First Run Acquires Sundance Doc 'For the Bible Tells Me So'

One of my fave films at Sundance this year was For the Bible Tells Me So, a documentary exploring the disconnect between what most Christians believe about homosexuality versus what the Bible actually has to say on the subject and,in particular, the way the Christian right has used misinterpretation of the Biblical take on the issue to shut homosexuals out of their faiths.

Director Daniel Karslake scored some amazing interviews to flesh out the film, including Bishop Desmond Tutu, Rabbi Zachary Mayer, and, at the center of the film, Episcopalian Bishop Gene Robinson, the first openly gay man to be elected Bishop of that denomination. Robinson's election was controversial and divisive, and he and his partner received so many death threats that he had to wear a bullet-proof vest under his robes at his consecration (because Jesus was all about the death threats, right?)

Karslake puts real faces on the issue by introducing us to five families of faith who were impacted by having a family member come out as gay, including Dick Gephardt and his daughter Chrissy, who came out of the closet just as her dad was running for office, to find her father openly embrace her just as she is, and the family I connected most strongly with while watching the film, the Reitans of Minnesota, who thought they knew everything there was to know about gay people and what their faith has to say on the subject -- until their son Jake came out as gay while still in high school. Most wrenching, perhaps, is the tale of a woman whose daughter, Anna, committed suicide after she rejected her for coming out as a lesbian; the woman is now a staunch advocate and supporter of the gay community -- a role she's taken on in honor of the daughter she lost due to a faith that told her to reject her own child.

I was privileged to be able to interview Bishop Robinson and Karslake at Sundance, and it was one of the most inspiring interviews I've ever done. Robinson's quiet faith, his goodness, just radiate from him; the thought that some crazy right-winger might someday follow through on one of the death threats he still receives enrages me. Robinson talked openly to me about his coming out to his wife, his decision to run for Bishop, and how all the drama and threats surrounding that decision have impacted his relationship with his long-term partner. Robinson and Karslake also told the amusing tale of how Karslake -- a first-time feature filmmaker -- managed to persuade the very busy Bishop to be at the center of his film.

First Run plans to begin the theatrical run for For The Bible Tells Me So in October; we'll keep you posted on where you can catch it.