EGL Magazine
EGL Magazine
Exclusively Gothic Lifestyle
14 May 2010
Goth Cruise: The Movie
What do you get when you put 150 goths on a cruise ship with 2,500 'norms'? 'Goth Cruise' is a documentary from TigerLily Films that seeks to answer that very question by filming the 4th annual Goth Cruise as it sets sail for the sunny climes of Bermuda.
The Goth Cruise's maiden voyage was in December 2004 with 65 goths on board among the usual passengers typical to any cruise holiday. The whole idea was born from a conversation amongst friends; a conversation that was seeking to discover the most unlikely place to find a goth. However, Goth Cruise has continued to grow in popularity every year, providing a holiday for those goths who, for one reason or another, no longer want to spend their time off at a goth festival. If you're looking for an alternative holiday for goths, then you have to find the alternative to alternative. What could fit that description better than a cruise to the sun?
While the whole idea seems somewhat tongue-in-cheek and light-hearted, the documentary goes a lot deeper than images of goths in hot tubs and hanging out on deck. Beyond the footage of goths playing shuffleboard and elderly holiday-makers trying very hard not to stare, 'Goth Cruise' delves deep into the psyche of a select number of the goth travellers; exploring their ideas of who they are, what goth means to them, and what inspired them to choose a cruise for their holiday. The documentary is very personal, very in-depth and sensitive; it seeks to truly understand the lives of these goths; not just laugh at their pale bodies in swimsuits.
Many of the goth interviewees mentioned how people look at goths and think they're all the same; that the whole style is summed up by the wearing of black. 'Goth Cruise' dispells that myth quickly; when interviewees are asked how they first got interested in gothic culture the sheer array of answers portrays the variety within gothic culture. There are, of course, the goths who like the reaction they receive, one interviewee stating the attraction of going on the cruise: 'We're gonna shock 'em; that's gonna be fun. Let's do it!' There are those who seek to reject the 9-5 lifestyle, others who enjoy the acceptance in goth culture for all body shapes, and many who simply love the music: 'You come for the music, you stay for the people.'
There are a number of specialised events organised for the goths on board, but a large amount of the time sees the goths amongst the other passengers; whether they are posing for photos or slipping past passengers with stony faces. Despite a cruise holiday appearing to be one of the most 'un-goth' things you could do, it does provide them with a closed, safe environment where no one's going to size up to them or cause them trouble because of the way they dress. Because, like it or not, society at large can be very unforgiving of differences.
'Goth Cruise' is due to be released on DVD on May 22nd, to coincide with World Goth Day.
We managed to catch up with the director of 'Goth Cruise: The Movie', Jeanie Finlay, and ask her some questions about the documentary.
What inspired you to film a documentary about the Goth Cruise?
When I was 17 years old I threw out my pink, bought a black fringed skirt, crimped my dyed hair, bought Bauhaus' back catalogue and gave my heart to Robert Smith. The pop charts didn't offer solace for my troubled adolescent heart in the same way that Morrissey could. I was a goth.
I enjoyed the opportunity to revel in the darker side of life and the kinship I felt with my newfound brothers and sisters in black. I felt the dual pleasures of reveling in the attention my outrageous outfits elicited and resenting the hassle I received from other people that didn't understand my life or choice of outfit.
After two years I started to tire of black, black, black and more black. Art College beckoned and I felt that there were different ways to express my individuality than wearing the cookie-cutter uniform of a dark rebel. Gradually the black in my wardrobe was replaced by more and more colour and less than six months later Goth was merely a phase I had gone through.
Over 15 years later, I attended the wedding of an old school friend. At school she was the archetypal 'Siouxsie Sioux' Goth and, now in her early 40's, she walked down the aisle a vision in black, channelling Mortiticia Adams from her floor length gown to her black veil. She was so exotic that I couldn't help but feel like a 'mundane' and admire her commitment and staying power.
Seeing this face from my past that really seemed to embody the subculture and made me want to find other Goths who had also stayed the distance. As a documentary maker I was able to pursue this curiosity as I set out to make a film about older Goths. When I found 'The Goth Cruise' - an annual vacation taken by 150 American Goths to the sunshine of the Caribbean, on a fabulously luxurious cruise ship - I knew I had found the paradoxically perfect environment to make a film about Goth sub-culture.
Curiously, at Whitby Goth Weekend, I was almost unable to find anyone amongst the Brits who would identify themselves as Goth, despite more than looking the part. In the US, choosing to be Goth is a badge of honour and the people I met wore it with pride, even if the way they expressed it was more sartorially reserved than their UK counterparts. Sean, our 'Elder Goth' expressed it like this - 'America tries to force you to be happy being happy...Goths want to be happy, but we also want to be sad, and we want to be angry, we want to have a full range of emotions...You can't have the light without the dark, we're the dark so they can have their light.'
What surprised you most about the goths that you met?
The whole 'corp Goth' thing freaked me out a bit!
You filmed goths from both the UK and America. What were the main differences between the goth scenes in each country?
Goth is a much more extreme expression of self in the US. Most of the cruisers were 'Corp-Goths' who keep their Goth identity hidden at work. A handful of cruisers were unable to be shown on film for fear of professional repercussions. To British ears this was unusual and fascinating and I had never come across this before. Many talked about the common misconception that Goth is synonymous with satanic worship in the US.
What message do you hope to portray with the documentary?
There are many reasons for coming to Goth and the people featured in my film articulate them eloquently. Whether you are a 'freak' and seek solace in the company of other 'freaks', you are a boy but want to be a Goth girl, you don't want to wear khakis and be 'a bankers box' all your life, you're 'pudgy' but can dance elegantly in a corset, you're 'a man in black' and will wear black until the world is a better place, or it's simply 'something inside that Goth has brought out.'
I hope that I have captured some of the fun and surreal nature of the cruise in my film but also the very personal and heartfelt reasons for being drawn to this dark subculture. I think ultimately Goth Cruise is a film about acceptance and being yourself, whatever that takes.
Article Written By...
Keller is EGL Magazine's editor. She has a degree in Writing which includes Journalism, and has never been on a cruise. In fact, she's not overly keen on boats at all.
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