Well-known actors in rare movie on gay activist who became a pastor
James Franco stars in “I am Michael”, a controversial movie produced by Gus Van Sant. The story of Michael Glatze first appeared in The New York Times.
NEW YORK · 09 MARCH 2017 · 16:40 CET
Well-known actors James Franco, Zachary Quinto and Emma Roberts star in a film about the evolution of a high-profile LGBT activist who converts to Christianity and declares himself to be “ex-gay.”
“I am Michael” tells the story of Michael Glatze, one of the founders of the Young Gay Americans movement and member of LGBT initiatives like XY magazine.
After going through challenging times, Glatze started to visit an evangelical church and to study the Bible. He later became a Christian, left the LGBT movement and married a Christian woman. After studying theology, he became a pastor in a rural are of Wyoming (USA).
A NEW YORK TIMES STORY
The story of Glatze appeared in a New York Times article in 2011, authored by his former colleague and LGBT activist Benoit Denizet-Lewis.
The movie was first shown at Sundance Festival in 2015, and later that year in the Berlin Festival, as well as in LGBT film contests.
But the distribution of the film has been very limited. Some European countries are starting to show the film in 2017.
PRO-GAY OR PRO-CHRISTIAN MOVIE?
Film director Justin Kelly says his approach to the story as a director is neutral. “Even though I don’t really believe or agree with him [Glatze] I don’t think it is really fair for me to say he is wrong,” Kelly said.
“It is in his personality to be extreme and dedicate himself wholly to a cause. He did it in his gay life and he did it again in his Christian life.”
Watch the trailer of the film here:
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