#biac

BUT I'M A CHEERLEADER (1999)

One thing I’ve noticed that once you see it you can’t unsee it, is the use of flowers (and nature) in the movie

The movie starts with the cheerleaders in nature. They’re on the grass, with trees behind them. They’re in a natural place, probably because Megan is happy being a cheerleader, it’s something that feels (and is) true to her. She’s a cheerleader, it’s her truth, not something imposed to her. She’s living her truth and genuinely happy.

Then her boyfriend comes to pick her up, and when he does, they step out of the grass, they’re no longer in nature, it’s no longer natural and real.

Then, Megan’s house has a lot of flower imagery. Her mom is always wearing floral dresses, there’s a what seems like a landscape painting in the dining room. In the kitchen there’s floral walls paper, a floral glass, etc. But it’s not real nature, so maybe it symbolizes how Megan believes the life she lives (the one her parents want for her) is real and good and natural, but it actually isn’t.

Her bedroom also has a lot of flowers, also fake, but more colorful, like her personality. A flower lamp and what seems like floral curtains, some paintings, a little flower in her night gown, etc.

Then when they meet Megan at the door (before talking about true directions), her mom is once again wearing a dress with leaves (not flowers, autumn leaves, so not great symbolism) while standing in a grass that is unnaturally deeply green, maybe to show how despite they think their heterosexual life is nature and good, it’s not.

Their living room is filled with floral tapestries, one directly behind Megan (and Megan is wearing a leaves dress, just like her mom, maybe to symbolize she’s in the path to become like her, a wife to a man)

Now we get the first time flowers (and by extension, nature) are connected to homosexuality. Megan’s flower pillow.

When we go to True Directions, the fun starts, because True Directions is a mix of real and fake. Real and fake flowers next to each other, real and fake grass side to side. True Directions is surrounded by nature (trees, a mountain in the distance) but it’s deeply fake. It has fake grass. It has fake flowers next to real roses. A bright green grass that you can clearly see where it ends. It shows True Directions is very artificial (obviously) but also that there are things that are real in it (most likely because it’s a group of gay teenagers all together, and homosexuality is good and natural, and heterosexuality isn’t, and in True Directions there’s a mix of both).

The girls’ room has flower curtains.

The place where they eat has fake grass and fake flowers. Megan and all the other teens are framed in front of it, because they genuinely believe they can become straight. Graham is at a different table, with no nature background, because she doesn’t believe it.

And this appears later, but there’s also real nature there, and Graham is framed in front of it as she flirts a little with Megan (and so are the rest of teens, because most of them are now aware they’re gay and no longer thinking they can change [I mean, otherwise why would they go to a gay bar later and be mad at Megan she snitched on Clayton and Dolph making out? Because they don’t think there’s anything wrong with it]). Meanwhile Megan and Hilary are framed without nature, just the fake grass, because they’re the only ones who still believe in True Directions being able to change them.

And when Dolph says goodbye after being kicked out, he’s framed directly next to a plant, he’s gay and aware and he’s out of the program, he’s living his natural truth.

Going back, there’s the obvious scene with Mary and the fake flower, she waters it despite it not being real (maybe she’s trying to make it seem like it’s real, it could represent Mary as the head of True Directions “watering” the heterosexuality of the teens, teaching them to be straight and all, but it’s not real, because they’re just not straight). The flower ends up falling. It’s fake, of course it doesn’t hold. No matter how well True Directions might work, it won’t work for life, because the teens don’t become actually straight, and at some point this will be revealed.

Then Megan is in a floral wedding dress, with a fake pink bouquet, and a pink dress with a flower behind her. Everything fake, despite the flowers in the dress trying to give it a natural look.

The guys continue the “real and fake nature side to side” thing True Directions has going on. They’re outside, in nature, but True Directions has still created some fake blue trees and put them around, they’re in complete nature, but not yet. A heterosexual behavior they’re taught is cutting wood, maybe harming nature? Not sure about this one.

Everyone continues like that. They’re outside, but Mary has also put a fake painting of nature and mountains, and a fake fire. The last picture is probably the one that explains it the better, they’re between nature but they’re still forced to sit in front of the fake nature.

Each time Mary’s son (who provoques gay attraction) appears, he’s in nature. Gay attraction is natural. He’s specially near trees, maybe a little sex joke.

This shot is great. All the teens are sitting in the fake grass near the fake flowers but not Graham, she’s in the real grass. This is where she says “this is bullshit, Megan, it doesn’t work. You are who you are the only trick is not getting caught”.

The girls’ bathroom was what made me realize all the floral and nature symbolism. It’s just… filled with fake flowers. It’s interesting because in the bathroom is where Megan is seen being attracted to Graham twice, where the girls get ready to go to a gay bar, but also where they get ready to graduate as straight. It’s interesting, I don’t know what it means.

The straight couple they’re supposed to emulate is in nature, but it’s wrong. It’s a bunch of pictures glued together, it makes no sense, it’s not real nature, it tries to look like it but it isn’t.

More floral imagery, the sponge to wash dishes when Megan and Graham touch each other’s hand. It could go two ways: either symbolism of washing dishes as a feminine and heterosexual activity (think of a housewife), or the complete opposite, it’s, just like Megan’s pillow, vaginal symbolism.

Mary’s bedroom is also very floral, but the flowers are really fake. Then, when we enter Cocksucker what do we see? You got it, flowers. These ones actually seem real (except for a very glossy one)

More about Mary’s son, living his best life around nature meanwhile Mary only has some flowers behind her, which might or might not be real. Graham is also framed with these flowers in the background when her parents go talk to her and threaten her. The flowers are likely fake, like everything is inside the house, and it represents how Mary and, from that moment on, Graham, follow the rules of heterosexuality and are (or pretend to be) heterosexual.

When Megan is told to leave, not only is she not wearing or near any bright colours (True Directions colours) but she’s also around trees and plants (like Dolph when he was about to leave) and wearing clothes with little flowers.

While in Larry and Lloyd’s house, there’s real roses outside, a parallel to the fake ones True Directions has put on (and their house is surrounded by real nature). If when Mary’s son is representing gay attraction he’s in nature, here, where he is straight attraction, he’s around fake flowers (not only the fake roses, but there’s also floral things around, if you notice)

And during the graduation they are surprisingly outside, in nature, but it still contrasts with the fake flowers they have on. Mary has a fake flower on her clothes, the boys have a fake flower on their suits, and the girls one on their wrists.