THE MAKE-UP AND PERFORMANCES OF TURKISH-GERMAN HOMOSEXUALITY: A READING OF KUTLUĞ ATAMAN’S LOLA UND BILIDIKID (1999)

In 1999, Lola und Bilidikid emerged as the creative product of Turkish-born director, Kutluğ Ataman, and provided a rare example and highly nuanced exploration of homosexuality in a Turkish-German context. This article explores the film’s representation of a group of characters marginalised not only on the level of their cultural background, but also on the level of sexual identity. Through a close analysis of the film, various demonstrations of and responses to homosexuality as a sub-culture within a patriarchal, migrant (and therefore already marginalised) group will also be explored, including particularly the notions of drag and performance. These responses will be analysed from the perspective of the protagonists, who are themselves not only both gay and of Turkish origin, but also demonstrate almost fundamentally conflicting approaches to homosexuality. This is particularly evident in the varying degrees to which they either accept or reject their own homosexuality. The article will also explore the consequences of the acceptance and rejection of their respective homosexualities and the extent to which this informs the construction and/or perpetuation of a particular performance of masculinity