Written, Edited & Directed By: Siobhan McCarthy
Cinematography: Bethany Michalski
Cast: Nico Carney, Misha Osherovich, Malia Pyles, Suzanne Cryer, Tatiana Ringsby, Mark Indelicato, Emmett Preciado, Aparna Nancherla
Before graduation, Ethan and Alex pose as trans women in a last ditch effort to quell gay rumors. It’s all a joke until Ethan realizes: she really is trans. The two must reckon with their changing friendship, coming out, and coming-of-age.
This is a Queer film where the leads are trans and, Non-Binary. Which there isn’t a problem because there are such few films and representation for them. So at least here they get a chance to beat themselves or speak for themselves.
As the two leads who are non-binary and trans, are supposed to play their roles as straight boys trying to disguise themselves as trans to save themselves and to try and get one of their dream girls to fall in love with them go through that process one discovers that they might actually be trans themselves and is not pretending as much.
The film is mostly a comedy and plays out like one of those teen comedies from the 80s 90s or even 2000s or logic. It’s thrown out the door, but which sounds like a good plan works and goes as well as satirizing high school movies in general straight and queer.
What shocked me here was not the comedy which is a little like the recent film BOTTOMS but without as big of a budget, it was the heart and emotion that this film has it’s not played out throughout, but it is an essential part of the film, which is the film’s heartbeat which truly is what saves the film. As it helps cover up the low budget technical shortcomings and presentation.
As, if this film had just been straight comedy, it would’ve worked, but it wouldn’t have felt necessarily as worth the story or the fountain as it gets you the audience at certain moments that prove to be universal and truly show the depth of the characters and the situations they find themselves in. While swimming in the Moore, universal broad comedy aspects of it all.
This is an unexpected delight that I think people
Should give a chance to, and maybe it will open up their ways of thinking to acceptance and support for the LGBTQ+ community and understand the challenges and fears that they go through.
It’s a film that can be both educational and fun for the audience other than language maybe should be aimed or show more teenagers as it’s appeal seems to be aimed at them a little more
Not to mention is definitely very quotable.
Grade: B-
