Sexuality

Why is everyone so aggravated with Bobby's sexual "ambiguity"?

The simple answer is that many people cannot accept any notion of bisexuality. People (especially Americans) tend to say "this is white and this is black and there is no such thing as gray". I myself decided a while ago to take on the gay label not for myself, but because it is easier for most people to understand.

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I watched this movie last night and was so touched.

I think Bobby learned from his brother that all love is good love, so it never occurs to him to differentiate between Clare and Jonathan. He loves them both, and that's good enough. When he had to make a choice, he chose Jonathan but I don't think that was a "straight" vs. "gay" choice. He had a history and a relationship with Jonathan that Clare, no matter how much he loved her, could never really be a part of. Ultimately, he knew Jonathan would need someone to care for him, and that is a role that Bobby knew he would be good at.

I thought the line that was most telling in the scene between Clare and Bobby was when she said "You could do anything, couldn't you?" and he said, "I couldn't be alone."

Good luck with your paper, Ian! What an interesting subject!

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I watched this movie last night and was so touched.

I think Bobby learned from his brother that all love is good love, so it never occurs to him to differentiate between Clare and Jonathan. He loves them both, and that's good enough. When he had to make a choice, he chose Jonathan but I don't think that was a "straight" vs. "gay" choice. He had a history and a relationship with Jonathan that Clare, no matter how much he loved her, could never really be a part of. Ultimately, he knew Jonathan would need someone to care for him, and that is a role that Bobby knew he would be good at.

I thought the line that was most telling in the scene between Clare and Bobby was when she said "You could do anything, couldn't you?" and he said, "I couldn't be alone."

Good luck with your paper, Ian! What an interesting subject!

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I'm very glad somebody's talking intelligently about this. Most people when they hear about any kind of gay theme are struck instantly retarded. I think sexuality is much more fluid than it's given credit for being. I watched this movie with a woman who was instantly confused by the characters' sexuality. This was of course odd to me since most gay people I know have been with someone of the opposite sex, not to mention the many self-identified heterosexuals who've had homosexual experiences.

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You're right and summed it up nicely in this post.

Bobby does not think about it, he just acts according to his feelings. The male/male affection in the film where sex is not present is VERY powerful, and it's too bad more men do not feel free to express themselves in reality this way. Farrell plays the character brilliantly--It's very tough to even think of disliking him in any situation. He exudes compassion, understanding and acceptance and seems to be unable to understand why others wouldn't do the same. It's a rare film since it doesn't rely on special effects or spectacular violence, but on good writing, directing and acting.

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Before seeing it, I had read in articles about the film that Colin's character was bisexual. And that's the way it was played. I didn't find anything out of the ordinary about it at all.

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This is probably the most important conversation thats happened on this site i think :)

People always try and classify things. Its in human nature. Proof of that occurs in this message board. Its starts off people don't classify bobby's sexuality but as the board progresses he becomes bi.

Queer theory suggests that sexuality is a fluid thing. not linear with one end being perfectly gay and the other being perfectly straight... think of sexuality like a river. It flows it changes. Its never in the same place doing the same thing.

So Bobby is just queer. A label that rejects all labels. He's not white, middle class, whatever religion, bi, gay straight, bi curious.... he's just queer... doesn't that make things easier?







"Hilary what's yodelling got to do with it?"

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Good choice for a paper.

I didn't give much thought to Bobby's sexual orientation when I watched the film, focusing on his very, very human qualities instead, which seemed to be the whole point of his character. But, now that we're tallking about sexual orientation, I think people focus far too much attention on that. Bobby doesn't think about it. It's not all that important, anyway, unless you choose to make it important or someone else chooses to make it important for you.

I don't think someone's sexual orientation is entirely a social construct. Mostly, probably, but not entirely. Some people may be wired differently than others, and, from life experience, some may end up wiring themselves differently. Depends on your experiences and how you sort them out, what you make of them, and how you and they change you.

Bottom line for me, I think this was a delightful, touching little film. I loved the story, the characters, and what the movie had to say about them. I enjoy a story that keeps asking questions, offers insights, but still asks more questions.

One other thing, I admire Bobby, not because of his sexual orientation, but because of his values.



Writing about movies is like dancing about architecture

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