By Ryan BurrOUTscene Staff
A trans woman’s response to the revenge-oriented Ticked Off Trannies With Knives this past weekend at the Seattle International Film Festival was: How about we show no violence in any medium? Isn’t that likely to reduce violent, criminal behavior?
Our society, of course, is unlikely to ever give that experiment a real shot. For now, writer/director Israel Luna felt the time was right for a seriously disturbing storyline, where a group of transsexual women respond to the beating and murder of some of their comrades in kind.
The trannies assault, though, is more agonizing, tortured, and sickly entertaining. High-heels gouging out eyes, switch-blades shoved up the rectum (waiting to switch at the slightest twitch), and plenty of She-Ra-esque drop kicks and acrobatics.
At the conclusion of the midnight-showing at The Egyptian, one of the trannies jokes that there really is no difference between “them and us.”
The real intrigue of the film, though, comes in the form of making light of the serious injuries and conditions of the bashed-up trannies by their more fortunate, less battered, friends. It’s initially despicable to watch Willam Belli’s character mock Bubbles’ speech impediment—an effect of her beating—but after a few moments, you “get it.” The director is turning the victimization aspect on its head. Clever, pretty original, effective…I kind of loved it, actually.
An homage to the exploitation films of the '70s and '80s, (i.e. Savage Streets) Ticked Off was certainly inspired by the devastating increase in brutal hate crimes against people in the transgender community. Luna, the writer/director, along with his Dallas-based cast and crew, pour their hearts into creating the atmospheric '70s distressed aesthetic that glimmers with each woman's distinct, brassy groove.
It’s not surprising that this film has generated controversy—including objections from Trans activists and the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation. It is a valuable piece of cinema, however. Love the introduction of the violent femmes: catwalk, raunchy stage performances by Bubbles Cliquot, Tipper Sommore, Rachel Slurr, and Emma Grashun. And all respect is given to them in Pinky La'Trimm's nightclub, a hefty black chick who leads the revenge plot.
The trannies assault, though, is more agonizing, tortured, and sickly entertaining. High-heels gouging out eyes, switch-blades shoved up the rectum (waiting to switch at the slightest twitch), and plenty of She-Ra-esque drop kicks and acrobatics.
At the conclusion of the midnight-showing at The Egyptian, one of the trannies jokes that there really is no difference between “them and us.”
The real intrigue of the film, though, comes in the form of making light of the serious injuries and conditions of the bashed-up trannies by their more fortunate, less battered, friends. It’s initially despicable to watch Willam Belli’s character mock Bubbles’ speech impediment—an effect of her beating—but after a few moments, you “get it.” The director is turning the victimization aspect on its head. Clever, pretty original, effective…I kind of loved it, actually.
An homage to the exploitation films of the '70s and '80s, (i.e. Savage Streets) Ticked Off was certainly inspired by the devastating increase in brutal hate crimes against people in the transgender community. Luna, the writer/director, along with his Dallas-based cast and crew, pour their hearts into creating the atmospheric '70s distressed aesthetic that glimmers with each woman's distinct, brassy groove.
It’s not surprising that this film has generated controversy—including objections from Trans activists and the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation. It is a valuable piece of cinema, however. Love the introduction of the violent femmes: catwalk, raunchy stage performances by Bubbles Cliquot, Tipper Sommore, Rachel Slurr, and Emma Grashun. And all respect is given to them in Pinky La'Trimm's nightclub, a hefty black chick who leads the revenge plot.
Luna said during Q & A that the controversy has probably, or will probably, both bolster and hurt movie attendance. At the one-night showing on Saturday, though, he noted that the size of the crowd was impressive.
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