Outrage

Directed by Kirby Dick

(R)

***

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Director Kirby Dick outs Washington’s closeted gays.

Outrage “more than lives up to its title,” said Frank Scheck in The Hollywood Reporter. In his “bound-to-be-controversial” documentary, director Kirby Dick “outs” allegedly gay politicians and public officials who actively campaign and vote against gay rights. In past films, Dick has gone after the Catholic Church and the Motion Picture Association of America’s ratings board. This time, he targets such political figures as Sen. Larry Craig and Florida Gov. Charlie Crist, who he claims are closeted homosexuals. Dick treads on dangerous ground here, said Kenneth Turan in the Los Angeles Times. For his critics, “the very idea” of revealing a person’s sexuality without their consent crosses the line of journalistic ethics. “Don’t they have a right to remain silent?” Dick argues that public figures check privacy at the door when they actively pursue an anti-gay agenda. As pushy as Dick can be, his tone is “without venom,” said Dan Zak in The Washington Post. Dick’s intention in opening these individuals to public scrutiny is “respectable,” and his objective is primarily to expose hypocrisy rather than homosexuality. Outrage is less a politically driven exposé than a “desperate plea for truth.”