What was it like to share their story on film? Let’s start with your parents and family.
Check out our conversation below:Īwards Daily: Circus of Books chronicles so many different stories. Rachel has such a deft eye, and tells an incredible story with passion and heart. In this beautiful documentary available on Netflix, you also get to delve into the both queer spaces and small businesses disappearing in the modern economy. Watching Rachel tackle so many topics and sharing these honest conversations about her family’s experience along with the gay community makes for an incredibly powerful film. We delve into the backwards philosophy that stigmatizes sex work because, at the end of the day, Rachel’s parents provided visibility, space, and so much more to gay men that was not available. The documentary chronicles not only the history of the store but also gay male history and serves as a family album of sorts.
Circus of Books was a Los Angeles-based pornography store owned by Rachel’s parents. In this film, Rachel gets to direct a story that spans an enormous scope: family, queer history, pornography, love, and bringing people together. Rachel Mason has a terrific energy and brought that to her documentary Circus of Books.
