Socks on Fire is poet Bo McGuire’s debut feature documentary about his family in rural Hokes Bluff, Alabama. The film won Best Documentary Feature at the 2020 Tribeca Film Festival. The main storyline is the feud between one of his aunts, the homophobic Sharon, and his Uncle John, a flamboyant drag queen, over the estate of his beloved grandmother, Nanny, who dies without leaving a will. She had intended to leave her house to Uncle John who was living with her, but Sharon, appointed estate administrator, does her best to kick John out of the house, potentially leaving him homeless, just because her newly-found religious conviction has made her homophobic.

This is a very personal documentary, almost a family memoir. We slowly get to know McGuire’s family quite well as he uses a combination of old family home videos, family member interviews, staged re-enactments, and McGuire’s own languid, deep southern voiceover, to analyze his childhood, growing up gay himself, inter-family relationships, and the feud. The documentary is well-produced, with some beautiful cinematography and a great original score by Casey Wayne McAllister. McGuire is undoubtedly a talented film maker but the actual storyline is not really strong enough to fill 90 minutes. Nevertheless, the film gives us an interesting insight into how queer life fits into rural Alabama family life – it feels like the film has been a very therapeutic and necessary process for McQuire to complete.  The film focuses a lot on the character of previously very cool, but now homophobic aunt Sharon, when the real star of the show is Uncle John who no doubt has a few juicy stories to tell. McQuire himself gives little away about his present-day life and that would have been a good additional storyline as he seems an interesting guy – good looking, beardy, well dressed, with a husky, Virginia Slim’s induced, southern drawl.

The strongest underlying emotion to the film is family love, and even though the feud has sadly caused a rift in the family, we can see that there is still a love for nasty aunt Sharon. We can all relate to that.

Queerguru reviewed Socks On Fire at OUTshine Film Festival :  for all futures screenings

 check out https://www.facebook.com/socksonfirefilm

 

Review: Ris Fatah 

Queerguru Contributing Editor Ris Fatah is a successful fashion/luxury business consultant  (when he can be bothered) who divides and wastes his time between London and Ibiza. He is a lover of all things queer, feminist, and human rights in general. @ris.fatah