Bettendorf's documentary interweaves first-hand accounts from Boswell's colleagues, students, friends, and family with footage depicting the era. It was a time when people such as Jerry Falwell and Newt Gingrich used fearmongering to fuel their agenda against homosexuality.
Bettendorf features candid conversations with those who knew Boswell, effectively bringing home the scholar's impact on the LGBTQ and religious communities. "Not a Tame Lion" dives into Boswell's scholarly work and discovery of ideas on homosexuality and marriage that were essentially written out of history.
The documentary recounts how modern ideology and politics made the acknowledgment of gay history in the Catholic church unacceptable. Bettendorf uses a few staged scenes to depict what it must have been like for Boswell as he made his discoveries. For me, the interviews and historical footage do the best work of helping the audience understand what a tremendous effort this must have been-even dangerous because of the in time in which it took place.
"Not a Tame Lion" is certainly worth watching, for gay, straight, Christians, and non-Christians. At its heart, it's a story of how necessary tolerance and acceptance are in a world where bigotry and hatred can lead to violence, corruption, and even stall advances in medicine.
