What Mackay's films have lacked in technical refinement, they've more than made up for in heart. Each time I finish a "transgender & queer film by Alice Maio Mackay," I'm reminded of an inner strength that, sometimes, I forget is there.
I'm grateful to Mackay for being a very sorely needed voice in queer storytelling right now.
Watched with an English dub.
Oh my god what a beautiful film. I don't have any cohesive thoughts so I'm just going to list what I liked about it:
— The entire wheat harvesting scene at the lake was just spectacular. Not only was it filled with tension, but the use of silhouette as the sun was going down was sublime
— Dersu and the captain reuniting after five years and greeting each other with so much mirth and enthusiasm…
As a non-passing trans woman, I'll admit I felt a certain kind of way when "Josephine" and "Daphne" first boarded the train and introduced themselves to the rest of the women in the band, who immediately and enthusiastically welcomed them as one of their own.
That same feeling got a reprise when we see "Daphne" having fun with her bandmates at the beach; she's integrated seamlessly with them. Furthermore, her physical differences with the other women are not only acknowledged,…
