Search - Fire Island on DVD

Excellent

Beau Duncan | New Orleans, LA USA | 11/04/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"The cover is deceiving. The video doesn't have any sexual acts at all. It is a wonderful documentary of people escaping for a vacation on a private island. It is a reality video and the clips of lesbians and gay men are upbeat and even the couple of scenes with interviews of people who have had challenging relationships are positive and hopeful. The scenes are action packed and fun to watch of everyone having a good time; they are relaxed, happy and nothing appears rehearsed. It's clean, sexy sun bathing, dancing, living and dining. It's worth seeing."

Reality TV meets historic gay resort area

Jeffery Mingo | Homewood, IL USA | 10/24/2008

(3 out of 5 stars)

"This showed two groups of "friends," one gay and one lesbian, as they spend time on Fire Island. Most people have heard of the Castro or Provincetown, but Fire Island ranks high up there too as a place where gays have spent time. I think the author of "Mother Camp" may have written about Fire Island too. Now that I think of it, the Village People may have made a song about it. I almost sure that Andy Warhol and other famous gays vacationed there often. So this will help you to think about gay history and gay culture more.
Still, this documentary was painful at times due to a reason to which perhaps everyone can relate. On the one hand, if you are a gay person in a straight world, it can be relaxing to spend time with other gays and not be the minority. However, tempers can rise and times like this can really test one's identity politics. The lesbians had disagreements about whether women should bring their minor kids on the trip. The gay men fought over all kinds of petty stuff. This dynamic may make one want to run away from members of one's community rather than embrace them. "Love! Valor! Compassion!" (sp?) touched on how gay men can love and hate their friends at the same time also.
There is some gratuitous nudity here where two guys pull down their trunks partially for little reason besides eye candy. However, eye candy may be precisely what gets you to sit through this work.
I wish class had been brought up more. I wonder if only rich gay men and lesbians get to resort on the Island. Do those of limited financial means get to vacation there too? How does this affect gender and racial dynamics on the Island? Those politics are missing here."