Gay Culture Has to Stand out

”The gay culture has to beware of getting too close to the mainstream. Otherwise, it will lose its potential for social criticism”, says Michael Brynntrup, a German director of experimental films.

In his short films, Brynntrup deals openly with his own homosexuality. In his view, the strenghth of the gay culture is that it can observe the society from the outside.

”Social development always emerges through juxtaposition”, Brynntrup says.

As an indication of the commercialisation of the gay culture, Brynntrup mentions the German soap operas; many of them nowadays have a gay character. The markets are turning homosexuality into a trend, and thus making it shallow.

However, there is also positive development; at least in Germany, people’s attitudes towards homosexuals are nowadays very unreserved.

Searching for Identity

The search for identity is one of the central themes in Brynntrup’s films.

He started making films in the early 1980’s, and he has also acted in many of his own films. Some of his topics have been very personal; among other things, he has reflected on his relationship with the Catholic religion of his childhood home by playing Jesus.

Have the films helped Brynntrop to find his identity, then?

”When you are making of experimental films, you are always taking a risk, because if people don’t understand the film, it may get totally slated. This kind of confrontations strengthen your personality”, Brynntrup says.

By his films, Brynntrup wants to encourage people to be themselves. Moralising or aggressive propagation are foreign to his nature.”