Cured

2020

1h 22m

Documentary

LGBTQ+

History

List

100%

Tomatometer

8 Reviews

In 1973, the American Psychiatric Association removed homosexuality from its manual of mental illnesses. Treated as victims of a mental disorder -- pathological, deviant, "sick" -- gay and lesbian men and women could not progress towards equality in a meaningful way if their very existence was something that needed a cure. Follow the journey of this pivotal moment in queer history through newly unearthed archival footage and eyewitness accounts from the activists and allies who fought to change an insidious bias within a profession, and in doing so broke ground to reframe not only how a community was seen, but how it saw itself.

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Stephen Farber

Hollywood Reporter

Fascinating doc about doctors who took too long to heal themselves.

Aug 26, 2020

Full Review

Sarah Boslaugh

TheArtsStl

Cured takes viewers back to the bad old days when homosexuality was officially considered a psychiatric disease and gay and lesbian people were treated with electroshock and aversion therapy to “cure” them of their orientation.

Rated: 7/10

Sep 19, 2023

Full Review

Khelil Bouarrouj

Washington Blade

The filmmakers contrast erroneous characterizations of homosexuality by mid-century psychiatrists with mid-century photographs that bore witness to gay people’s actual nature.

May 19, 2022

Full Review

David Reddish

Queerty

Told with professionalism and a holdover sting from years of being labeled sick, Singer & Sammon highlight a much-needed passage from queer history, and sing the praises of heroes that deserve to be household names.

Rated: 3/4

Mar 13, 2022

Full Review

Gregg Shapiro

Bay Area Reporter

While it occasionally gets bogged down in the rehashing of historic facts and events... Cured is nevertheless informative viewing.

Rated: B-

Oct 26, 2021

Full Review

Craig Takeuchi

Georgia Straight

We may know the overall route and outcome, but the details of how lesbian and gay rights activists waged a Sisyphean battle against the American Psychiatric Association are what fascinate in this comprehensive documentary.

Aug 20, 2021

Full Review

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Taryn M

Critical for foundational understanding where we came from and how far we have to go.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

09/19/23

Full Review

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Patrick Sammon

Director

Bennett Singer

Director

Barbara Gittings

Self

Kay Lahusen

Self

Frank Kameny

Self

Charles Silverstein

Self

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Synopsis

In 1973, the American Psychiatric Association removed homosexuality from its manual of mental illnesses. Treated as victims of a mental disorder -- pathological, deviant, "sick" -- gay and lesbian men and women could not progress towards equality in a meaningful way if their very existence was something that needed a cure. Follow the journey of this pivotal moment in queer history through newly unearthed archival footage and eyewitness accounts from the activists and allies who fought to change an insidious bias within a profession, and in doing so broke ground to reframe not only how a community was seen, but how it saw itself.

Director: Patrick Sammon, Bennett Singer
Producer: Andrew Tobias, Cole Rucker, Jeff Nalin, Sally Jo Fifer, Lois Vossen
Production Co: Singer & Deschamps Productions, Story Center Films
Genre: Documentary, LGBTQ+, History
Original Language: English
Runtime: 1h 22m