English 2200: Film (or novel or tv episode or series) Review Assignment
Due date: to be determined as soon as final exam schedule comes out
Assignment: Write an approximately 1000-word review of a film or book that has
LGBTQ+ elements. (As stated in class, no two students can review the same film or
book, so make sure your choice has been approved before starting work on this
assignment.)
NOTE: I strongly recommend that you do not read other reviews of your chosen film or
book before making your own judgements to avoid being unduly influenced and
therefore running the risk of plagiarism. If you find that you ultimately want to include
something another reviewer has said, give them credit for it and quote them carefully.
A note about tone: your review is not a scholarly essay. Please find a lively, engaging
tone to use in writing it—one your classmates will appreciate (they are your main
audience, as all the reviews will be posted on our Moodle page). You do not need to
provide citation, but, as noted above, if you use anything from another source you
should acknowledge it informally by mentioning the author and where it comes from.
Here is the suggested structure for the assignment:
First, provide a TITLE for your review that represents your overall assessment of the
film/book, etc.
In the first paragraph (essentially an introduction), introduce the film or book (or
television series and/or episode). Indicate when it came out/was published, who the
director/author is, and provide some general information such as setting (time and
place) and basic plot and characters (*no spoilers). Indicate what the LGBTQ+ elements
in the film/book are. Your objective here is to set the stage for your review. At the end of
the introduction, provide the equivalent of a thesis in which you give your overall
assessment of the piece and give some indication of the structure the rest of the review
will take.
For the rest of the paragraphs: consider both thematic (what’s the film/book saying?)
and structural (how does it say them?) elements (separately or together).
*If you feel you need to include spoilers in order to review your film/book meaningfully,
please offer a spoiler alert at the beginning right after the title.
General Things to Consider:
-does the film/book tell a compelling story? (does it draw in the audience, make them
want to continue watching/reading?)
-How are the characters portrayed? Are they believable or strange, complex or flat, etc?
Do they undergo change? How does this affect your understanding of the work?
-how interesting/realistic is the dialogue?
-how is the acting?
-how is the film is shot, using elements such as lighting, camera angle, soundtrack,
pacing?
LGBTQ+ Things to Consider:
-provide a little bit of research about the author/director’s identity. Do they fall under the
LGBTQ+ umbrella?
-how are the LGBTQ+ elements presented? (in fresh, new ways that may show the
audience something they haven’t seen or thought of before or stereotypically, as in
relying on clichés for entertainment value)
-are gay or trans characters in a film played by gay or trans actors?
-from whose perspective is the story told? Do they fall under the LGBTQ+ umbrella?
Does this affect how we see the story?
-Sex scenes – Are there any? How graphic are they? If they’re graphic, is it gratuitous or
does it serve a purpose for the characters/the story?
Here are some other assorted considerations:
-from Zoe Whittal on Twitter: “If you have a gay character in your television show, unless
they have a queer best friend/community, and lovers, they’re a token. The queer person
w/ a group of entirely straight friends is an absolute fiction that centres the cis/straight
supposedly ‘universal’ audience”
-watch for old tropes about ‘coming out of the closet’ etc. unless done in different ways
(different race, culture, etc.)
-watch too for more “positive” clichés and tropes. The “gay or straight, we’re all just
people” sentiment, for example, may be problematic.
-If you’re writing on a lesbian film/book, read the article posted on our Moodle page
called “’Oral sex – and no scissoring!’ How the lesbian gaze changed cinema” from The
Guardian online for extra things to consider.
Evaluation
These are the main things I will be looking for:
-understanding of LGBTQ+ considerations and insightful and sensitive writing about
them
-evidence of your careful viewing/reading
-clear organization
-smooth and correct writing (but note that some slang and some conscious sentence
fragments should be fine if they suit the tone you’re using)
-a lively, engaging tone