AGE OF CONSENT (2014) - ♦♦♦♦

Directed by – Charles Lum, Todd Verow

"Age of Consent is the story of a Leatherman gay club in London called The Hoist, London’s first gay club, as well as its historical rise that coincided with the decriminalisation of homosexual activities in the United Kingdom.

Being a documentary about an explicitly sexual and fetishist nightclub, the juxtaposition of the political themes with the explicitness of the sexual activities taking place in The Hoist may seem uncomfortable to many viewers.

Yet, it speaks blunt and fearless volumes on more universal themes of sexual liberation, both socially and cinematically speaking, and in the end also shows a fearlessness and audaciousness on the part of filmmakers Lum and Verow to not betray the nature of the subject they chose for their film by making it more soft-core and universally appealing – which in itself is a concept that could come across as frustrating to a documentary audience. "

Documentary, USA/UK