JEAN GENET IN CHICAGO: A Review by Sofia Migaly

In celebration of Pride Month, Chicago Filmmakers is proud to screen the short film JEAN GENET IN CHICAGO by Frédéric Moffet, accompanying the film GREAT FREEDOM, the third installment in our special Pride Month programming for Reeling: The Chicago LGBTQ+ International Film Festival.

Frederic Moffet’s JEAN GENET IN CHICAGO (2006) is a bold documentary retelling the protests at the 1968 National Democratic Convention. The film follows Genet’s journey to Chicago as he protests the Vietnam War with the Yippies and supports civil rights for Black Americans alongside the Black Panther Party. Genet also condemns the state’s violent suppression of free speech and the Chicago Police’s brutality.

Moffet dubs this documentary a “thief-video”: a synthesis of archival clips, newspaper excerpts, and bizarre reenactments of the events. Perhaps most chilling is the graphic footage capturing the Chicago Police mobilizing to beat and gas protesters of the Vietnam War, as Genet meditates on the cruel nature of the policeman’s body.

The film’s discussion of the inherent queerness of counterculture is especially poignant during pride month. Moffet draws a parallel between the state’s extreme reaction to alternative ways of thought and the criminalization of Genet’s very existence as a gay man. With the recent uptick in anti-LGBTQ legislation JEAN GENET IN CHICAGO remains immensely relevant as a queered protest against hegemonic violence. 

A review by Chicago Filmmakers Marketing Intern & student at Northwestern University, Sofia Migaly.

The REELING PRIDE MONTH FILM SHOWCASE, presented by MUBI, is hosted at our Chicago Filmmakers Firehouse Cinema.

Friday, June 16th, at 7:00 PM CST.
1326 W Hollywood Ave, Chicago

Don’t forget to take advantage of this exclusive, free 30-day trial from MUBI in celebration of Pride Month!

Trailer edited by Chicago Filmmakers Marketing Intern & student at the School of the Art Institute, Bella Miller.