Circus of Books

All families have secrets, but as this endearingly sweet and wonderfully funny documentary proves, the Masons have a secret that is a little more shocking than most. Karen and Barry are an adorable, straight-as-an-arrow married couple raising three children, taking them to the synagogue on Sundays, and managing a small business known as Circus of Books. Thing is, their quaint bookstore just so happens to be one of the biggest distributors of gay porn in the country. Told through the loving but honest perspective of their daughter Rachel, the film unabashedly explores the evolution of not just the business, which began as a small venture and grew to become an LA epicenter for gay culture, but also of her parents themselves. Striving to compartmentalize her faith with her growing involvement in the LGBTQ community, Karen is a complex and often hilarious subject as she nonchalantly sorts through boxes of adult toys and intimate apparel. Capturing the bittersweet emotional strife and contradictions between parents and children, Mason’s film is a surprising triumph about family and community. Scheduled to Appear: Director Rachel Mason, Subjects Barry and Karen Mason.