Disclosure on Netflix

[olivermoss]

There is a new documentary on Netflix called Disclosure. It's transgender actors discussing trans representation in media, both in terms of media criticism and personal impact.

On one hand it's great and it makes me feel very validated in my own takes on things and the importance of media criticism. On the other hand, sometimes clips were dropped in without context or being labeled as to where they were from. This was only a problem occasionally, but every once in a while it made me feel like a student who hadn't done the reading for class.

There was a lot of trans rep in mainstream media, especially talk shows, that I was unaware of. As someone entrenched in geek culture, partially because that's where the queer characters tended to be, I was surprised by how much I didn't know was going on.

If people have seen it, I would love to know your thoughts.

Comments

Disclosure

[oldtoadwoman]

Now I'm curious to see it and see how many clips I recognize.

EDIT:
I started it and at first I was like, "I win!" because the very first clip is the couple in my icon (and I swear I used the icon before I started watching).

But then clip after clip after clip followed and ?, ?, ?, Oprah (didn't recognize who she was interviewing), Oprah (didn't recognize who she was interviewing), ?, ?, ?, ?, ?, Laverne Cox (but I don't recognize what show/movie it was from).... So, yeah, a minute in and I've seen dozens of unidentified clips that I can't place.

It would be nice if they just added a title at the bottom of the screen so you could go and find these films if you're interested.

2nd EDIT: I'm so confused about when they did or didn't identify a clip. They had titles at the bottom for most of them, but not all. Maybe I looked away at the wrong moment, but I swear they never identified Sense8. (I loved that show. Why would they talk about it and show clips and still not identify the show so more people can go watch it?)

Re: Disclosure

[olivermoss]

If a clip played while someone was talking I assumed it was relevant, but sometimes I had no idea. I also had no idea who some of the speakers were. I only knew that it was trans people talking trans rep because I googled it to see if it was a new release or something older I'd somehow missed.

I mean, ideally it should be trans people speaking but in so many docs and articles that's not the case.

Re: Disclosure

[oldtoadwoman]

Yeah, it was a good documentary... except for the on-screen graphics. Even when the titles were shown, it was in such tiny print that I could barely read them.

Re: Disclosure

[oldtoadwoman]

This interview with Laverne Cox was just posted to YouTube talking about the documentary.
https://youtu.be/ulYg5PO66S8

Re: Disclosure

[olivermoss]

Thanks for the link! Loved her subtle trans-flag eyeshadow.

[muccamukk]

So I just went and watched it, and I'm at like... 40% tops? for the unlabelled clips at the start and finish of the show.

It was good though! I especially liked Sandra Caldwell. She was amazing.

I always want to like draw hearts around Brian Michael Smith.

[olivermoss]

I hadn't heard of Brian Michael Smith. I knew Michael Cohen, but not him. I think I am going to poke through the IMDB page for it.

Watching that doc made me want to re-watch Pose. Pose is so good. Also I really, really need to watch Paris is burning at a point. And them calling out the Stonewall movie was great.

[muccamukk]

He's in that terrible terrible 911-lone star show that I'm addicted to.

I have not seen pose, or Paris is burning. I did read a dreadful RPF novel about House of Xtravaganza, which is fourteen hours of audiobook life I'm never getting back.

[olivermoss]

Pose is amazing, but it does take a few eps to hit it's stride. I watched it because of Billy Porter, who I adore. I pay attention to red carpets to see what he's going to wear next.