We have all experienced the book/song/poem/play/movie which articulates emotions we imagined to be unique to ourselves. In a new documentary writer and director Sav Rodgers takes this to extremes suggesting Kevin Smith’s Chasing Amy had a life-changing if not lifesaving impact.
Now a transgender male, the teenage Rodgers was unaware of his sexuality when Chasing Amy came out and found the depiction of a proud lesbian character and open discussion of sexual politics empowering. His TED talk on the importance of the film in helping gay young people determine their sense of identity came to the attention of Kevin Smith and others involved in the making of the movie who agreed to be part of Rodgers’s documentary.
There is a sense Rodgers continues to be influenced by Chasing Amy. In a particularly powerful moment in the documentary, while interviewing Smith, he becomes so moved he is unable to continue. Captioned dialogue shows he acknowledged being, at that point, a closeted transgender male as if seeking Smith’s blessing before completing the process.
Chasing Chasing Amy is, therefore, both a tribute to the original movie and an autobiographical account of Sav Rodgers’s transitioning. The latter introduces audiences to Rodgers’s girlfriend (who still regards herself as a lesbian although now in a relationship with a transgender male) and mother who are supportive of his decision – a marked contrast to the bullying Rodgers endured as a teen.
The early part of the film is very much Rodgers in fanboy mode. He visits locations used in the movie marvelling and rejoicing at how little they have changed over the years. Rodgers pays tribute to Smith’s style of filmmaking with introductory scenes captured as panels from comic books. One of the fascinating discoveries is that Smith was inspired to write the movie by an intense friendship between a straight male colleague and a lesbian filmmaker but the male insecurities which destroy the movie love affair were based upon his deteriorating relationship with Joey Lauren Adams who starred in the film.”If she hadn’t been to Bali, we’d still be together’’ sighs Smith acknowledging his inability to accept Adams being more worldly.
Rodgers acknowledges that Chasing Amy does not satisfy present-day sensitivities of the LGBTQ community. The documentary features comments from a range of activists and critics objecting to aspects such as the film being told from the viewpoint of a straight white male and a lesbian character being willing to turn her back on her principles/community and begin a straight relationship. However, there is not a unified viewpoint on sexual politics within the LGBTQ community, where it is noted, bisexuality is sometimes dismissed. The comments, therefore, lack power by being so disparate. There is not a single, agreed criticism about the film but rather a collection of minor niggles.
Ironically the most devastating criticism of Chasing Amy comes from a member of the cast. Joey Lauren Adams filmed a cameo in Smith’s Jay and Silent Bob Reboot to bring up to date her character from Chasing Amy so it is reasonable to assume she and he are still on friendly terms. In Chasing Chasing Amy they engage in an affectionate “Y’see, this is why we broke up” conversation. Interviewed alone, however, Adams points out Smith’s justification doesn’t change the fact he made her feel bad.
Both Smith and Adams address the elephant in the room- that Chasing Amy was produced by Miramax Films founded by convicted sex offender Harvey Weinstein. Smith is candid and remorseful about the situation but there is an undertone of “If we knew then what we know now.” Adams gives the impression Weinstein’s “predatory behaviour was an open secret (“Harvey doesn’t want to sleep with me’) and draws a link to casual sexism within the entertainment industry at the time which expected female actors to play along when invited to sit on the knee of talk-show hosts. Adams’s interview is the only point in the documentary when Sav Rodgers’s faith is shaken.
At times the sheer enthusiasm of Sav Rodgers overwhelms his judgement and the documentary bogs down in shots of him gleefully visiting yet another location from Chasing Amy. Yet the balance with his personal journey to transition and willingness to acknowledge shortcomings in something he idolises make Chasing Chasing Amy an honest and moving documentary.
Chasing Chasing Amy is screening at the BFI London Film Festival 2023.
