So Pretty

So Pretty is an American experimental and romantic drama that was released in 2019. With a screenplay and direction by Jessie Jeffrey Dunn Rovinelli, it features Edem Dela-Seshie, Thomas Love, and Rachika Samarth in the lead roles. The film was a Foreign Narrative Feature contender at the Frameline San Francisco International LGBTQ+ Film Festival and the Berlin International Film Festival.

So Pretty tells the story of a group of young, queer, and political individuals who blend the line between fiction and documentary. This is a cinematic adaptation of the eponymous novel by the French author, Ronald M. Schernikau which was written in the late 80s and acclaimed for its critique of capitalist and cultural spaces. Rovinelli transposes the book to modern-day New York, where it resonates with conversations about gender, relationships, and activism in our current sociopolitical landscape.

The narrative primarily centers around four characters – Paul (Thomas Love), a trans man who is translating the novel into English; his girlfriend, Efrat (Rachika Samarth); their friend Toni (Kévin Blinderman); and his boyfriend, Tofik (Edem Dela-Seshie). Each of them is actively involved in a politically-charged struggle that dictates their daily life. Individual stories and dynamics interweave to form a dynamic portrayal of love, friendship, and ideological fervor. This film portrays how the personal and political can collide and how the intimate fabric of their lives is entangled with larger societal issues.

The film is visually striking with both its location and artful cinematography playing a notable part. Shot mostly in New York, the city itself becomes a central character that takes on a poetic light, making various scenes precious to behold. Rovinelli's evocative imagery further complements the dialogue-driven narrative, in some ways acting as a silent counter-voice.

Despite being grounded in a specific subset of New York, So Pretty explores universal ideas of gender, activism, and friendship. It doesn't shy away from the challenges these young people face in their activist work or how their political beliefs affect their relationships. While the characters traverse their individual struggles and their interpersonal dynamics, the audience is offered a mirror into society's larger ideological conflicts that persist today.

So Pretty also offers a nuanced exploration of gender identity. Celebrating queerness in all its forms, the film is a refreshing display of non-binary and transgender characters that moves beyond stereotypes. By positioning trans characters as romantically desired, the film also challenges conventional narratives in mainstream cinema and adds another dimension to the understanding and depiction of trans experiences.

The cast gives an insightful performance, with each actor bringing an authentic emotional depth to their roles, thus manifesting their characters' complexities with meticulous sensitivity. The nuanced performances and their intertwining relationships intensify the film's dramatic tension, creating a palpable atmosphere of intimacy and urgency.

The story unfolds with an air of languid reality, allowing viewers to immerse themselves in the daily lives of these characters. Rovinelli's masterful control over the narrative pace ensures that the film is steadily thoughtful, immersing the viewer in a personal, intimate exploration of its characters' lives. So Pretty bridges the gap between narrative cinema and documentary, creating a category-defying film that hovers between the personal and political, intimate and universal, decided and yet to be determined.

Ultimately, So Pretty is a thoughtful film that challenges viewers' perceptions and elicits a deeper understanding of the intricacies of modern life. It paints a poignant picture of the interplay between personal and political identities with tenderness and sensitivity. It's a moving cinematic exploration of companionship, love, ideology, and the nuanced experiences of queer and trans people, presented in an unconventional yet intriguing microcosm of New York City.