Circus of Books was a famous, thriving gay porn bookstore in West Hollywood for several decades that went through some interesting times, including getting into the movie making business with some famous male porn stars and a federal obscenity rap that could have easily wound one of the owners up in federal prison had not Bill Clinton become president when he did.
This, along with other surprising twists of fate, forms an important part of the film, but the focus is how the business affected the lives of the three children of the owners. Given that one of those three is responsible for making the film, we get an inside view including abundant commentary from family members, lots of footage of the family as they were all growing up, and lots of nuance that couldn't have been known or captured otherwise. It's not all pretty, but it's deeply touching and revealing.
This, along with other surprising twists of fate, forms an important part of the film, but the focus is how the business affected the lives of the three children of the owners. Given that one of those three is responsible for making the film, we get an inside view including abundant commentary from family members, lots of footage of the family as they were all growing up, and lots of nuance that couldn't have been known or captured otherwise. It's not all pretty, but it's deeply touching and revealing.