A new sci-fi thriller short film, with Matrix co-director Lilly Wachowski serving as executive producer, features an all-transgender-women cast.
The 18-minute film, Dolls, marks the directorial debut of trans filmmaker Geena Rocero, and the cast includes Yên Sen, Arewà Basit, Macy Rodman and Vas Eli, as well as the director herself.
Described as a trans-coded take on 70s cult classic The Stepford Wives, the new film follows Yan, a private investigator who infiltrates a suspicious dating workshop for transgender women after being hired to find a missing girl.
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Gene, the power-hungry head of the workshop, is rumoured to be running a cult. However, she claims she’s only helping individuals process relationship problems.
But altogether-darker forces appear to be at work…
‘Beautiful, weird, striking debut’
“Dolls is my attempt to birth the internal chatter that ruminates in my head,” Rocero told Them. “All those years admiring directors like Claire Denis, Lucrecia Martel and Park Chan-wook, I told myself to give it a shot, it’s the only way to find out.”
And Wachowski said: “Dolls is a fever dream reflecting on assimilation and the investigation of trans identity. [I’m] so proud to be part of this beautiful, weird, striking debut.”
Pulitzer-Prize-winning Susie Ibarra composed a score for the film.
“Geena’s script and directing bring visuals, sound and music into a beautiful interplay that creates a unique narrative,” Ibarra said. “I am honoured to collaborate on this unapologetic and much-needed story of transgender women characters in film.”
The word “doll” refers to a trans woman or trans-feminine non-binary people and is also used as a term of endearment. It has now entered the mainstream lexicon, thanks to the “Protect the Dolls” t-shirts worn by celebrities.
There has been no word on when Dolls will be released, but we’ll keep you posted.
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Why only 18 minutes tho? Is this more like a “pilot” they’re hoping to get more interest for to make a full length film? I think it was Lights Out that did that.
It’s the directoral debut of the filmmaker and Lilly is EP which means she is paying for it out of pocket so a short film is more typical in a situation like this. It’ll do all the festivals with Lilly’s name attached and if it is any good well likely see a first feature length film by the director announced after the festivals wrap.
A well made 18 min sci fi movie is probably costing a few hundred thousand to make whereas a feature would probably start upwards of a million