SENSITIVITY TRAINING
SNAPSHOT
TORREY PINES
Meet Serena. The scientist prefers germs over people and being right over being liked. When one of Serena’s jealous outbursts toward a successful colleague turns serious, her university provides an ultimatum: turn that attitude around or your research lab is toast. Now meet Caroline, the bubbly positivity coach whose sweetness could rival a ray of sunshine dipped in unicorn dust. Tired of her normal gig as a sexual harassment trainer teaching remorseless men why they shouldn’t pinch their coworkers’ butts, Caroline jumps at the chance to help soften Serena’s abrasive edges. It’s a good thing she’s up for the challenge, because it’s going to take a whole lot of safe space, late-night glasses of wine, and basic instruction on the importance of being nice to get to the heart of Serena’s brash personality and quick temper. When a surprise visit from her teenage half-brother Ethan leads her to confront her past, Serena finds herself on the verge of both a scientific discovery and a personal breakthrough. The ultimate female buddy comedy, Sensitivity Training is the first feature from writer-director Melissa Finell (Disaster Preparedness, Frameline39). It stars Anna Lise Phillips as Serena, Jill E. Alexander (Silicon Valley, Mad Men) as Caroline, and comedian Quinn Marcus (MTV’s Girl Code) as Serena’s Quidditch-playing grad student and lab assistant.
The saying goes that picky eaters don’t eat. Or, perhaps, that a closed mouth doesn’t get fed. But why are we so hard on those who are selective in what—or whom— they devour? Written and directed by Pink & White Productions founder and award-winning filmmaker Shine Louise Houston (Champion, Frameline33; Superfreak, Frameline31), Snapshot is an erotic suspense thriller that will satiate even the pickiest of eaters. Charlie, a reserved freelance photographer, has her gaze fixed on Danny, an older butch whose heart is set on romance and excitement. Just as things are about to click, Charlie accidentally snaps a photo of a murder, inadvertently becoming the killer’s next target. What follows is quite literally a feast for the voyeur. From languid morning makeouts to photoshoots that are silent save for the click of a camera and heavy breathing, this film is for those who, like Charlie, prefer to watch. Forever at ease behind the camera, Charlie is alarmed to find out that someone is watching her, and it could lead to her demise. This film draws inspiration from classics such as Hitchcock’s Rear Window and Antonioni’s Blow Up, and features a diverse cast and intimate portrayals of queer sex in Houston’s signature cinematic style. Snapshot is a rare treat. Make sure you come hungry.
Southern California, 1993: a Star Trek–obsessed 12-year-old girl is navigating life with both the inherent queasiness of adolescence and the instability of her schizophrenic single mother. All the while, she harbors a fierce longing to escape the ramifications of puberty, to grow into a strapping, bearded man. Out of nowhere, her mother takes her on a spontaneous road trip that ranges from the glittery ocean waves of San Diego to the eerie gravestones of Arlington National Cemetery, ending in kidnapping charges. It sounds like a whirlwind of a journey, and it most certainly is. Though nearly wordless, Torrey Pines uses its sonic palette judiciously, with unexpected details like tigers flying from the mouths of people arguing. Three years in the making, director Clyde Petersen’s mashup features stop-motion animation, ’90s pop culture references, and an original soundtrack produced by Chris Walla. The film is at once intimate and expansive, capturing Petersen’s real life coming-of-age story (as extolled in the title song he co-wrote with musician Kimya Dawson) with humor and humanity.
DIR Melissa Finell 2016 USA 87 min
—NATALIE MULFORD
DIR Shine Louise Houston 2017 USA 67 min
— TAYLOR J. HODGES PRECEDED BY:
You’ve Got Tail DIR Danny Tayara 2016 USA 5 min A mail carrier is in for a salty surprise! The pups at this house are a little friendlier than he was expecting.... This program contains sexually explicit material.
Wednesday, June 21, 9:30 pm · Elmwood $12 MEMBERS, $14 GENERAL · SENS21E Saturday, June 24, 6:30 pm · Victoria $12 MEMBERS, $14 GENERAL · SENS24V sponsored by
DIR Clyde Petersen 2016 USA 60 min
—MORDECAI STAYTON PRECEDed by:
OPEN RECESS DIR AMY XU 2016 USA 3 MIN A nostalgic animated documentary about a childhood romance between two girls. #PRIDE DIR LOUISA BERTMAN 2016 USA 4 MIN Growing up, surrounded by homophobia, an emotional animated music video. CHROMOSOME SWEETHEART DIR HANOMI YANO 2017 JAPAN 5 MIN A poetic meditation on the complexity of love between women. VENUS – FILLY THE LESBIAN FAIRY DIR SAVIO LEITE 2017 BRAZIL 6 MIN A fairytale based on a poem from a book of feminist erotic poetry. TITS. DIR LOUISA BERTMAN 2015 USA 5 MIN Simply, a gorgeous animated short about tits. TOTAL RUNNING TIME: 84 MIN
Friday, June 23, 9:15 pm · Victoria $12 MEMBERS, $14 GENERAL · SNAP23V
Friday, June 23, 7:00 pm · Roxie $12 MEMBERS, $14 GENERAL · TORR23R sponsored by
US Features 53