Yo Soy Así (2010)
a note from the producer
It’s 2009, and Buenos Aires, Argentina is in the wake of one of the world’s most loaded culture wars. All along the bustling, church-lined streets hang posters with the phrase, “Los Mismos Derechos, Los Mismos Nombres,” or “The Same Rights, The Same Names.” This is the battle cry of Buenos Aires’ gay community, directed at the conservative and religious communities who stand in strong opposition to the ‘radical’ gay marriage legislation that would soon be up for debate. In the three months leading up to the annual pride parade, gay Argentines held rallies and protests throughout the nation’s capital demanding that full marriage rights, and not civil unions, be made legal in the state.
I met Norma and Ramona while attending a forum for lesbian retirees in Buenos Aires. The women were both 67 and had traveled throughout South America to conceal their “taboo” relationship for many years; they were only now settling down to enjoy ‘married’ life. As Buenos Aires’ first couple to be joined in a civil union ceremony, the two women made headlines and stole the hearts of many as they spoke of their hopes for the future.
That day, Norma captured my attention with her wit and honesty, and soon I was sitting in the courtyard of her self-built home discussing politics and civil rights.
It was my further curiosity regarding the lesbian experience in Buenos Aires that led me to several other women’s organizations, and eventually to the other women in my film, Florencia and Wanda.
Yo Soy Así is a product of several months of very personal and intimate conversations with four women, aged 18, 35, and 67 who have experienced coming out and living out, all the while developing their own way of interpreting, coping, and reacting to the shifting attitudes regarding homosexuality in Argentina’s capital cty. Ultimately, it is the bold and unique perspective of each woman that makes this film both emotionally raw and incomparably intriguing.
Enjoy.
--Jodi Savitz, Producer/Director
I met Norma and Ramona while attending a forum for lesbian retirees in Buenos Aires. The women were both 67 and had traveled throughout South America to conceal their “taboo” relationship for many years; they were only now settling down to enjoy ‘married’ life. As Buenos Aires’ first couple to be joined in a civil union ceremony, the two women made headlines and stole the hearts of many as they spoke of their hopes for the future.
That day, Norma captured my attention with her wit and honesty, and soon I was sitting in the courtyard of her self-built home discussing politics and civil rights.
It was my further curiosity regarding the lesbian experience in Buenos Aires that led me to several other women’s organizations, and eventually to the other women in my film, Florencia and Wanda.
Yo Soy Así is a product of several months of very personal and intimate conversations with four women, aged 18, 35, and 67 who have experienced coming out and living out, all the while developing their own way of interpreting, coping, and reacting to the shifting attitudes regarding homosexuality in Argentina’s capital cty. Ultimately, it is the bold and unique perspective of each woman that makes this film both emotionally raw and incomparably intriguing.
Enjoy.
--Jodi Savitz, Producer/Director