SGN SPECIAL: Interview with Lesbian director Kimberly Peirce

SGN SPECIAL: Interview with Lesbian director Kimberly Peirce

by Gary M. Kramer - SGN Contributing Writer Lesbian filmmaker Kimberly Peirce is fascinated by constructions of masculinity. Her first feature, Boys Don't Cry, depicted the tragedy of Brandon Teena, a fe-male who posed as male until her true identity was discovered and she was murdered. Stop-Loss, her latest film which she also co-wrote, depicts three hyper-masculine soldiers, Brandon King (Ryan Phillippe), Steve Shriver (Channing Tatum) and Tommy Burgess (Joseph Gordon-Levitt), returning home as Iraq war heroes to their small town in Texas. As they struggle to readjust to life at home, Brandon is told that he has been "stop-lossed" and that he must return to Iraq for another tour of duty. "When I was interviewing soldiers, I saw hunky, strapping, strong guys who put on 30 pounds of muscle. They were beautiful to me, so I wanted to capture that in a movie," says Peirce on the phone from Houston where she is touring with her film. "I needed men who embodied that. I said [to the actors] 'You have to be studs.' And they embraced that. Then there was all of the physical training where they had to duplicate soldiers' actions." Her voice trails off, but she describes the image of Phillippe holding on to Tatum by his collar "like a dog" with noticeable ex-citement. Stop-Loss certainly features gorgeous male bodies, and there are scenes of Brandon and Steve wrestling/fighting that border on the homoerotic. The men have an intimacy that Peirce astutely observed and captures in her film. "The way they communicate in battle is physical; they get into fights at home which are also physical. The line of men is beautiful to me." However inspired Peirce was by these ideas and issues of masculinity and male camaraderie, perhaps the real moti-vation to make the film was personal. "I was in New York for 9/11 and I saw the towers get hit, and I was devastated," she recalls. "I attended vigils for the victims. I saw that we were in the midst of a seismic change. I also saw my baby brother sign up and fight in Iraq." Peirce adds that although her brother was not "stop-lossed," members of his unit were. He would have been sent back to Iraq had he not suffered a gun injury that made him "non-combat ready." She acknowledges that medical excuses are "the only way you can get out" of being stop-lossed, and her film makes a strong case for re-evaluating the plight of affected soldiers. Stop-Loss opens people's eyes to the situation as it renews attention to the troubles of those soldiers who served in Iraq and the difficulties they face as a result. "I wanted to understand the soldier's point of view, and bring insight into the lives of these men," Peirce explains. "I think Stop-Loss [provides] a new perspective, and that is refreshing." One of the ways the film does this is in a series of "video diaries" that Peirce includes in the Iraq scenes. The filmmaker describes that she learned about these videos from her brother who brought back footage "that the soldiers made with one-chip computer cameras - literally filming their experiences in combat and back at their barracks. They edit [these films] to music and it tells their story and shapes their 'fantasies.' These films speak to the YouTube genera-tion." And ironically, perhaps, Stop-Loss is being distributed under the aegis of MTV Films, a division of Paramount Pictures. While this may encourage younger audi-ences to seek out the film, Peirce insists that MTV came in after Stop-Loss was completed, and that it will "hit everybody over 25 who sees the cost of the war. I've seen it in my own family, and it's part of our culture." In one of the more quietly powerful scenes in the film, Brandon and Michelle (Abbie Cornish) visit a hospital where they meet with a wounded soldier from Bran-don's platoon. Other powerful sequences show the effects of post-traumatic stress disorder on Brandon, Steve and Tommy. Peirce maintained authenticity throughout the process of making the film - "I was religious about getting it right" she avers - including details about the "buddy program" that allows guys from the same hometown to join the same unit, to considering if there were roles in the cast for female soldiers. Peirce explains that while she wanted to include a female character in the unit, women are not able to sign up for combat roles, and to shoehorn a female soldier character into the film would have seemed "politicized." Perhaps with her next film, Peirce will explore female bonding. It's possible - Peirce has directed an episode of The L Word - but audiences will have to wait and see. The filmmaker has a GLBT project in the works, but all she will reveal is that "It's a classic rom-com with a big gender twist."

Nuanced, poetic White White Black Stork a powerful piece

by Miryam Gordon - SGN A&E Writer White White Black Stork By Mark Weil and Elkin Tuichiev ACT Theatre Through April 6 The Ilkhom Theater Company has traveled here from Tashkent, Uzbekistan with 31 members and at great expense. ACT Theatre has opened its 2008-09 season with two of their productions. This opportunity to experience the international flavor of theater is unique. The production of White White Black Stork proves once again that people feel the same things no matter where they live, or what their circumstances are, or what language they speak. While the language is in Uzbek and a little Russian, supertitles give you the gist of the story without translating every word, but it's not hard at all to understand. The Ilkhom uses metaphoric movement and almost a dance-like interpretation of their subject. Their expressive faces show the inner lives of these characters clearly. The story is simple. A young teen boy who is "different" finds himself drawn to another boy, not knowing what the allure is and trying to be friends. In horror, his father immediately decides he needs to be married, so that he won't disgrace himself and his family. A young teen girl finds a first awakening of desire with a boy whose station in life makes him forbidden to her. Her father sells her in marriage for a large bride price to the family of the "different" boy. Tragedy hangs in the air. The play is poetic and foreign. Complex use of sound, amplified or unamplified speech, moody and changing light on an almost empty stage create the depth and nuance of the story. The acting is impeccable and light on its feet. I guess the production makes me feel like I have to write poetically to express it. One might expect an exotic experience and not be at all disappointed. Even young children - from 10 up, perhaps - can understand and empathize with the teens. While the subject includes an exploration of homosexuality and parental and societal condemnation, the focus remains on decisions of others forced upon them and the consequences of that use of force. And let me clarify that there is no kind of simulation or nudity or anything remotely "shocking" about the production, except a powerful blow to your heart. For more information, go to www.acttheatre.org or call 206-292-7676. Comments on reviews go to sgncritic@gmail.com.