Sole Journey (2008/First Run Features DVD)

 

Picture: C    Sound: C+     Extras: C+     Main Program: B-

 

 

When President Obama won, many credited the rise again of The Religious Left, sick and tired of being lied to and of three decades of Neo-Conservatism bordering on fascism.  The Kate Burns/Sheila E. Schroeder documentary Sole Journey (2008) shows one of the most interesting manifestations of this new Left in the organization Soulforce, a religious, faith-based group intent on countermanding the extreme Right and especially the ultra-Right Wing James Dobson and his tricky, so-called Focus On The Family that thinks it owns the idea of family, which is a commodified stereotype of the real thing they have been peddling for decades.

 

Running one hour, there is an amazing amount of data well-edited into a presentation on the group, how they believe you do not have to abandon faith to be gay, lesbian, pro-gay, pro-lesbian and even if you are not gay.  Comparing their struggle to that of Gandhi and MLK Jr. is an easy one; anti-abortionists say they are doing that too until they bomb any given clinic, but we’ll see if they can achieve what they are setting out to do in this early record of their advent.  Interesting and a nice change of pace from the usual hatemongering by Dobson and company.

 

The 1.33 X 1 image is softer than I would have liked, but this is a documentary and much of the vital footage is analog video with aliasing errors and other issues, so expect that in advance.  The Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo is not great, sometimes monophonic, a generation or two down for the older footage and newest tapings (especially on camera interviews) play best.  Extras include resources list, PDF DVD-ROM Press Kit, text Director’s Statement and short entitled Marriage Equality Action.

 

 

-   Nicholas Sheffo