They (2017 film)
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Simone Ling
| They | |
|---|---|
.png) Film poster | |
| Directed by | Anahita Ghazvinizadeh |
| Written by | Anahita Ghazvinizadeh |
| Produced by | Zoe Sua Cho Simone Ling |
| Starring | Rhys Fehrenbacher |
| Cinematography | Carolina Costa |
| Music by | Vincent Gillioz |
Release date |
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Running time | 80 minutes |
| Countries | United States Qatar |
| Language | English |
They is a 2017 American drama film directed by Anahita Ghazvinizadeh and starring Rhys Fehrenbacher. It was screened in the Special Screening section at the 2017 Cannes Film Festival.[1] They was Ghazvinizadeh's first feature film.[2]
Set in the Chicago metropolitan area, it takes place over a single weekend.[3] 13-year old J, assigned male at birth, is deciding which gender they will be in advance of a meeting with a doctor. J writes in a diary indicating the times they feel like female, male, or no gender. Their bone density is decreasing, so they must stop taking puberty blockers and pick a gender.[2] In addition, the artist Araz and J's sister, Lauren, are marrying so Araz can get residency documents to live in the United States.[3] Araz's parents cannot come to the United States and wish to see him, but Araz fears that if he comes to Iran, he will never return to the U.S.[4]
The ending is deliberately left unclear.[2]
Cast
- Rhys Fehrenbacher as J
- Koohyar Hosseini as Araz
- Nicole Coffineau as Lauren
- Norma Moruzzi as Mom
- Diana Torres as Diana
Production
At the time of production, Rhys Fehrenbacher, portraying J, was in the process of transitioning as a trans man; Ghazvinizadeh met Fehrenbacher in Chicago while researching the transgender population in that city.[2]
The recording of the dialog took place after the production of the film; on many occasions the faces and mouths of the actors are off screen or obscured while they speak. Nick Schager of Variety stated that "While one would like to give the film the benefit of the doubt and say that the audio/video disconnect is another reflection of J’s internal divide, it mostly feels like a technical miscalculation".[4]
According to Baughan, "the film’s enigmatic aesthetic" makes it obvious that the director learned under Abbas Kiarostami.[2]