By Robert St. Martin & Valerie Milano
Spookable (USA, 15 min, 2024)
Los Angeles, CA (The Hollywood Times) 6/23/24 – is the latest short film by Jonathan Andre Culliton and is screening at Frameline 48 in San Francisco as part of comedic short series entitled “Fun in Shorts” on two dates. In Spookable, two trans best friends – Alexandra Gray (Gossamer Folds, Frameline44) and Marval A. Rex (of Estuaries and All Kinds of Love from Frameline46) – venture into the woods on a cabin getaway vacation only to end up a part of a horny supernatural world. This comedic romp was produced by Zackary Drucker and features an all-trans cast and crew.
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Borrowing scenarios from horror films, Tahmina (Alexandra Gray) is spooked from the start when the two friends arrive and park their car before walking into the woods to this isolated cabin where they plan to spend a short Airbeds vacation. But Sean (Marval A. Rex) assures Tahmina that all will be fine. They meet a few odd people in the woods and wander inside a mysterious cave that clearly resembles a giant vagina dripping with gooey stalactites – a cave of that is a giant sex organ. This fantastic cave is quite an erotic spectacle to which Rex will return, called by voice of a woman in the night.
Returning to their cabin, Tahmina believes they need to get out and go back to the city. But this being a night of full moon, it is not surprising that strange transformations are about to occur – as Sean suddenly disappears into the night. The nemesis is the transformation of Sean into a werewolf with a frightening, monstrous face, and he is suddenly surrounded by two other male or trans masculine werewolves in the woods. Sean manages to deal with these monster competitors and Tahmina is quite impressed. They seem to have entered a truly supernatural world.
During this comedic horror genre romp, I suppose there is a message about metamorphosis in general – a subject that harkens back to magical transformations we find in the stories of Ovid. Perhaps this is a better way to look at trans identity – against the background of magical storytelling and shapeshifting. For me, this aspect of trans culture is the most fascinating, as it opens the windows of the imagination to the way trans people like “two spirit persons” in indigenous American culture have been storytellers and healers, as well as in many traditional societies around the world.
Director Culliton is a trans man, and his work often includes LGBTQ+ themes. Culliton produced Michael Yip’s award-winning musical short “The Gay Mafia” and Sarah Taborga’s ball culture doc Dear Queer Dancer for PBS. He is best known for Bombshell, a digital series available on Amazon. He is currently in post-production for Willa Justice: Drag Queen Private Eye, a new comedy short starring Lady Chilane and Scott Turner Schofield, premiering at Out on Film in September 2024.
From coming-out for the first time to cruising in the woods, Fun in Shorts is a hilarious adventure into the highs and lows of being queer! There are trans werewolves, Drag Race comedy queens, newly out seniors, and Meg Stalter in Frameline’s annual comedy shorts package of eight films. The series screens twice: June 23, 2024, 11:00 AM in the Roxie Theatre in San Francisco (only “Rush” tickets available) and again on June 29 at 6:00 pm in the Roxie Theatre. The directors of most of the films are expected to be in attendance on both dates. The entire series of “Fun in Shorts” will be available for viewing online on June 24 through Frameline’s Digital Screening Room.
This comedic shorts series includes another romp in the woods with Foraging (UK, 13 min.), a film by Matthew Jacobs Morgan about a bored gay couple go cruising for the first time, but when they get lost in the woods, the cracks of their relationship become chasms.
Then there is Stan Behavior, directed by Tyler C. Peterson (15 min.), about a drag queen embarking on a quest for better workplace rights. She finds herself in a dicey situation when her new lawyer, a tone-deaf straight woman, is revealed to be a drag super star. It stars Yvonne Zima alongside Drag Race comic divas Ginger Minj and Heidi N Closet.
Quite amusing is Ily, Bye (13 min.), directed by Taylor James – featuring the hilarious Meg Stalter as an unemployed and down-on-her-luck Siobhan who is suddenly presented with a life-changing job opportunity. Unfortunately, she can’t get her foot out of her mouth long enough to get her foot in the door. Featuring the voice talents of Rainn Wilson and Benito Skinner, Ily, Bye also stars Kanoa Goo of ABC TV’s The Rookie.
