Tribeca Film Festival: Dick's doc kicks in D.C. closet door

The most hotly anticipated film going into this year's Tribeca Film Festival was, hands down, "Outrage," a documentary by Kirby Dick that reports on -- and adds to -- the work of a growing number of individuals who are "outing" closeted gays in government when they vote against the interests of the gay community. For weeks, the rumor mill was buzzing that Dick was not going to pull any punches and was indeed going to name names (some new, some big). As those who got hold of hot tickets to the film's Friday premiere and second screening on Sunday found out, the whispers were indeed correct.

In the wrong hands, "Outrage" could have been the cinematic equivalent of a tabloid rag. Instead, Dick takes the time to delve into the harm that closeted politicians have brought upon fellow gays, the psychological reasons for why they do so, and the rather stunning changes they display once they have chosen -- or been compelled -- to acknowledge their own "reality."

His thesis is supported by individuals who have been on all sides of the issue, including the most feared outer (blogger Mike Rogers), the most prominently out (U.S. Rep. Barney Frank), and the most notoriously outed (former New Jersey Gov. Jim McGreevey), among others.

Most people who have seen the film accept its argument that there is no shortage of either gays or hypocrisy in politics, but many feel conflicted about the tactic of "outing" people, no matter how unappealing or hypocritical their behavior may seem. Some have suggested that to do so is no less immoral than what U.S. Sen. Joseph McCarthy did by "naming" alleged Communists during the Red Scare half a century ago. To his credit, Dick includes footage of people raising this thought in the film, and acknowledging that no one really can ever know what is in the heart or mind of another person.

With only a very few exceptions -- namely, someone making an accusation in silhouette, and someone discussing the sexual orientation of a Fox News anchor without making a credible case for how it might negatively affect his coverage -- Dick succeeds in coming off not as an agent of intolerance, but rather a proponent of greater tolerance -- through whatever means necessary.

Dick, for point of reference, is no ingenue when it comes to this sort of film -- in fact, a look at his accumulated oeuvre reveals a constant effort to expose hypocrites in positions of power. "Twist of Faith" (2004), which received a best documentary Oscar nomination, was about a Catholic priest who molested a boy he had been entrusted to protect. "This Film Is Not Yet Rated" (2006), which garnered even more media attention, exposed the untoward practices of the motion picture ratings board.

And now he has taken on the people who have been associated with hypocrisy longer than any other: politicians.

Photo: Former New Jersey Gov. Jim McGreevey resigns in 2004. Credit: Gothamist