Synopsis
Past and present collide when an Iranian American trans man time-travels through an LGBTQ+ archive on a dizzying and erotic quest to unravel his own sexual desires.
Directed by Jules Rosskam
Past and present collide when an Iranian American trans man time-travels through an LGBTQ+ archive on a dizzying and erotic quest to unravel his own sexual desires.
跨越情感線
really fascinating watching this at Sundance in what i perceived to be a largely cis crowd. i could tell immediately after it ended that i had just had an entirely different emotionally complex experience than some audience members... i think it's hard to pin down how isolating being transmasc AND queer is and how desperate many of us (me) are for a better understanding of our history, our sexuality, our minds, our bodies, our community, and so forth. this amazing (hybrid genre!!!) film provided a lot of that context and history while exploring the AIDS crisis from a transmasc perspective, revealing the complexities of sex between cis & trans men, and beautifully paying homage to lou sullivan. five stars.
"I also understood that you had not met or heard of a female to male transexual who identified as a gay man. And that's exactly what I am and I want my story preserved."
That statement and this doc are incredibly powerful because it's not just about awareness. There's also desire to be known, to be recorded, to be a part of history. And when you're one of the first it's important to get that right so that those that came after you have a roadmap. This was an easy ticket buy for me because of my major crush on Theo Germaine, but listening to trans-men talk about their kinks and fears and experiences is empowering and revolutionary. Learning how people like to have sex is fascinating and this film balances the educational with the personal flawlessly.
Sundance 2024 Watch #7
The fact that the director has hours and hours of great interviews with more trans men that got cut but he had time to show us renaming and moving files on his computer makes me so mad.
"To be trans is to constantly be discovered. Every decade cis people act as if we’re new and every year a trans person invents themself and finds our history. The longer I’m out — approaching seven years — the more exhausted I am by the former and the more heartened I am by the latter. Every newly out trans person deserves a Kieran guiding them through the archive."
Full review: www.autostraddle.com/desire-lines-review/
The format of the film might turn some viewers off, but the discussions about trans masc stories paired with the need to create an archive of the history, the present, and the future of trans masc lives makes Desire Lines a empowering and important film.
Sundance 2024 film #1
not my cup of tea sorry. it definitely had important topics but it felt like a student film