I NEED SOME SPACE

Spaces within the public domain and on-screen seem to offer constructed ideologies of normativity and convention. From analysing films on this module, it is evident that space can cause colossal effect on the context, meaning and reception of a film. The anticipation and expectation from a space comes with social conditioning and awareness, for example, in a prison you would assume the presence of criminals. Yet some spaces defy our expectations and are thus queer in some way.

Not only can space be queer or queered, but it can also be the destination for the queer. A queer or unusual space in film falls outside the boundaries for conventional narratives and aesthetics that adhere to a heteronormative function. The queer does not reside in the centre of homonormativity, instead it insists on, in Edelman’s words, “disturbing” (224), making queer innately eccentric. It appears evident that queerness is consistently rejected through cultural reinforcements, like the “No Outsiders” policy which, as described in Section 28 of the Local Government Act 1988, states “a local authority ‘shall not intentionally promote homosexuality or publish material with the intention of promoting homosexuality”, discouraging what was considered an inappropriate and unproductive lifestyle.