mail the hosts at cinebanter@gmail.com.

We hope you enjoy the show!