It took French director Sebastien Lifshitz 18 months to interview the
people involved in his documentary Les Invisibles (2012). This
dignified piece of filmmaking involves eleven men and women born between the
end of WW1 and the beginning of WW2. These people are now in the latter years
of their lives and openly relate their personnel histories to camera.
Seemingly having nothing in common - other than their sexual preference.
All these interviewees grew up in a period of intolerance towards
homosexuality, a less open period towards honesty of feelings. The revealing
nature of their personnel experiences is done in a very dignified manner and
does not lack sincerity. What we get is a portrait of gay and lesbian life from
an older generation that we are unused to hearing from, which in its self makes
this documentary a refreshing change. But in the end it’s a rather sad portrait
about people who were forced to live their lives as a lie, unable to tell
family or friends about their true feelings and afraid of admitting there
preferred sexuality. One of the things that arise out of the filmed interviews
is the loneliness of most of those taking part. Although at times very fascinating
the documentary tends to labour the same point because the participants had
more or less the same story to tell. The run time of nearly two hours could
have a little shorter and a little more archive footage would of helped.
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