Personalizes the political with two heart-rending real-life cases.
Tying the Knot (2005)
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted:12
Fresh:10
Rotten:2
Average Rating:6.8/10
Rated: Not Rated
Genre: Dramas
Theatrical Release:Oct 1, 2004 Limited
Synopsis: One of the hottest topics at the 2004 Presidential election was the issue of gay marriage and whether it should be legalized. Jim de Sève directs this fascinating look at the issue, taking into... One of the hottest topics at the 2004 Presidential election was the issue of gay marriage and whether it should be legalized. Jim de Sève directs this fascinating look at the issue, taking into account two extremely important cases. The first involves Mickie, who loses her wife during a bank robbery. With the authorities unwilling to recognize their union, Mickie is stripped of the usual benefits bestowed on a widower. De Sève's second case looks at the life of a rancher named Sam, who lost his husband and faces brutal recriminations from the family of his deceased partner. TYING THE KNOT presents these cases in a sympathetic light, showing how hurtful these situations can be to the bereaved, as well as highlighting how things would be different if the gay community enjoyed the freedoms afforded to straight married couples. A bold piece of filmmaking that runs the full gamut of human emotions, De Sève offers a clear and concise case for a change in the marriage law. [More]
Director: Jim de Sève
Director: Jim de Sève
Studio: IDP Distribution
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Reviews for Tying the Knot
It may not be the most meticulously crafted documentary in the world, but what Tying the Knot lacks in finesse it compensates for in making a heartfelt case for the hot-button topic of same-sex marriage.
Has the good sense to take a large step back from the emotional debate surrounding the issue and scrutinize the history of marriage itself.
The subject is worth exploring -- unfortunately, de Seve does so in a cut-and-dried manner that never explains why these two couples were able to stay together for so long.
Documentarian Jim de Seve's cogent pro-gay-marriage argument appeals equally to emotion and reason.
The movie, directed by Jim de Seve, personalizes a ferocious political debate, never losing its (frequently sad) human face.
This documentary by Jim de Seve succeeds anyway, by putting a poignant human face on the struggle for equal rights.
Whether one is pro or con on the issue of same-sex marriage, Jim de Seve's thought-provoking and timely documentary succeeds in putting the hot-button topic in human, and often heartbreaking, terms.
What gives this lively, incisive and comprehensive documentary its punch is that it sets its survey of the movement's progress and setbacks against accounts of two people who lost their life partners and suffered dire economic consequences.
... we never get to see the dailiness of coupled life or learn what made these relationships tick—and why they are so worthy of legal validation.
Makes the case that it is not just societal recognition that same-sex partners lack without the official decree of a marriage -- it is the legal rights that married couples share.
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