Coming out of the closet for in one of the most difficult things that anyone in LGBTQ community ever has to do. Sometimes the results are positive, others are unfortunately negative, perhaps even violent, so Naman Gupta’s emotional short Coming Out with the Help of a Time Machine represents a certain kind of wish fulfillment.
Sid is an Indian American young man who just wants his revelation to his very traditional parents as a gay man to be as smooth as possible. So, he has on a watch with a reset button, and whether there are interruptions or other situations that ruins his coming out, all he has to do is push the button to start over. But then he realizes that he can’t always take the easy way out, so he takes off the watch and decides to face his parents head on.
In simple terms, the process of Sid’s coming out is pretty painful at first, where his mom just can’t accept it, but with his father’s advice, she eventually does. They all learn that family is stronger when full understanding and true, unconditional love exist.
The short’s mixture of sci-fi and themes of family bond is definitely relevant because we all wish for a redo of our lives, especially of coming out. We all want that positive experience, but not many of us can get it.
I just hope that many people will see this and decide to have an open mind. Coming out is celebration of one’s bravery. It’s 2022 after all.
