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NO DRESS CODE REQUIRED – QFest St. Louis Review – We Are Movie Geeks

Review

NO DRESS CODE REQUIRED – QFest St. Louis Review

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NO DRESS CODE REQUIRED screens Sunday, Apr. 2 at 3:00pm at the .ZACK (3224 Locust St., St. Louis, MO 63103) as part of this year’s QFest St. Louis. Ticket information can be found HERE

The Spanish-language Mexican documentary NO DRESS CODE REQUIRED traces the efforts of a same-sex couple, Victor and Fernando, to get married in their home city of Mexicali in Baja California. When Victor and Fernando decide to marry, the couple first plans to just go to Mexico City, where other gay couples have already been married following a Supreme Court ruling that allows same-sex marriage. Encouraged by a famous Mexican actor, a gay who recently married, they decide instead to become the first same-sex couple married in their home town, breaking down barriers for other LGBTQ couples in Baja California.

One of the key elements of this winning documentary is the couple themselves. Charming and funny, their personal warmth and their close bond is immediately apparent. Victor and Fernando seem to be one of those couples, straight or gay, who are not only in love but best friends.

Another part of the enduring appeal of NO DRESS CODE REQUIRED is how their fight to get married brings out support, not just in the gay community, but among the city’s women in particular, their clients and family members.

Early in the film, Fernando talks about his boyhood wedding fantasy, including the white dress, a fantasy he had played out with his sisters as a little kid, using one sister’s confirmation dress. The story reveals the couple’s playful humor as well as close ties to the women in their families. As co-owners of a popular beauty shop, the couple have coiffed, made-up and dressed countless brides. On camera, Fernando talks about how many of their loyal clientele have confided in them about their closeted gay relatives, something not openly acknowledged by many residents of their town.

At first, the couple are rather casual about being the first same-sex couple to marry in their town, a bit of a lark. Their good-natured humor surfaces repeatedly as their lawyer files all the paperwork and walks them through the various steps. All legal issues addressed, everything seems to be on track.

The couple gets an appointment to appear before a judge to perform the marriage. With the wedding date set, Victor and Fernando plan a wedding reception, and show up at the scheduled time for the ceremony decked out in stylish white tuxedos. But what seemed like simple process suddenly hits a roadblock, turning their wish to be married into a years-long ordeal.

As city officials start to throw obstacles in their way, a stubborn determination comes out in the pair. They do not just bail out by just going to Mexico City and getting married – they stand up for the right to be married in their home city.

There is a surprising amount of humor in this documentary, despite its serious subject. One of those moments comes when they and other engaged couple are required to attend a pre-marital counseling talk, whose old-fashioned content seems inadvertently comic, prompting smiles from them and other couples sitting near by.

In the course of this well-made, inspiring documentary, we get to know Fernando and Victor on a personal level, their childhoods, how they fell in love, and make a life for themselves as openly gay men. Their personal stories are as heart-warming and inspirational as their campaign to get married.

Opposing them are a number of protesters, often citing their religion as the reason. Clearly, the elected officials either agree with those views or are reluctant to defy them, even if the law is on the couple’s side. It seems as if city officials hope to simply delay cooperation long enough that Victor and Fernando will just give up. But there is no giving up for this couple.

The documentary follows the growing tide of support for this likable, determined couple, as they refused to be unjustly, illegally deterred from getting married. NO DRESS CODE REQUIRED is a warm-hearted, uplifting portrait of the power of determination.