The History of 'Cruising'

This documentary excavates the turbulent production history and explosive cultural fallout of William Friedkin's controversial 1980 thriller 'Cruising'. It delves into the fraught filming in New York's underground S&M scene, which ignited fierce protests from gay activists who saw the film as a dangerous, homophobic caricature. Through archival footage and candid interviews with key players, the film reconstructs a climate of artistic ambition clashing with political reality. It examines how a police procedural intended to shock became an unintended time capsule and a flashpoint in the battle for representation.