Prayers for Bobby

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Movie
Original title Prayers for Bobby
Country of production United States
original language English
Publishing year 2009
length 86 minutes
Age rating FSK 12
Rod
Director Russell Mulcahy
script Katie Ford
music Christopher Ward
camera Thom Best
cut Victor Du Bois
occupation
synchronization

Prayers for Bobby is an American television film about the true story of Bobby Griffith, a young gay man who commits suicide due to the religious intolerance of his mother and those around him, and his mother Mary Griffith who cannot understand why God let her son die as a non-heaven sinner, but ultimately becomes a gay activist and speaks out against intolerance.

It was first broadcast on January 24, 2009 on the US cable broadcaster Lifetime and was viewed by 3.79 million viewers, a record for cable television. The book Prayers for Bobby: A Mother's Coming to Terms with the Suicide of Her Gay Son by Leroy F. Aarons served as a template . On December 18, 2009, the film was released on DVD in German and English.

action

Mary Griffith is a devout Christian who raises her children on the conservative guidelines of Presbyterianism . The family lives in the California city ​​of Walnut Creek . Bobby is a teenager and realizes he's gay. Due to the homophobic environment, Bobby suffers from his feelings and begins to write a diary. After the first thoughts of suicide, Bobby comes out to his older brother. When he tells his mother against Bobby's wishes, it changes the entire family life. Bobby's father and siblings get along with his homosexuality over time. But Bobby's mother Mary believes that God can heal him from his " sin " and free him from his homosexuality . Hoping to cure Bobby, she hangs up Bible verses all over the apartment to remind him to make another choice, takes him to a psychiatrist who includes mother and father in therapy, arranges a date with you Girls and persuades Bobby to pray harder and find solace in church activities in hopes of changing him. Bobby desperately obeys her requests to get her approval, but her church's negative attitude towards homosexuality creates increasing reticence and depression in him.

Bobby himself begins to visit a gay bar and make homosexual friends. He also comes across a gay-friendly Metropolitan Community Church which he visits a number of times. Bobby decides to quit school and break away from his family more. He visits his liberal cousin in Portland for two months. There he finds entry into the gay scene and finds a love partner in David.

Back at home, Bobby tells his boyfriend how good he is with him, but also that he can't kiss him without feeling miserable and plagued by guilt. He sees the reason for this in his mother's condemnation of his homosexuality. He announces that he is moving to Portland permanently. A subsequent argument between Bobby and his mother leads to a complete break in their relationship. On Mary's statement that she has no gay son, Bobby replies: "Then, Mom, you have no son."

In Portland, Bobby works as a carer in a retirement home, but continues to suffer from his mother's unacceptability and blame. When Bobby is at a low point and sees David laughing out of a gay bar with another man, he decides to commit suicide. At the age of 20, Bobby kills himself jumping over a motorway.

Mary suffers greatly from the death of her son, believing that he went to hell as a sinner. When she starts reading Bobby's diary, she starts looking for new interpretations of the scriptures. She also attends the gay-friendly Metropolitan Community Church, where she meets Rev. Larry Whitsell. He provides his interpretations of the Bible passages, according to which he does not see homosexuality as a sin. He also places Mary with an organization for parents and members of the LGBT community ( PFLAG ), which Mary then visits. The following night, Mary wakes up from a dream and tears all the remaining Bible verses off the walls. She now says she knew nothing was wrong with her son and blames herself for Bobby's death.

She becomes an advocate for gay rights and unexpectedly gives a poignant speech about her experience at the local council in support of a local Christopher Street Day . She admonishes people to think before saying amen to ignorance and hatred because "a child listens". The application is denied anyway, so Mary and her family set out with some members of PFLAG to San Francisco to support the Christopher Street Day parade there. She gets the middle place behind the PFLAG banner. During the parade, Mary spots a spectator: a young man who looks like Bobby. She goes to him and hugs him.

At the end there is a fade-in that Mary Griffith testified before members of the United States Congress on December 6, 1995 . Her tireless work to secure the rights of gay and lesbian youth established her as a powerful force in the fight for human rights. At the end, a quote from her, which she uttered in front of the parish council and which becomes even more understandable if one takes into account two other statements: “The pastors and the congregation clearly said that homosexuals were sick, perverted and condemned for eternal purgatory . And when they said that, I said amen. ”In his diary there is an entry:“ I overheard [family members]. They said they hate gays, and even God hates gays. Gays are bad and God sends bad people to hell. It really scares me when they talk like that, because now they're talking about me. "

“Before you echo Amen in your home or place of worship, think and remember. A child is listening. "

- Mary Griffith

“Before you let the amen echo in your home or place of worship, think and remember. A child listens. "

- Mary Griffith : literal translation

“Before you say amen to everything, at home and in church, think about it. Always remember: a child listens. "

- Mary Griffith : German dubbing

Soundtrack

In the last scene of the film, the song Here I Am by Leona Lewis is recorded.

background

In 1989, Leroy Aarons read the newspaper article about the suicide of a 20-year-old man from Walnut Creek , a suburb of San Francisco , California . Particularly noteworthy for him was his mother, Mary Griffith, who tried everything to "pray away" his "gay nature". Bobby Griffith suffered tremendously from the lack of family support and condemnation from his church. In August 1983 he was killed by jumping off a highway bridge in Portland, Oregon . Mary changed through her loss and eventually renounced the rigid religious beliefs that had kept her from fully accepting Bobby during her lifetime.

The history of the Griffiths reflects Aaron's own transformation over 25 years into an openly homosexual journalist and activist. After Bobby's death, his mother became a moving, iconic activist for the state-wide association PFLAG , which helps parents understand and accept their children's homosexuality. “This extraordinary conversion touched me as deeply as the story of Bobby's tragic death,” wrote Aarons. "What enabled her to go beyond her background and carry out these deeds can only be described as courage."

After leaving daily journalism in 1991, Aarons began to research the history of the Griffiths in depth. Prayers for Bobby: A Mother's Coming to Terms With the Suicide of Her Gay Son , Aarons' first book, was published by HarperCollins in 1996. Quotes from Bobby's detailed diary are incorporated into the book.

After 12 years of efforts and various problems, the material was finally filmed in 2008. Mary Griffith, now 74, replied to the question of whether things would go differently these days: “No, unfortunately. My mindset was completely tied to the word of the gospel, I couldn't hear anything else. It would have made no difference whether it had happened yesterday or a few years ago. I couldn't hear anything else. ”Her advice to parents is to listen to their children and try not to convey your own opinions to them. She has received a lot of grateful feedback over the years. People buy the book and give it to their parents when they come out . A 40-year-old also said at an autograph session that he only dared to come out after hearing Bobby's story. Mary was President of the East San Francisco Bay Division of PFLAG for a number of years , appeared on many talk shows, usually with two buttons: one with a picture of Bobby and on the other the PFLAG message: "We love our gay and lesbian children."

recognition

Sigourney Weaver starred in this film in her first television production. For her role performance, she received the Trevor Life Award from The Trevor Project , an organization that provides a helpline for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender young people to prevent suicidal intentions. Charles Robbins, the executive director and general manager of the Trevor Project, said: “Sigourney Weaver and Lifetime provide inspiration for young people and families who watch films like Prayers for Bobby , understanding the importance of celebrating diversity and life . "

synchronization

role actor Voice actor
Mary Griffith Sigourney Weaver Anita Lochner
Robert Griffith Henry Czerny Hans Bayer
Bobby Griffith Ryan Kelley Nils Rieke
Ed Griffith Austin Nichols Arndt Schmöle
Nancy Griffith Shannon Eagen Catherine of Daake

Awards (selection)

Awards

Nominations

See also

literature

  • Leroy Aarons: Prayers for Bobby: A Mother's Coming to Terms with the Suicide of Her Gay Son , Harper San Francisco, 1996, ISBN 0-06-251123-8 .
    (First edition: Harpercollins, 1995, ISBN 0-06-251122-X )

Web links

Wikiquote: Prayers for Bobby  - Quotes

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Certificate of Release for Prayers for Bobby . Voluntary self-regulation of the film industry , December 2009 (PDF; test number: 120 845 V).
  2. ↑ Rick Kissell: 'Idol' helps Fox catch up to CBS ( Memento of the original from April 13, 2009 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. , variety.com, January 27, 2009. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.variety.com
  3. ^ A b Robert Bernstein: Mary Griffith's Story (PDF) ,pflagwa.org.au
  4. ↑ David Wiegand: TV review: 'Prayers for Bobby' - and cheers , SFGate, January 22, 2009; San Francisco Chronicle, pp. E-1.
  5. ↑ Dale Hrabi: The Evolution of 'Prayers for Bobby' , advocate.com, January 23, 2009.
  6. ↑ Dayna Gross: An Interview With Mary Griffith, the Inspiration Behind Prayers for Bobby ( Memento of the original from April 1, 2009 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. , mylifetime.com, January 22, 2009. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.mylifetime.com
  7. ^ Sigourney Weaver and the Trevor Project to be Honored by the Trevor Project . In: PRNewswire . November 19, 2008. Archived from the original on July 9, 2009. Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Retrieved January 10, 2009. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / news.prnewswire.com
  8. ↑ German synchronous index: German synchronous index | Movies | Prayers for bobby. Retrieved June 29, 2018 .