Dead Poets Society Steals a Queer Story
Dead Poets Society relies on patriarchal tropes such as overbearing fathers, contrived brotherhood, and faux-individuality in order to portray its straight white male characters as oppressed.

Nadine is a breathtaking and astonishingly sensual fashion photographer who gets lured into accepting a lingerie photo-shoot in the villa of the mysterious Victor Schneider. After the models and the crew leave the villa, only Nadine and Victor stay behind. As the night shrouds the villa with its thick shadows, Victor offers Nadine a weird proposal. Would she dare to put her own life at stake in a chess game? If he wins, she loses every right over her body and life. If Nadine does, Victor will kill himself. Thus begins a long night of sex, lust, desire, fear and. death.
Dead Poets Society relies on patriarchal tropes such as overbearing fathers, contrived brotherhood, and faux-individuality in order to portray its straight white male characters as oppressed.
In Spike Lee’s She’s Gotta Have It (1986), we follow the love life of powerful female protagonist Nola Darling (Tracy Camilla Johns) and explore the relationship dynamics she has with her partners. She sees three men simultaneously: Greer Childs, (John Canada Terrell) Mars Blackmon (Spike Lee), and Jamie Overstreet (Tommy Redmond Hicks). Though an 80’s film, She’s Gotta Have It is surprisingly progressive with its themes of female sexuality, although at some points in the film it is handled clumsily. Overall Nola is an incredibly compelling character especially for modern women, as we as a society acknowledge female sensuality more and more without the negative stigma.
It is not hard to make a musical biopic that pleases audiences and draws a profit. Michael is no exception.
What are we willing to walk through to see our dreams come to pass? Our minds might be so wholly alive with the passions we carry and the plans we make to see these things become all we wish them to be, yet life doesn’t always want to come alongside. Instead, obstacles arise, both physical and mental, which attempt to dissuade us or even prevent us from moving forward, stalling or stagnating the momentum to achieve what we desire. The age-old question remains….can we overcome? Or will we BE overcome?
The tale of two friends spans three films and gives wonderful representation for young girls everywhere.
This film’s ambition is betrayed by its lack of substance.