Frameline is thrilled to partner with guest bloggers from the University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire during this year's festival! We've invited students from the LGBTQA Studies: San Francisco Travel Seminar at UWEC to share their experiences of Frameline and their thoughts on San Francisco's queer community. As they attend Frameline and experience San Francisco, they will be creating LGBTQ-themed documentaries, as well as vetting films for their second Eau Queer Film Festival in the fall. For more information about the contributors, click here.
“Wow. Spork was such a great film. I really glad I read Middlesex a year ago, because that book really introduced me to intersex- which is why I was so interested to see another portrayal of an intersex individual. I really couldn’t miss out on an opportunity to learn more, because we receive such little education about intersex in society today.
I would definitely recommend bringing this film to the film fest in Eau Claire, because it is a film that tackles a lot of issues that an Eau Claire audience can relate to - bullying, death of a parent, loneliness, friendship, and family. And what surprised me the most is that it addressed all these serious issues in a lighthearted and laughable way - from the perspective of a middle school girl. I really wanted to ask the director how he did this, but we had to leave right away after the film to get an interview.
I think that part of the way this film kept the serious issues from becoming too overwhelming was the cinematography - particularly use of quirky, fun, and upbeat music. Also of note was the use of creative visual effects - speed ups/slow downs, visual effects layered on top of an action shot, and more.” -Katy Cobb
“Though Spork was a goofy character, everything about her speaks to societal and human rights issues. She is a young girl with an intersex condition, facing extreme bullying from classmates, and has to handle a confusing home life without parents living in a less-than-ideal trailer home. It is these barriers that are the train of the film. She is the underdog, but it is because of that, that she is relatable and lovable by audiences. The arc and climactic moment is when she finally overcomes her awkwardness, her insecurities, and her emotional walls that she begins to succeed and triumph over her bullies. Her story is one I would love to see in Eau Claire. I know audiences would be in tears laughing, but learning along the way about those issues of gender, violence, socioeconomic struggles, etc. It’s concealed, but not covert, education. It is understated with the use of humor, but does represent deeper, more powerful messages as well.
I also loved the technical editing and artistic vision of this film. It was cute in a comic bookish way, but it paired and balanced well with the serious nature of some of the topics. It added a lighthearted fun twist to what could have easily been a more morbid piece of cinema. I think without things like animated sunshine rays and wiggly line clouds added into the realistic shots, the somewhat melancholy nature of some of the scenes would have been overwhelming.” -Brianna Mueller