Bears spotted in the movie theatre

AUSTIN (KXAN) - A splinter group of a colorful, outspoken subculture is wonderful subject material for any documentary feature.

“Bear Nation,” a documentary about the movement of larger, hairier gay men (adorably nicknamed “bears”) within the community, premiered this weekend at SXSW.

Director Malcolm Ingram was in attendance Sunday night at the Austin Convention Center for the film’s debut. Ingram also directed the provocative short documentary “Small Town Gay Bar.”

In his new full-length documentary, Ingram manages to fill a lot of information and a little emotion into 90 minutes.

First, “Bear Nation” establishes for unknowing audiences what exactly a bear is. By the subjects’ insistence, the bear community is extremely open and accepting of everyone but appreciates size and “fur” especially. Some bears are covered in hair, some are not, some are fat, some are muscular. But all have a place in this film and in their community.

The filmmakers follow the strong communities and bear conventions in Toronto, Chicago and London. At each location the interviewees assert the self-love they learned because of their introduction to the bear movement.

And it would not be a documentary about a gay subculture without a section for coming out stories. This film has its own twist since bears often come out to their straight friends and family as gay before coming out to their gay friends as a part of the bear community.

The bears in the film explain that because of the pressure to conform to a stereotypical image of gay men, they were forced to seek out another community that would accept them. Because of this search for identity recognition and acceptance, “Bear Nation” also relates a positive body image theme that is ultimately the most universal to audience members.

Audiences unfamiliar with the subject should find the film informative and enjoyable, and men who identify with the subjects will appreciate the representation. If you already know what a bear is but you do not identify as one, you may find the film at times slow-moving.

Indeed, some of the most provocative scenes in the film are those that dive into the dividing politics of who is really classified as a bear. Inevitably, crowds of bears swearing that everyone is welcome in the bear movement deflate any potential conflict. Great for the bears, bad for the documentary’s story arc.

In fact, Ingram himself stated in the Q & A following the film’s screening that he intended for a less positive image to arise of the community. But everyone was just so darn nice.

The interviews do get at many substantial events in the history of the bear movement. Writer/director/executive producer/star of “Bear Nation” Kevin Smith’s and rock legend Bob Mould’s recent efforts in exposing bears to popular culture argue phenomenally well for the timeliness of the film.

However, “Bear Nation” is a film that has deserved to be made for a long time and Ingram is a documentary filmmaker uniquely suited for the job. Despite the regular repetition of whom and what constitutes a bear, the film remains a charming snapshot of a vital sub-subculture.

Upcoming screening: Thursday, March 18, 12:30pm at G-Tech Theatre in The Austin Convention Center.