Six shorts experience young queer romance
Everything I can come up with to try and say about young (queer) love is annoyingly cheesy – even the title (sorry!). So I’m going to forego the long introduction and just say this: as a kid growing up in the 1990s and early 2000s, it was hard to find queer media that was easily accessible, especially about other kids. It’s refreshing to see how many stories are now out there about kids not only able to figure out their own identities at a young age (without tragic consequences), but also to find romantic connections and happy endings with others. This week’s films are, without exception, adorable, and that fact is as much of a thrill to me as watching them is.
“I’m sorry, we don’t have it.”
Cariño | Darling*, created by Carlos Taborda, Ashley Williams, and Roshel Amuruz, takes us to the streets of Cartagena, where young Santiago becomes instantly enamored when he sees a boy named Camilo on the street. Camilo is looking for a flower to give his grandmother, and in his search drops his photograph of her. Santiago sets out to return the photograph and help Camilo find what he’s searching for.
The film was a team effort between the three creators, as described in a statement on Carlos Taborda’s website: “The set was created by Roshel Amuruz and is heavily influenced by the vibrant beautiful city of Cartagena, Colombia. Our characters were created by Carlos Taborda and throughout his character design process he focused on capturing Latin American authenticity within our protagonists. Although the pandemic made it hard to film animation references, that did not stop our amazing animator Ashley Williams from finding her own through online resources. She has also created a team of underclassmen animators to help animate shots faster and she keeps up with all of them to make sure everything looks consistent.” Cariño | Darling is short and nearly wordless, but the deft combination of talents by the filmmakers, as well as the music, make it completely charming and compelling to watch.
*English translation mine.
Cariño | Darling
“Aine said that Lisa likes us.”
Céad Ghrá | First Love, written by Matthew Roche and directed by Brian Deane, is about two best friends, Colm (Brandon Maher) and Dónall (Tadgh Moran), whose pick-up basketball game is interrupted by the sight of Lisa (Zena Donnelly), the most popular girl in their class. Dónall has intel from a classmate that Lisa likes both of them, and they embark upon a mission to approach her and find out which one of them she likes best – facing some obstacles from Lisa’s cool older brother, Jamie (Jordan Roche).
I loved the easy way that Colm follows along with Dónall’s plans, with a quiet resignation, even if he knows that they are not on the same page. While Dónall dominates the conversation and the plan, there’s a sense that Colm will have his way in the end anyway, which rang very true to me in this type of friendship.
Céad Ghrá | First Love
“what is ace”
Aces, written and directed by Jordan-Paige Sudduth, introduces us to Phoebe (Alaina Jaye Antrim) as she just misses the bus on her first day at a new school. Fortunately her neighbor Summer (Emi Curia) goes to the same school and offers her a ride. They both fall for each other almost immediately, but their budding romance is interrupted by a discovery that Phoebe has about herself during the first time they try being physically intimate.
Aces can be a little clumsy and heavy-handed in how it talks about asexuality – a challenge that I think even ace creators have in trying to create films that will be viewed by largely allosexual audiences. But for me, the relationship between Phoebe and Summer is so cute that it makes up for any awkwardness. “I think Aces now takes the top spot for favorite short film I’ve ever written, and second favorite project I’ve ever created,” said creator Jordan-Paige Sudduth on Facebook. “Love stories aren’t really my strong suit, because I have zero experience in the subject matter, but writing a love story with an asexual protagonist? Hand me my laptop, I’ll have a draft done in two hours!”
Aces
“GAB I THINK I REALLY NEED TO TALK TO YOU ABOUT SMTH!!! CAN WE SEE EACH OTHER RN??????”
SLICE, created by Yoann Roussin and Ylang Lebot, begins when Sasha (voiced by Lebot) wakes up from a dream about kissing his best friend, Gabriel (Ilona Goudeau). Having never thought this way about Gab before, Sasha texts him asking if they can meet up immediately, but then spends the whole way waffling about what he’s going to say.
Creators Youann Roussin and Ylang Lebot, known together as PULPE, developed the film as part of an artist residency at BOBBYPILLS Studio. While short, SLICE is adorable, and – as someone who has both fallen for friends more than once and always had the impulse to tell them immediately – incredibly relatable for me! The music and the video game-like animation, as well as Sasha’s flustered rambling, all bring the film together towards its final twist.
SLICE
“What, you got a date, a girlfriend?”
Baby, written and directed by Jessie Levandov, takes us through a day in the life of Ali (Ali Mian), a teenager in the Bronx. As he hangs out with his friends, then stops in the barber shop to get ready for a date, we get to see what Ali’s world is like and how he inhabits different spaces in it, all of it depicted beautifully and lyrically. The cast are all non-actors, bringing a freshness and easiness to their roles as well.
“[Baby] is an ode to all queer youth, past, present and future, who seek joy in a world that tells us in so many ways that we don’t belong,” said creator Jessie Levandov in an interview with Short of the Week. “Our stories don’t always end in a cinematic triumph – it’s often the quiet victory of holding a hand, or playing a game of basketball, that carves out the space for intimacy, tenderness and joy in our lives. I wanted to convey a quiet, personal victory – and show through this quiet story, how powerful one moment can be, when we are able to choose ourselves and connection with people we love.”
Baby
“She walked up to me and she asked me if I wanted to dance…”
And Then She Kissed Me, created by Alexia Khodanian, is a coming-of-age story between Daniella and Eleanor, two teenagers who meet at their school’s homecoming dance. Set to the song of the same name by St. Vincent, which itself is a cover of “Then He Kissed Me” by The Crystals, we follow Daniella and Eleanor’s relationship from high school through adulthood, and all of it is gorgeously animated and tooth-rottingly sweet, in the best way possible.
And Then She Kissed Me
