Like everything else in the Bay Area since March, the 2020 San Francisco Transgender Film Festival went virtual. Since I have kids and can't really get out for several evenings in a row to watch movies, this actually worked well for me. I do miss seeing a lot of old faces, but, hey, we're in the middle of a freaking pandemic.
And, yes, I do realize that the film festival was over a month ago...perhaps you missed sentence #2 where I said I have kids. Fortunately, I also have a job during this pandemic, and it (along with my kids) has kept me very busy.
OK, so, there were a lot of films. Not all were good, but I did find some gems. My notes are scarce on some of them, but for the ones that were good, I'll write a little more. Alright, let's do it...here are my reviews:
Let's start with the mediocre ones:
Light on a Path, Follow
Do you want to watch a trans masculine person walk about in the woods and go through labor pains? Well, that is this movie.
Ibb Kya Kothie
I had to turn the captions on for this one as I had a hard time understanding. The scenes were a little jumpy, but the story of a transwoman trying to raise an adopted daughter showed some of the struggles of living in India.
Sam's Town
This was a story of two people grieving over the loss of a shared loved one, but I didn't feel there was any character development and I still can't tell what the issue was. The film quality was good.
The Coffee Name Game
This quirky film might have been better with less focus on one coffee shop and a very rapid Groundhog Day feel.
Lady Shot
Six minutes to give oneself a shot.
Lou: A San Francisco Fantasy
A mix of new and archival film. I got lost early and moved on to the next film.
Vincy
Hmm...this felt like a queer trans blog entry from a Millenial.
A Poem to Everyone in My Life Who Misgenders Me (And Thinks Its No Big Deal)
Another blog entry put onto film.
Float Bitch (trailer)
This was an interesting combo of a blog entry and some serious jazzercise dancing. I really liked the intro, but then it felt like it strayed too far from the opening.
Fruits de Mer
I don't even know how to describe this one. Ummm...happy mermaid kings of Manhattan smoking pot?
Here are some that were OK, but needed a little more:
Satan's Tears
This was a music video choreographed with interesting imagery, but the song needed a little more for me.
I am Samantha
This was a quirky little music video with some heartfelt messages. All of the people in the video are trans.
Gotta Move
This was 2 minutes of a drag queen running in high heels through the middle of suburbia while pulling her luggage and lip syncing to Barbara Streisand. I gotta admit...I could not stop watching this one.
Ponyboi
This movie had some interesting parts to it. The quality and acting were good, but the story sometimes went astray for me. (Nudity)
And here are the good ones:
Tell By Date (imdb)
The cinematography was good, acting was great, and it had a good story flow. I can also connect with this story since my wife and I have also talked about how to tell our children that I am their biological father. The whole "Darth Leia" dream definitely brought up my own thoughts of one day telling my sons, "Luke, I am your father."
Waking Hour
This was an interesting film. The quality was really good and the acting was legit. I wasn't sure where the film was going to go, but it had some real suspense. Overall, I liked it.
Playback (trailer)
I liked this film from Cordoba, Argentina's past. The film has high quality in its narrative and uses imagery from the 80's. I think the story really got me and I enjoyed this more than I thought I would.
Catcher in the Rye
This was a music video from Ryan Cassata. I saw him years ago in another film called Songs for Alexis. The quality was good and I liked the music. It seems like his music has matured since I last saw him. I also have a feeling this is not the last time I will see him.
62-84, I Didn't Copy That, HQ (imdb)
This was a very powerful film from Turkey that finds three people's lives crossing one fateful evening.
Peace of Mind
A transman narrates their coming out with cartoon imagery. It was short and cute.
Gay As In Happy: A Queer Anti-Tragedy
This was a "big fuck you" blog entry, but the quality was good, the message engaging, and the narrative flowed well.
The More Things Change (imdb)
Apparently this was the pilot episode of a proposed series based on a workaholic transwoman. The production quality, script, and acting were good.
Projecting (director/actor)
This was a cute short film about a transman and his girlfriend. Events in their lives flash before them as they read a poem in a bathtub. (Some mild nudity.)
My winner: Tell By Date.
Honorable mentions: Waking Hour, Playback, The More Things Change, and 62-84, I Didn't Copy That, HQ.
P.S. I started watching Sense8 since I am riding my stationary bike late at night many nights a week and need something to watch. In the first episode of Sense8, I saw many of the people that run the San Francisco Transgender Film Festival. That's cool that they were able to get some representation in a major Netflix series. Too bad I am like 4 years late on this, but, we can just go back to sentence #2, again, and say that I have kids.
