DESIRE LINES
Directed by Jules Rosskam | 83 min | United States
Desire Lines is a hybrid feature film that blends personal interviews, archival materials, and narrative fiction as a framework for exploring the complicated and often unwritten history of transmasculine sexuality. Testimonials from transgender men, both past and present, dissect how cultural expectations, political agendas, and gatekeeping practices shape the locus of desire.
The fictional story centers on Ahmad, an Iranian expat who arrived in America at the onset of the AIDS crisis. Now in his 60s, Ahmad comes to the LGBTQ archives of Chicago to explore his latent homosexuality and engage in fantasy to reimagine his life as an out, gay trans man.
Ahmad's research blends fact with fiction, often diving into fantasy sequences that reimagine the gay bathhouses of the 70s and 80s through a transmasculine lens. Kieran, a twenty-something nonbinary archivist immersed in queer culture and the trans community, helps the journey. An intergenerational friendship takes hold as a shared fascination with Lou Sullivan, a gay, transgender AIDS activist, strengthens Ahmad and Kieran's bond.
FESTIVALS: Sundance, Thessaloniki, BFI Flare London
Preceded by the short film:
CATBOY
Directed by Christian Sitjas | 13 min | Spain
After receiving several racist comments from a gay dating app, Marc receives a message from his transexual friend Cacao inviting him to a Ballroom. Marc is surprised by the freedom and diversity of the environment. Once the Catboy Sex Siren category arrives, Marc watches the situation with a mix of desire and doubt.