A new cable documentary series is taking a refreshingly objective look at the unusual and extreme reaches of the human experience.
BBC America Reveals is a collection of hour-long looks at rare and controversial lifestyles, activities and conditions -- allowing viewers to evaluate the people involved for themselves.
For example, next Wednesday features "Brothers and Sisters in Love" -- a study of a rare phenomena termed "Genetic Sexual Attraction." In cases in which a brother and sister were separated at birth but reunited in adulthood, their genetic similarities can transform into a powerful romantic attraction. Without the years of childhood conditioning that would have imprinted on each sibling that the opposite number was a direct blood relative and not a possible mate, that biochemical draw to each other can be powerful and life-altering.
It's subject matter that can draw initial shivers of disgust, but to the people affected, the results are often tragic. The viewer can imagine being presented with someone his or her heart and body insist is a perfect match -- only to discover the would-be mate's true identity and realize the forces of societal norms, the law and genetic biology make the match impossible.
Some show topics are more compelling than others. "Britain's Worst Teeth" and "My 100,000 Lovers" fail to carry the same gravitas as "Transvestite Wives" (a look at married couples struggling with husbands' unusual sexual tendencies; photo above) or "Male, 33, Seeks Puberty" (a look at Kallman's Syndrome -- a rare hormonal disorder that prevents puberty). But regardless of the individual documentary's subject, the presentation remains sober and avoids tendencies to slip into the tawdry, cheap Jerry Springer-esque gutter.
There's also a strong commitment in each episode to presenting the circumstances as objectively as possible. That's an invigorating change of pace, considering the state of the modern documentary, as muddied by Michael Moore and Errol Morris. Documentaries were once dedicated to recording all aspects of reality and a given situation so an audience could explore and judge the results. Modern agenda filmmakers know what message they want to send before they unpack their cameras, and will find what they need to communicate that intention one way or another.
*BBC America Reveals * doesn't tip preconceived opinions. Each episode endeavors to present the "out of the ordinary" without either damning it as deviant or championing it as wrongfully persecuted.
The series has generated controversy of its own as some viewers complain about the show's occasional sexual content or dismiss the production as nothing more than reality TV filler. But the BBC's American cousin deserves more credit than that for covering ground here most major U.S. networks would avoid like the plague.
Photo courtesy BBC America
See also:
