How To Tell A Secret

Mr Gay World, young immigrants, a drag queen full of energy: all of them were living with a big heavy secret, which has the power of pushing back to the closet, even those who were already loud, proud and out. Some time passed since HIV was a death sentence in most cases. But ignorance and prejudice in society still exist. How to tell people about something they don’t want even to hear of? Robbie Lawlor learned he was HIV positive at the age of 21 and became one of the youngest people who came out on Irish television. Veda, a full-of-energy drag queen promised herself to never tell anyone about her serological status, but she finally got this off of her chest by singing about it. And the group of women who can’t show their faces finally found a way for their voices to be heard.

Once in a blue moon, we can watch a new, significant film, and thanks to its fresh, inventive way of looking at well-known problems it lifts us up. “How to Tell a Secret” is just like that. Described as a hybrid document, it joins performance and different narrative techniques. It’s worth seeing regardless of age and gender; protagonists turned their initial sadness and helplessness into activities that really are a bright spark of hope.

🏆 Irish Film and Television Awards 2023 – Best Feature Documentary, Nominee