In last week's [#1] column [/#] I mentioned that Erma Fatima plans to make a movie called Bulan dan Mahatari , which would be memorable not only for its mysteriously Indonesian-sounding title, but for foregrounding the theme of homosexuality.

Would this be the first time that the subject rears its lavender head in our cinema? No.

There have been films with secondary gay characters before, but their plots have not always been progressive in the liberal-humanist sense. While waiting for Erma's movie to materialise, let's just look at three recent examples.

The KRU brothers have been in two movies: Awas and Cinta Metropolitan . In Awas , Edry became a lust object for a marauding homo who would lure him to an apartment and make him drink many cans of Coca-Cola. (The soft drink was featured instead of something alcoholic in order not to offend our censors, and also to protect the clean-living reputation of the pop trio - but then again, you knew that.)

Edry is portrayed as someone so thick that he never notices this guy trying to jump his bones. Watching this movie in a full-house midnight crowd was one of the most entertaining experiences I've ever had. The audience would fairly squeal in alarm at regular intervals. But fret not: the lascivious same-sexer recedes from the picture when he's discovered to be HIV-positive.

Edry, in a manly way, tells him to keep his chip up - and that's the end of that.

Cinta Metropolitan featured a villainous lesbian who's out to wreck the plans of Yusry, another one of the brothers. Yusry finally gets her to back off by showing her his fist. This is unintentionally funny because Yusry is the puniest-looking of the trio, and any self-respecting bull dyke would be able to take him on. This rather subversive trend isn't followed through, and she recedes from the picture in an ill-humoured way.

The plot justifications for same-sexers in both of KRU's celluloid escapades would be to function as The Other, demarcated against the hip but wholesome values embodied by the pop group. But then again, you knew that.