Someone Like Me, a documentary directed by Sean Horlor and Steve J. Adams, follows 11 members of Vancouver's Rainbow Refugee Community Organization. These 11 strangers have come together to form "the circle", a support group for an incoming gay refugee. Drake, a 22 year-old gay man who is seeking asylum in Canada after facing persecution in Uganda, is selected as the refugee the group will help resettle in Vancouver.
Uganda is particularly hostile towards gay people; same-sex sexual activity and relationships are illegal and punishable with life imprisonment, and there is the potential to receive the death penalty for anyone convicted of homosexuality. Homosexuality is so demonized in Uganda that members face discrimination from their own communities and family. Canada by comparison is a very welcoming country for those who identify as a member of the 2SLGBTQIA+ community. In Canada, gay marriage is legal, conversion therapy is illegal, and sexual orientation is a protected class in the Canadian Human Rights Act.
This documentary highlights many 2SLGBTQIA+ perspectives. The two I found most poignant were the different viewpoints shared by those in the circle. I was particularly affected by how some felt a responsibility to help others facing 2SLGBTQIA+ discrimination based on their privileged experience in Canada, others fleeing countries due to violence and threats they faced. The second view was Drake sharing how he felt insecure about his sexuality in Uganda but never about his race, and how when he came to Canada things switched and he became insecure about his race (after facing racism for the first time) but was no longer insecure about his sexuality. Sharing of these perspectives showcases how they each have a different view of the same issues based on their individual experiences.
Drake's retelling of how he left his father's home in Uganda at 14 was very impactful, as well as his sharing of his local saying "Whatever grows bent, if you try to straighten it, it just breaks." Most impactful for me was the videos and photos of the violence faced by 2SLGBTQIA+ members at the Kakuma Refugee Camp in Northern Kenya. Many documentaries avoid showing the reality of violence being faced, while this film showed videos and graphic photos that accurately portray the violence.
I rate this film three stars out of five. I think the film showed an intriguing view into the Rainbow Refugee Organization and "the circle". I think we only get a surface view into Drake and his experiences with discrimination in Uganda and Canada. I hoped we could hear more of his experiences in Uganda and how it paralleled and contrasted with his experiences in Canada, especially how he felt after experiencing racism for the first time and how it affected him as he settled into Canada.
Uganda is particularly hostile towards gay people; same-sex sexual activity and relationships are illegal and punishable with life imprisonment, and there is the potential to receive the death penalty for anyone convicted of homosexuality. Homosexuality is so demonized in Uganda that members face discrimination from their own communities and family. Canada by comparison is a very welcoming country for those who identify as a member of the 2SLGBTQIA+ community. In Canada, gay marriage is legal, conversion therapy is illegal, and sexual orientation is a protected class in the Canadian Human Rights Act.
This documentary highlights many 2SLGBTQIA+ perspectives. The two I found most poignant were the different viewpoints shared by those in the circle. I was particularly affected by how some felt a responsibility to help others facing 2SLGBTQIA+ discrimination based on their privileged experience in Canada, others fleeing countries due to violence and threats they faced. The second view was Drake sharing how he felt insecure about his sexuality in Uganda but never about his race, and how when he came to Canada things switched and he became insecure about his race (after facing racism for the first time) but was no longer insecure about his sexuality. Sharing of these perspectives showcases how they each have a different view of the same issues based on their individual experiences.
Drake's retelling of how he left his father's home in Uganda at 14 was very impactful, as well as his sharing of his local saying "Whatever grows bent, if you try to straighten it, it just breaks." Most impactful for me was the videos and photos of the violence faced by 2SLGBTQIA+ members at the Kakuma Refugee Camp in Northern Kenya. Many documentaries avoid showing the reality of violence being faced, while this film showed videos and graphic photos that accurately portray the violence.
I rate this film three stars out of five. I think the film showed an intriguing view into the Rainbow Refugee Organization and "the circle". I think we only get a surface view into Drake and his experiences with discrimination in Uganda and Canada. I hoped we could hear more of his experiences in Uganda and how it paralleled and contrasted with his experiences in Canada, especially how he felt after experiencing racism for the first time and how it affected him as he settled into Canada.