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AI is all the rage right now, Hollywood is even on board. A few documentaries about artificial intelligence made their debut at Sundance’s. Not to be outdone by reality, even a film, the black comedy Little Death, ended up using 😄 generative AI. Just in case that’s not quirky enough, Love Me came onto the scene, a post-apocalyptic rom-com showcasing two love-struck AIs.
But there was more to the festival than just AI. There was a wide array of innovative horror flicks, a coming-of-age series that hearkens back to the good ol’ days of AIM, and a heart-shattering documentary that included scenes from World of Warcraft. In other words, there were options for everyone at Sundance this year.
Here are some of our favorites, after watching as much as we could.
Desire Lines
Directed by Jules Rosskam. No showing date set
As far as cisgender queer folk and, to a lesser extent, trans / genderqueer ladies, it’s fair to say that many of us have become pretty comfortable speaking about their sex lives. But when it comes to the sexualities of transgender males, we still have a lot of work to do.
Despite the efforts made toward the acceptance of The LGBTQ Community™, the sexualities of trans males have been historically overlooked when addressing the various ways in which people can express their gender. This marginalization, based on both sexism and homophobia, has resulted in the removal of trans men from the broader queer historical narrative, a transgression that often feels irreparable.
With Full Spectrum Features’ groundbreaking hybrid documentary / narrative feature Desire Lines, filmmaker Jules Rosskam aims to promote greater understanding around this issue, by placing transgender men at the forefront of an enthralling narrative about trans male sexuality and the preservation of cultural traditions. In this feature, rather than just presenting interviews with trans men about their identities, Desire Lines tells the fictional story of Ahmad (Aden Hakimi), a reserved 50-something who grapples with complicated feelings about being attracted to other men, compelling him to seek out an archive that is home to queer life experiences.
As a trans man and an immigrant from Iran, Ahmad doesn’t assume that the expressive archive will reflect stories like his, but with each visit, he spends more time with researcher Kieran (Theo Germaine), who helps Ahmad delve into dramatized scenes based on actual events and Rosskam’s interviews. As Ahmad gets more comfortable with the archive and the life stories it tells, he starts realizing that his desires are an integral part of who he is. —CPM
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Image: Sundance Institute
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Directed by Sean Wang;