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On this page: JARIPEO | WHAT WILL I BECOME?

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See also: SHADOWS FILM FESTIVAL | Last update 3.Apr.26

Jaripeo
Review by Rich Cline | 3.5/5

dir Efrain Mojica, Rebecca Zweig
scr Analia Goethals, Efrain Mojica, Rebecca Zweig
prd Sarah Strunin, Efrain Mojica, Rebecca Zweig
with Efrain Mojica, Noe Margarito Zaragoza Aguiniga, Jose Cerda Banales, Jose Andres Aguilar, Arturo Calderon, Natanael Guzman, Tania Castillo
release US Jan.26 sff,
UK Mar.26 flare
26/Mexico 1h11

SUNDANCE FILM FEST
BERLIN FILM FEST

Now streaming...

Diving into Mexico's cowboy culture, with its heavy-drinking, oppressive machismo and raucous jaripeos (aka rodeos), this skilfully shot documentary has deeper intentions relating to sexuality and culture. Cameraman-cowboy Efrain Mojica, working with writer and filmmaker Rebecca Zweig, is exploring how it feels to be a young queer ranchero in a straight but sexy subculture. The film's slightly aloof, introspective approach finds poetry in gorgeous imagery and evocative ideas.

Efrain loves ascend a nearby hill to see the entire landscape spread out beneath him, giving him a sense of peace about the community. He has memories of being bored as a child attending the jaripeo with his parents. He became more interested as a teen, mainly because of the alcohol. But he knew he wouldn't become the expected strong, hairy womaniser. He never came out to his parents, although he's fairly sure they know about him. And there's an intriguing, mainly hidden subset of others who break the mould in their own inimitable ways.

Efrain's strikingly grainy Super 8 footage is beautifully edited into Zweig's crisper imagery, adding his distinct perspective. The film cleverly plays on the images of the sexy cowboy and the untamed horse. Efrain and his hunky friend Noe laugh about how they can't speak to anyone else about being gay. So they talk to each other, exploring the guilt they felt growing up, then learning to live on the adrenaline of secretly finding someone like them. The camaraderie between them is lovely. And Efrain admits that he still has a long way to go before he feels free.

The film is punctuated with almost elegiac scenes of riders on bucking bulls in front of cheering crowds, showing their tough exteriors as well as their vulnerabilities. The constraints of this religious macho society are everywhere, so the filmmakers create a pink nightclub fantasy sequence as an expression of what could be. One gay man says he's unlikely to ever have a proper romance, because he only has relationships with "straight" men. Conversations between these men are so open and honest that they take us aback, providing insight we rarely see on-screen.

themes, language 20.Mar.26

What Will I Become?
Review by Rich Cline | 4/5

dir Lexie Bean, Logan Rozos
scr Lexie Bean, Miles Hill, Logan Rozos
prd Drew Dickler, Geoff Pingree, David Sherwin, Ricki Stern
with Lexie Bean, Logan Rozos, Blake Brockington, Eppchez Yo-Si Yes, Jihade, Katharine Prescott, Carl Prescott, Connor Maddocks, Jessica Davis Rash, Jules Jones, Robert Primm, Nix Becher
release UK Mar.26 flare
26/US 1h26

BERLIN FILM FEST

Now streaming...

Even with a dark central topic, this documentary feels strongly hopeful. This is a clear-eyed, deliberately emotive look at why so many trans youth commit suicide, something directors Lexie Bean and Logan Rozos know far too well. Indeed, more than half of trans teens try to take their lives, largely because they can never be themselves. It's not an easy film to watch, but it's powerful, important and urgent.

Lexie and Logan remember feeling like they would rather die than become someone they shouldn't be: both survived suicide attempts and have friends who didn't. Logan was the only trans guy in his high school. Lexie remembers promising not to feel happiness because it could disappear in a moment. Both found communities online and now travel to encourage trans kids and their families. The film delves into personal feelings, family dynamics and social failings. And amid the pain, they find hope in caring support networks. But the situation has become worse in recent years.

In interviews for the film, North Carolina teen Blake says there are few places where he feels safe, especially with religious relatives who abused and rejected him. A talented musician, he found acceptance as a boy playing rugby, but the league made him quit. Being elected homecoming king was huge for him, but hateful reactions were overwhelming. He became a fierce activist, but ultimately took his life. In California, Kyler's parents remember his artistic gifts, gentle spirit and lack of a hard shell, acknowledging that he identified as male from age 10 but never felt like he could be himself. For contrast, there's also Jihade, an artist who lives in Morocco and has a huge range of obstacles. They connect online with Eppchez, who makes artistic packers, which create bulges for trans men.

By its nature, this film is hugely emotive, focussing on young people who have lost any sense of protection from their families. It's beautifully assembled with offhanded interviews, home movies and gorgeously animated sequences that look beneath the surface to reveal real people behind the headlines. Most important is how the film helps us see through the eyes of bright children as they struggle to feel like they belong, desperate for someone who cares. Loving families are rare, while neglect, mistreatment and cruelty come from official sources. And online comments are despicable. Clearly society is to blame for marginalising these beautiful human beings who have so much to offer. A film like this gives viewers an unusually intimate perspective. And it vividly depicts the important available support networks along with lovely success stories.

strong themes 29.Mar.26

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See also: SHADOWS FILM FESTIVAL