Behind the Candelabra

Behind the Candelabra is a Home Box Office movie about the estranged life of Liberace. Liberace was portrayed in the movie as a man lost in his own world of sexual deviancy, and denial of his own sexuality. The movie is flawed, and this is why I am recommending it from a different critical lens.

If you believe the movie version of the life of Liberace, there was not much to admire. He was self-absorbed and used men repeatedly until he grew tired of them. His lavish lifestyle was repugnant. He enjoyed a lifestyle that glamorized wealth. He lived in a den of lies. People were not friends, they were acquaintances. His manager's role was to ensure this lifestyle went on uninterrupted, as best he could throughout Liberace's career.

Whether this was true or not, it is how the movie was delivered. That's the key to watching the movie. First, the stars portraying all the major roles are heterosexual. Scott Bakula, Michael Douglas, and Matt Damon headline the movie. This demonstrates HBO's motivation was profit, and not to help us understand the complexity of Liberace. Having these 3 actors play the roles is similar to Al Jolson wearing black face to portray African-Americans in the 1920s.

Do we really need heterosexual stars to relay the story of Liberace? How ironic when you think about the era that the movie is set in. The late 70s and 80s when gays were ostracized for seeking medical care for HIV. It is a slap in the face to ask the audience to sincerely reflect upon this time, when the main characters lack the depth themselves to understand the problem. Watching Damon and Douglas feels uncomfortable. Where they acting or perpetuating a stereotype? It is kind of surprising especially from Damon, who is the first to advocate for such causes of decency.

So why recommend the movie? Watch the movie and realize what was lost in opportunity. The director should have given insight into root cause and effect. Liberace was bullied as a child. He was chased by tabloids long before the movie suggests. (Dating back to his first lawsuit in the 1950s) This form of harassment was the reason for the lies and deceit. He had to protect his assets by pretending to be a heterosexual. This was the reason for his behavior. This was a lost opportunity. Instead, the movie choose to have a Wolf on Wall Street approach to telling the story.

Liberace was a complicated part of Hollywood history. The movie demonstrates that Hollywood still has a way to go regarding civil rights for people who are in the LGBTQ community. Low pay and and underground cinema are still the norm. When Hollywood casts stars like Damon and Douglas to tell a story, they send a message that gay men were not good enough to play the roles. In a sense, the story of Liberace is showcased by the discrimination in castings. Make millions by keeping a secret, or come out and have Matt Damon make the millions for you. That's why this movie is so powerful.

Evil Genius - (Lack there of....)

Evil Genius is a documentary on Netflix about a very strange incident in Erie Pa. The incident I am speaking to is a bank robbery that happened in the early 2000's. There were many complexities including a beheading to distract law enforcement. The documentary is a continuation of Netflix's fascination with complex criminal justice cases. The series in my opinion is flawed and dangerous on many fronts.

The documentary focuses on one woman, the supposed "Evil Genius." It is clear by the marketing and branding that the producers want us to believe the main character is evil, and that people can be entrapped by her evil. In a sense, people somehow lack free will, and gravitate towards evil. Somehow, Erie Pa had an evil force in it's mist without ever realizing it existed. I am pretty sure the community knew about the suspect. However, the direction of the documentary is that evil lurks, and we somehow never knew it was there....

There is a danger to this simplicity. Many people watching this documentary will come to the conclusion that we live in a world of good v. evil, versus a world of circumstance and environment. The documentary is void of humanity. Instead, it lowers our intelligence. It oversimplifies the good v. evil analogy.

Documentaries are supposed to be about the documentation about the event versus the emotions of the event. The series manipulates the viewer with clever sound bites from our media, and melodramatic music. The artwork on the poster is evil. Law and Order type graphics throughout the entire documentary. I was waiting for the 'bum bum bum bum" music from the show at times. The purpose of these type of cinematic props is to convince the audience this woman was surely "evil." This is not a documentary, it is a commentary.

Another critical lens could have taken this series in an entirely different direction. Erie Pennsylvania had a Mental Health crisis. People struggling with Mental Health were most likely medicated, versus therapeutically treated. In fact, I found it interesting after watching the documentary how much efforts have shifted in Erie Pa. So much that the local United Way shifted  funding to early intervention and mental health related services in 2018 for children in this region. (http://www.goerie.com/news/20180121/erie-united-way-wont-renew-dozens-of-agency-grants)
Erie Pa. ignored their most vulnerable population and paid a heavy price. That is the lesson to be learned.

Evil Genius is not the correct title for this documentary. It should have been titled, "Mental Health Crisis in Erie Pa." Even the local law enforcement lacked the proper understanding of mental health. They let a man get his head blown off while clearly he was asking for help. There was so much to learn from this tragic event and the people involved in such acts. We as a society should be asking, "What are the antecedents for deviant behavior?" Instead, we attribute it to good v. evil. This cheapens our approach to mental health in my opinion.

The good v. evil analogy is similar to the recent outrage of our President calling a gang "animals." Labels strip away at our humanity. My suggestion, see for yourself. Watch the documentary and imagine if it was titled, "Mental Health Crisis in Erie" with the subtext, "Community Experiences Tragic Event Due to the lack of Mental Health Screenings and Services." Eliminate the music, and melodrama, and we could of had one heck of a learning experience about how our country can prevent the tragic events we witness every day that traumatize our nation. The bottom line, lost opportunity for learning Netflix. Shame on you....(And I love your documentaries)