Inaugural outing of the Sisterhood Intellectual Society for Theatre Arts History & Science

On Saturday August 15, 2010 our SISTAHS club enjoyed an inaugural outing together!  We had a lovely evening enjoying an art film, complete with requisite buttered popcorn, diet coke and a lively after glow discussion.

Two of our members were out of town, so we were three members strong and enjoyed having a guest along, Amy's daughter Logan. Our quest was realized in attending a somewhat controversial film at the Royal Oak Main Art Theatre, The Kids Are All Right, directed by Lisa Cholodenko. The film provided an interesting look at life within a Lesbian married couple's nuclear family. Juilanna Moore and Annette Bening's nearly grown children become curious about the identity of the sperm donor who made their births possible and seek out this biological father they've never known. They find the man, Mark Ruffalo, who subsequently agrees to meet the teens. They get along famously and mutually agree to pursue a more indepth relationship with one another. The Moms find out and lots of emotions and criss-crossed relationships develop and are finally sorted out near the end.

After the film we enjoyed some discussion. We all agreed the basic theme of the movie was that at the heart of things gay families are just like any other nuclear family. Love, a mixture of emotions, successes and mistakes are all shared among the members for better or for worse. In the end love often overcomes the difficulties. In this film, though the family appeared to be self-destructing, their unconditional love for one another sees them through and they seem committed to moving forward intact.

Going into the evening, several of us were expecting a kind of cutesy, light feel to the film. It turned out to be far more compelling and thought provoking than we expected. This first film viewing has inspired us to seek more art films in the future, some themes we've discussed are local film festivals, free movies with after glow discussions at the public library, foreign subtitled films and the quirky upcoming Life During Wartime, by Todd Solondz.