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19 out of 25 people found the following comment useful :-
Good movie for a documentary class and a Psychology class, 19 January 2002
9/10
Author: (utahfilmmaker@hotmail.com) from Utah

*** This comment may contain spoilers ***

This movie will unfortunately never get the attention it deserves due to the unsettling subject matter, and the potential confusion some people may have between portraying child molesters and supporting them. This movie portrays several of the members of a group called NAMBLA, whose members promote child molestation as a viable and healthy activity and as even go so far as to claim that it is beneficial to the molested children. It resists the temptation to condemn them, and instead gives them enough rope to hang themselves, which they do. I say this movie is an absolute for any aspiring documentarian because it's very educational on the issue of objectivity. Although there is no voice-over condemning the pedophiles, the audience will leave with the message that these people are perverts and predators. Why? Simply because they *are* perverts and predators, and any objective portrayal of the subject cannot avoid making that clear. It seems almost as if the filmmakers go out on a limb to "show both sides" (witness the negative behavior of the KKK-like anti-nambla group that the filmmakers show), the pedophiles still end up the bad guys of the film, simply because they are the bad guys in real life and any footage of them shows it (I won't list a spoiler, but look at the last shot in the film for a great example of this). This is also an excellent psychological study of how some people, pedophiles in particular, will lie to themselves in order to remain happy. For example, see how the character Leland constantly talks about how it's the children who really go out of their way to "seduce" him, but then when we actually see footage of him interacting with a child outside a store, it becomes clear that he is the predator in the situation and that the child wants to leave, but in the interview after that scene, Leland STILL describes it in terms of the child "flirting" with him. The film makes clear that these people can only live with themselves by constructing an elaborate fantasy world.

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21 out of 35 people found the following comment useful :-
Great documentary/freak show!, 20 June 2002
Author: cinefan from Los Angeles, CA

This is a little-seen, barely released (as you can imagine, folks don't flock to theatres to see a profile of pedophiles) documentary which is fantastic in it's freak show value. Ever wonder what goes on inside the heads of child molesters or how they're able to live with themselves? The answer is right here, friends! Why these men decided to put themselves on camera is beyond me - they're just inviting persecution and to be further ostracized by society. Of course, they're all highly delusional characters which may explain it. It also makes the film quite the laugh riot for those with a morbid sense of humor (like those enjoy early John Waters flicks).

These dudes just talk and talk and talk and end up presenting the strongest case of why they're dangerous and unbalanced all by themselves. All the while believing that they're showing themselves in a sympathetic, positive light! Hilarious! Also note another review for this flick on this site from one "Chuck Dodson"... he's one of the child molesters in this movie (doesn't he realize that he's listed in the credits?)! Also note that his is a negative review and that he hasn't the cojones to list where he lives. If you're curious about deviant behavior and have a sick sense of humor, search this film out. But, be warned... it WILL give you the willies.

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9 out of 16 people found the following comment useful :-
Disturbing Documentary That Delves Into The Mind Of Child Predators..., 4 September 2006
8/10
Author: EVOL666 from St. John's Abortion Clinic

*** This comment may contain spoilers ***

CHICKENHAWKS is not a film to be "enjoyed" in the classical sense. The subject matter is repulsive and sickening - but sometimes the best way to "arm" yourself is to confront those very things that you may wish to pretend don't exist. Unfortunately - Child molestation is real. Groups like NAMBLA (and their thousands of subscribers) are real. Sick, scumbag bastards like Leyland Stevenson, Chuck Dodson (who was so kind as to leave a negative review about this film on here), Renatto Corraza, etc...are real.

CHICKENHAWKS as a film doesn't really choose a side as far as the debate between child-predators and those that would rid the world of them - instead this film gives these vermin a chance to speak in their own words about their fetish, and in doing so these perverts expose themselves for what they truly are - delusional, sick freaks who live in some fairy-tale world in their own minds where they are constantly being "hit-on" and "flirted with" by pre-adolescent children. Candid interviews with the above-mentioned freaks and other like-minded pedophiles give the audience a glimpse into these pervert's mind-state - and for anyone out there with children - it's a damn scary view.

The worst part about it, is I feel that these nut-jobs really buy into their own line of bullsh!t about being seduced by children and feeling that they are somehow bettering their victim's lives by raping and molesting them. I only wish that we could have heard more from survivors of such abuse so that the audience would have gotten a more well-rounded view of just what damage these criminals cause. Even in the gay/lesbian community, NAMBLA and it's supporters are shunned as deviants and perverts, which is shown in a particularly interesting segment where a few of the NAMBLA supporters show up at a gay/lesbian march. I feel that CHICKENHAWKS did what it set out to do - which is to give these pedophiles and child predators a fair chance to talk about their life-style, and in so doing, they've hung themselves even more. I have to give the director credit for even being able to be in the same room with these rapists - had it been me, I'd be writing this from jail on a murder charge. My only hope is that when these bastards DO get caught and incarcerated, that they get a taste of their own medicine at the end of another convict's shank, or better yet, another rapist's dick...8/10

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1 out of 1 people found the following comment useful :-
The best of a bad bunch, 28 January 2009
9/10
Author: jim-burton from United Kingdom

*** This comment may contain spoilers ***

Superficially at least, this film is as value-neutral a portrayal of its subject matter - homosexual ephebophile men who divert their interests into political lobbying, as you are going to get. Absent are the imposing, moralising commentary, off-target references to pedophiles and highly biased samples present in most treatments of pederasty. The producers present as interested parties who are willing to absorb a range of viewpoints without forcing any clear agenda, be it of the right-religious or femino-victimological persuasion. What we discover is a group of political outcasts who are now seen as increasingly out of favour, even among a gay movement that originally had written into its stonewall declaration - the abolition of all age of consent laws. As an organisation, NAMbLA is a political hot-potato, a historical and cultural curiosity and a whole load of baggage, already well past its effective lifespan when the film was made.

Nevertheless, the documentary fails to go beyond interviewing those-who-shout-the-loudest in a way that - as already pointed out, involves somewhat editorially suspect subtleties. The use of music to infer emotional states, the exclusion of all but two or so contrarian anecdotes of man-boy sex (the bread and butter of most literature on gay youth and older men) and the bizarre over-focus on Leland Stevenson and his suicidally contrived romanticising of anal sex and intergenerational "flirtation" all pay testimony to that. Understandably, most organisations as severely ostracised and fringe in nature as NAMbLA attract their fair share of loose-screws. Maybe this was why "Chicken Hawk" left at least one battle-scarred queer and long-time mentor of gay-youth with a strong impression that the whole story had not quite been told. A closer focus on the group's more pragmatic members would have been at least a small improvement to a documentary that even left one reviewer under the illusion that - as demonstrated by the comments here on IMDb, a decidedly milquetoast teenboy-lover such as Renato was out "molesting" the local game.

Nevertheless, don't let these rather personal complaints distract you from viewing this fascinating portrayal of politics and pederasty in the modern world - available, as I write, on YouTube.com. Things have moved on considerably since "Chicken Hawk" was shot, but the sheer rarity of the information on show makes it a must-watch for all appreciators of sexual politics and philosophy.

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4 out of 7 people found the following comment useful :-
A chilling look into pedophile's minds., 22 July 2007
8/10
Author: As_Cold_As_Ice from Australia

*** This comment may contain spoilers ***

This is a really strange documentary that is literally about men who love boys, one of their major groups in NAMBLA, and it gives the men a chance to explain their side of the issue somewhat.

This movie is in no way, shape or form anything other then neutral. We get experiences and defenses from the boy lovers, people who were molested by men as youngsters, psychologists, and members of the gay and lesbian community. If anything, the boy lovers get the most screen time, which allows them to convey their feelings, and also to show what disturbing people they are.

Three scenes stand out; the first was one of the boy lovers talking with a young boy outside a shop, his eyes studying him, checking to see if he had a chance to bed him. The next was NAMBLA trying to march in a gay/lesbian parade, with other marchers telling them to get lost, and the last was of a boy lover receiving obscene messages on his phone, and a congregation of people outside his apartment shouting anti-NAMBLA slogans. The last scene mentioned almost makes you feel a little sorry for him, except on his walls are hand-painted pictures of boys with long penises, and the fact that he screws boys.

Overall, I thought this was a well done documentary, who showed us for the first time what kind of filth these people are.

8/10

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8 out of 16 people found the following comment useful :-
Oh boy!, 26 November 2006
7/10
Author: ElijahCSkuggs from Happy Land, who lives in a Gumdrop House on Lolly Pop Lane

Chicken Hawk is a documentary that sheds a strange, immoral light on the world of pedophiles and more so the perverted and disillusioned group known as NAMBLA, aka the North American Man Boy Love Association. At first, I was unsure of the film's authenticity, but as it progressed, the various scenes and spots these men haunted validated its realness, which in turn, increased its disturbing effect. These homosexual men are as insane as any non-institutionalized person could be. They rant and explain how these children are in fact "flirting" and "desiring" such communication, with such a bizarre eloquence and intellectual manner, that is indeed interesting to listen to their bewilderingly, sick diatribe. The film is definitely con pedophiles, as would be any sane production company, but I believe the picture could have been a little more polished if it had kept a more neutral stance. Very decent documentary on the whacked out organization that is NAMBLA.

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0 out of 1 people found the following comment useful :-
Disturbing, 19 February 2009
1/10
Author: Alex P (miskatonic86) from Baltimore, Maryland

*** This comment may contain spoilers ***

I saw this on VHS at my video store and curiosity peaked. I usually watch stuff like CANNIBAL HOLOCAUST, SALO, and other controversial films, but this just sickened me out. CHICKEN HAWK is a film about NAMBLA (The North American Man/Boy Love Association), a bunch of weird old men who think it's okay to love boys as young as nine years old.

What I didn't like about this documentary was the fact that it seemed like it was promoting these people as decent, hardworking human beings. But when the camera reaches these sickos, they talk about how young boy's bodies are the most perfect ever. Gross! I believe in the First Amendment and all, but I think the members of NAMBLA are a bunch of perverts who can't control their own insecurities. There is nothing right about pedophilia. End of story.

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9 out of 22 people found the following comment useful :-
A truly unique documentary, 13 February 2006
5/10
Author: swekarl from Sweden

It's amazing, unbelievable and moving how open the "pedophiles" in this documentary are with their sexual orientation. Pictures come to mind of Jews walking through the gates of the concentration camps, smiling. And this even before we get to listen to the murder threats on NAMBLA's answering machine while watching a smiling "pedophile" blowing kisses to us. In this respect, the documentary is indeed unique, and therefore worth watching. That said, it uses music in a pretty weird way, think requiems...

I use quotes around "pedophiles", since many of the men are attracted to adolescent boys, which to me is known as homosexuality.

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7 out of 30 people found the following comment useful :-
DVD/Video?, 29 August 2005
10/10
Author: seiran79 from United States

From most accounts I've heard, this is a much-needed film-- giving child-lovers a chance, at long last, to present their own views without having their words twisted by the conservative media. If this is true, I hope that this is the beginning of a non-biased, sympathetic exploration of their struggle.

To even explore this angle is terribly brave, and should be applauded even by those who don't necessarily agree with the viewpoint-- a lot of documentary filmmakers wouldn't go out on this kind of limb.

Does anyone know where I can pick up a copy of this? It's not on EBay or any video store online I've found, and I can't find a website or any information for Stranger Than Fiction Films.

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18 out of 65 people found the following comment useful :-
Imagine if this film had been made about black men loving white women!, 22 November 1998
Author: Chuck Dodson (chuck4@usa.net) from midwest, usa

I felt that the underlying treatment of this documentary was generally hostile to a fair understanding of men who love boys and the message we have for society.

There were many "cheap shots" which I saw Adi taking in his film. Incidentally, not towards both sides, equally, but only towards boy lovers. There were technical maneuvers, such as making close-ups on people's teeth, or looking up at Leyland while he drove-and panning on old, dead trees they passed. And the music that was used-stuff that added to an emotion of we boy lovers not being all there, and even pathological.

Now, if Adi had made such a film about black men who loved white women in the 1920s, people would see what I'm talking about. You'd have a movie of "pure" interviews and images from that time. There would be no attempt at analysis. The result would be a film in which there would be a huge uproar in society about the way in which no one attempted to humanize the black men adequately. Adi's career might be ruined before it even started. And you can bet that he would not even begin to allow himself to make an oversight like that.

To conclude, i say that "CHICKEN HAWK: Men Who Love Boys" as a film is in the grey area between a constructive communication to the public, and a destructive one. For the media literate it should hold intriguing questions that can be thought about at length before coming to tentative conclusions. For the media illiterate, the film will most certainly be just one more reason to enhance and enable the increasing psychiatrick-industrial complex. They won't desire to look at we "perverts" as individuals, nor wonder how the film-maker got so close to such people who are supposedly forever "beyond the reach" of "ill-equipped" and "weak budgeted" law enforcement agencies. They'll just foam at the mouth and want to KILL KILL KILL like good citizens are supposed to do at the whim of imposed authority.

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