Children of God (review)

Kareem Mortimer. Children of God. Nassau, Bahamas: Mercury Rising Media Production, 2009. [...]the film does give us beautiful and touching moments that call for tolerance and acceptance in the Caribbean using the rhetoric of Christianity-the message is clear: we are all children of God regardless of sexual orientation and only God can judge us at the end of the day. [...]the film provides a glimpse into the religious, patriarchal, and Christian society of the Bahamas and the homophobic violence that can develop within a deeply conservative way of life on such a small island-nation (or in any small community). Since its premiere at the Bahamas International Film Festival in December 2009, it has received much acclaim and positive reviews for being the very first narrative feature to address these difficult and painful issues within the Caribbean. The women are represented as straight, close-minded, and Christian, while the men are more complicated-from bisexual/gay to closeted and homophobic to open-minded even in Christianity. [...]I see this film as not fully representing the broad spectrum of sexual minorities (i.e. lesbians and transgendered folk) and the kinds of activism that have taken place on the ground in the Bahamas for many years.