Maysles Cinema Wednesdays at Nowadays Presents:

Strike a Pose

Ester Gould, Reijer Zwaan, 2016, 93 min
At the height of the AIDS epidemic and in the aftermath of the conservative Reagan era, Truth or Dare introduced audiences to larger-than-life gay characters. The film was ground-breaking, featuring two guys kissing passionately during the famous Truth or Dare scene. Madonna, determined to push the envelope, defended the film ferociously: “If you keep putting something in people’s faces, eventually, maybe they can come to terms with it.” The message stuck: even today, the dancers receive thank-you letters from people around the world recalling how the film changed their lives. Twenty-five years after the tour and the film that marked pop and gay culture as much as their own lives, the dancers, their dramatic stories and their fierce moves inspire us once again.