The gay father/straight son comedy-drama film Beginners is far too twee in its opening reel as Oliver (Ewan McGregor) talks to his late dad’s adorable Jack Russell Terrier (who answers in too cute subtitles). But stick with it. This is one of those rare films that actually improves as it unspools. By its end, Beginners is really quite moving.
Stuff gay people like affectionately refers to these and all other hairstyles moving through a gender-neutral social phase as “bottom-tops.” Soon, each style will diverge into numerous manifestations as every kind of group adopts them differently; a slightly more restrained form of a hairdo will develop for straight men, a version with longer length will pop up for straight women and a $5,000-apiece highlighted adaptation will become popular in Hollywood.
It’s as if we are back in 1983 all over again. Fear, stigma and intentional ignorance are the norms. Only this time it’s all coming from within our own gay male community, not from the outside. We refer to ourselves and one another as “clean,” “bug-free,” or “ddf.” We isolate and alienate ourselves.





