Too much of everything

Good films always raise compelling questions, whether the format is fiction or documentary fact.

There is, somehow, an interesting story here, as well as some good acting. There are also some good scenes

The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.

Married and Counting (2011) is a documentary directed by Allan Piper, and starring Pat Dwyer and Stephen Mosher. Pat and Stephen have been partners for 25 years, but they've never been able to marry. It's frustrating to watch the film, and realize that the federal government and most state governments still refuse to accept same-sex marriages.However, Stephen and Pat can be married in a few states, as well as in Washington, DC. The film documents their trip to each jurisdiction in which they can be married, and their marriage in each of these locations.There are painful moments in the film, especially when Pat and Stephen are interacting with some of their relatives. However, their officiants and their friends are wonderfully supporting, and the film takes you along on this whirlwind ride to states that believe that any two adult human beings should be able to marry.I once lectured to a elementary school class, and the children were astounded to learn that when I was young, many African-Americans couldn't vote, couldn't go to school with white children, etc. To them it sounded like a different country, or, more accurately, a different world.My hope is that, before too long, children will be equally surprised that two men or two women had to face such terrible obstacles when they wanted to marry. We saw the movie at the Dryden Theatre as part of the wonderful ImageOut--the Rochester LGBT Film & Video Festival.