Self-revelation is in great supply here, and the humor and panache of these bears even when they’re denigrating other segments of the queer community, is admirable. This sort of thing when done honestly never gets old. The tales of these men coming to terms with themselves and their own desires is riveting. We learn that bears come out twice (like leather folks or the polyamorous) – first as queer, and then as bears. This is truly one of Ingram’s gifts he puts his subjects at ease while coaxing out every detailed emotional truth – juicy or depressing. Stories flow from these men like the River Jordan. I loved this as it broke with the talking head format, highlighting the vulnerability of the men who share their identities with us. The interviews are highly aestheticized with subjects facing off camera and meandering in and out of focus. Here we see bears in their native habitat working at record stores, making a living as teachers, and at home doing the dishes with their bear boyfriends. The first act of Bear Nation is rapturous, possibly because it is so well-sited in the bear community of Toronto. For this year’s SXSW Ingram was back in the saddle with his new documentary, Bear Nation, which is about those beefy, be-bearded gay dudes who self-identify as “bears”. We fell in love with Malcolm Ingram when he made Small Town Gay Bar, a little jewel of a documentary that meditates on living as a rural queer.
