#it's about the energy. it's about the subtleties of my fine performance of my gender. im an artist. you wouldn't get it

[baltears]

as a nonbi/nary person it is not my responsibility to exert myself and spend my energy trying to actively distance myself from my agab in ways im not personally interested in doing. if people perceive me as a girl that is simply bc their third eye is closed and its not my fault

#this isnt in response to anything specific im just staring into the mirror like narcissus #and thinking abt how im more or less 100% satisfied and happy with how i present #idk i just find it confusing when other people are confused by me not wanting to present more traditionally masc or androgynous #it's about the energy. it's about the subtleties of my fine performance of my gender. im an artist. you wouldn't get it #but like truly i can't hang out with the kind of people who assume im cis and it's not because i think they're transphobic or anything #it's literally just bc they dont have refined enough senses. they don't get it. i can't vibe with that #if you are that blinded by my adorable face then you are not going to see anything about me at all period full stop #truly its that talking about gender with trans ppl vs talking about gender with cis ppl meme. we're in advanced territory here #anyways happy nonbinary day <3 i hope the rest of you bitches are all as obsessed with yourselves as i am and i love you #this is another limited edition post enjoy it while u can

[thefilmsimps]

Bright Star (dir. Jane Campion)

-Jere Pilapil-

I have been walking around my house singing “Bright Star” to the tune of Tom Jones’ “Sex Bomb” all day. This is absolutely wrong, as the movie has literally none of the bombast of Tom Jones’ late career European hit (Europe might be the only ting they have in common). It might be harder to find a more understated, quietly painful period piece romance than Jane Campion’s 2009 film about the romance between the poet John Keats and Fanny Browne, late in the former’s life.

I’m still woefully under-read with regards to Campion’s work, but this shares with the recent Power of the Dog a kind of lithe energy where massive chunks of the runtime may pass before one realizes they have been drawn fully into the drama of the story. Here, it’s the slow courtship between the two lovers, both understated but charming. Ben Wishaw is winningly shy as Keats. His slim, boyish looks are a contrast to Abbie Cornish’s Fanny, whose fashions explode out of the norm for period drama costuming. Before they are in love, and soon after that, they are befallen by obstacle after obstacle.

I’m also partial to Paul Schneider as Charles Brown, Keats’ roommate and benefactor during this period. He brings a kind of chaotic energy to the proceedings, as a friend to Keats and an annoyance to Brawne. The performance is fantastic, a convincing portrayal of the extroverted, somewhat obnoxious kind of personality that an introvert like Keats might be comfortable behind.

And that mix is perfect for exploring both the central love story and, more subtlety, the way gender roles defined people’s lives at this time. Fanny is repeatedly shamed away from falling for John because, as a failing poet, he has no way of providing. But fall she does, and in the limited way that they can express that to one another, they pay fine tribute to Keats’ poetry. There are some ways that this movie felt like it was keeping me at arms’ length, but thinking about it in writing this, in hindsight, I am feeling very fond of it. There’s no better tribute to the trajectory of John Keats’ poetry than that, I guess.

8/10

#movie review #criterion #period drama #romance #love