Showing at DIFF at the same time as its opening in the US is a fascinating documentary about the gay voice called Do I sound gay?.

The film is a funny yet technical examination of the gay voice, which I didn't know existed before I saw the film. It is a real eye-opener as it immediately made you examine your own voice. Suddenly everybody in the cinema was practising their s's and going down at the end of a sentence instead of going up! The crowd was mainly gay and they, as I, found the humour very funny.

Before I watched the film, I never really thought I sounded too gay. I can relate to one of the celebs interviewed who has a high-pitched voice who said how irritating it is when he calls a business and is addressed as madam. Apparently, according to a linguist interviewed, gay people learn to speak "like women" because as they grow up they immitate their mothers. Its probably true. In my case, however, my mother smoked for forty years and sounded more like a man. So I probably imitated my father who didn't smoke.

In the film, director David Thorpe puts himself through a rigorous six months of training to sound less gay. I think he sounded just a little less stressed after six months.

The documentary is inspirational as the message is so positive. It doesn't matter how you pronounce your s's, prolong your nouns, whether your voice goes up or down at the end of a sentence or lisp as bad as Donald Duck, learn to accept yourself, be yourself and live your life. Again, thank you DIFF for showing thought-provoking films.

The festival is drawing to a close and I intend seeing the very brave Iranian film, Taxi, the closing film, The Prophet, and the winning South African feature on the last day. 

 

(Danie Jacobs for filmfestivals.com)