Rabelais Edition 2, 2020: Pride by La Trobe SU

RABELAIS EDITION TWO

RABELAIS | EDITION TWO

Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s your story to tell Lead and teach from day one through the Teach For Australia Leadership Development Program. Challenge yourself to break the cycle of educational inequity, all while earning your Masterâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s. The Leadership Development Program is delivered as part of the High Achieving Teachers Program with the support of the Australian Government Department of Education and Training.

Acknowledgement of Country The Rabelais Team acknowledges the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, the traditional owners of the lands on which La Trobe University and the Student Union are located. We acknowledge the Wurundjeri, Latjie Latjie, Barkindji & Yorta Yorta peoples, whose sovereignty was never ceded. Rabelais is committed to honoring Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples unique relationship with lands, waters and seas. We pay our respects to Elders past, present and future.

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Letter from the Rabelais Team

o our loyal readers,

Thanks so much for checking out our new edition of Rabelais Magazine: PRIDE! Whilst the current circumstances in the world right now make things a bit difficult, we have had an absolute pleasure putting together this important edition. When the world feels a bit divided and isolating, being able to focus on community, pride, and also upon ourselves and the relationships we have with one another has been a lovely silver lining. We hope you’ve been enjoying your latest fix of Drag Race, Queer Eye, or the L word reboot and that classic Queer entertainment is taking your mind off the stressful news cycle.

We’ve got some wonderful new content in this edition that might pick your fancy! This includes the return of our awesome Spotify Playlist, our Pride photoshoot and much more awesome content. Don’t hesitate to check out “Rules for being gay”, “Bi-te Me: A love hate relationship with being bi”, and our new collection of prose and poetry. In our first edition, we introduced our Chief Editors Natalie, Clodie and Chris. In both Pride and in the upcoming Edition Three: Mind and Body, we will be introducing the rest of our fantastic editorial team. Check out some of their bios below! Much love, Chris, Natalie and Clodie

Elektra - Social Media/Junior Graphic Designer Hello lovelies! I am Rabelais’ Social Media Manager/Graphic Designer. I am a Bachelor of Creative Arts student, majoring in Creative Writing with a love for Greek mythology, theatre and art. I am very excited for what’s to come with our future editions, and for what all you creatives of La Trobe, have to offer to this magazine. Zara - Director of Content I go by the name of Z for Zara, I have a background in Social Work and I am the Director of Content at Rabelais. I am a jack of all trades, I have my own projects, I edit and I also write my own stuff. Nonetheless, all my work is bound by my partly optimistic and partly absurd flare. I enjoyed being the creative director of The Pride Photoshoot, which I hope you’ll love as much as I do. To answer the question of what I do as a Director of Content, I simply flock to wherever I can foster two elements; creativity and innovation, and that is the heart of Rabelais.

A welcome from your Queer Officers

i everyone and welcome to the 2020 Rabelais Pride Edition! We are Hannah and Kate, your 2020 LTSU Queer Officers. As this year’s Queer Officers we are incredibly excited to meet and work with everyone through a variety different of opportunities and activities. Our first major event for the year is Pride Week, but we run a bunch of different smaller events and celebrations throughout the academic year. This year, Pride Week was a little bit different due to the development of Covid-19 at La Trobe. Because of the pandemic, we at the LTSU Queer Department hosted La Trobe’s first ‘Pride ONLINE’, which allowed students and staff to celebrate from the safety of their home. As this was the first event of its kind we ran as many different events as possible through the LTSU Queer Department facebook and the Student Union Facebook page. We hope that you enjoyed all of our daily recommendations, recipes, and also the Netflix online party! We also hope to run another Pride festival on campus as planned originally, depending on the developing situation! Pride, however, is only one part of our year, and there’s plenty of time afterwards! We also have big plans for a Trans* and Gender Diverse celebration, as well as IDAHOBIT day (May) and Trans* Day of Remembrance (November). As Queer Officers’ we don’t just run universitywide celebrations, we also organise Queer Collective hangouts and organise LGBTQIA+ resources and campaigns. This year we are developing a newsletter, so keep your eyes peeled for that! We are also attempting to create some resources for allies and queer-identifying students alike, with the help of Student Wellbeing and people from our community.

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Most importantly we are here for you - students, regardless of what you identify as. Together, we want to support you during your time at La Trobe (and hopefully beyond) in any way we can, so please don’t hesitate to get into contact with us. Our office is on Level 2 of the Agora, within the Student Union building, but during the online teaching period, chuck us an email or Facebook message. You can reach us at ltsu_queer@ latrobe.edu.au, as well as through our socials; LTSU Queer Department (Public Facebook page) and La Trobe Queer Department (private group). Don’t forget to like and follow to stay up to date! Finally, we hope you enjoy this edition, which involves submissions from students and staff within and surrounding the La Trobe Queer community. A big thank you to all the creative contributors and to the Rabelais editors; Chris, Clodie and Natalie, for putting this edition together. As always, with love and pride, Kate and Hannah

Rabelais Jukebox My My My! - Troye Sivan Loving Someone - The 1975 Therapist - Mae Muller Girls Like Girls - Hayley Kiyoko I Like Boys - Todrick Hall Not Angry Anymore - Thelma Plum Bisexual Anthem - Domo Wilson Nails, Hair, Hips, Heels - Todrick Hall Kid - Eddy de Pretto Make Me Feel - Janella Monae HIM - Sam Smith Feelin - Tessa Violet Sleepover - Hayley Kiyoko Kiss the Boy - Keiynan Lonsdale

SCAN ME

What’s in this edition? Letter from the LTSU President Vice Chancellor’s Welcome

Annabelle Romano John Dewar

PRIDE What does LGBTQ+ mean? Rules for being gay Bi-te me Closet Notes on love from Plato Positive queer media: A guide Bisexual tears: A tutorial

Various Joshua Raymond Anonymous Andy Lee Zara K Kate Benesovsky Carly Mitchell

PHOTOSHOOT

Nalisha Kumarasinghe 27

IN THE KNOW Craze for individuality The coronavirus: A new beginning The growing fear of COVID-19 Tim Marshall: Interview

Zara K Marija Cukalevska Emile Pavlich Natalie Williams

44 46 47 49

CULTURE moth Nature’s Beauty Soft hands Ignorance Kyudo on campus

Max Taylor Christina Mikhael m.georgia m.georgia Gabbi Suckling

53 55 58 57 58

BEHIND THE LENS Knives Out Portrait of a Lady on Fire Pokemon Review

Michael Motta Alex Cash Carly Mitchell

62 63 65

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A Letter from the LTSU President

ey everyone! How are you all going? I hope you’re doing well and staying safe.

I know what we’re going through is something extremely unfamiliar and is not how any of us imagined 2020 would be. The past couple of months have been difficult to say the least; not only have our day to day lives changed, but for most of us, so have our academic, social and working lives. To adapt to this new way of living has been a major challenge to say the least. One of the many reasons I love La Trobe is our community we’ve created, coming together for events in the agora, club hangouts, study sessions in the library or napping in the sun on Simpson Lawn. I’m incredibly proud of what we all share, and it’s been hard not to be around all of it ever since we’ve had to isolate inside. Despite our physical separation, the La Trobe community has come together virtually in an unprecedented way. Every day I see students supporting and connecting with each other online, through Zoom meetings, video calls and other forums.

Our little community has come together to support one another in a different way and I’m unbelievably proud to be part of that community, and so should you. We’ve all seen changes to our academic teaching and learning this semester which has not been an easy thing to transition into but at the LTSU we’ve been fighting around the clock to ensure your education is at the forefront of everything we do. Whilst we don’t know how long this will last, please remember that the Student Union is always here for you no matter what. Please reach out to us if you need help at our website: latrobesu.org.au/advocacy or call 03 9479 2314 to book an free advocacy, legal or financial counselling appointment! Take care of eachother, be kind, and stay safe. We will all be back to normal again soon, and I can’t wait to see you all again. Annabelle Romano LTSU President 2020

The Vice Chancellor’s Welcome

’m delighted to provide a welcome message for this Pride edition of Rabelais.

It’s a very difficult time for all of us, and the COVID-19 pandemic is affecting many aspects of our lives. I’m pleased to see that your student magazine will be published online during the crisis. Even though the majority of students are working remotely rather than attending campus, it’s important to keep in touch with one another. Rabelais is an important way to connect. La Trobe was built on a foundation of inclusion and openness. We have an active LGBTIQ+ community across all of our campuses, and we celebrate and support our LGBTIQ+ students and staff. We’re also aware that the impacts of a crisis like COVID-19 can be gendered, and can bring inequalities to the fore. Disparities can also be amplified by financial and other stress, so we know it’s really important to support La Trobe’s diverse student population during this time. We believe that universities have a special responsibility to lead the way in building a stronger and more diverse society for everyone, and in helping to increase our collective understanding of the lived experience of LGBTIQ+ people.

LGBTIQ+ people. This includes support for our ALLY network which has helped to create a more diverse and inclusive culture and to increase visibility and awareness of issues facing LGBTIQ+ students and staff. ALLY provides training and awareness programs and a supportive network of peers across the University. Every year we also celebrate events like Pride Week and the International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia to make our commitment visible to everyone at La Trobe. Whatever your gender or sexual identity, we want you to feel safe and supported so that you can focus on your studies and enjoy the social and cultural side of student life to the full. Please do reach out if you need extra support at the moment, and keep an eye on the FAQs for students that we are continually updating to keep you informed about our response to COVID-19 and arrangements for your study. Financial help is also available through our COVID-19 Financial Assistance Program, and applications for support can be made up until 26 May. As always, our Student Health and Wellbeing Team are there to help in any way they can. Please take care of yourselves, and each other.

The University is home to the Australian Research Centre in Sex, Health and Society (ARCSHS), which supports LGBTIQ health and wellbeing through research and knowledge translation, training, resources and policy advice. Staff from ARCSHS also sit on the Victorian Government’s LGBTIQ Taskforce that provides expert advice on issues within LGBTIQ communities to support equality through legislative reform and new policies and programs. We have a whole-of-University plan to ensure that La Trobe is a safe and inclusive place for

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Professor John Dewar AO Vice-Chancellor

DISCLAIMER This edition of Rabelais contains mature content that some readers may find distressing. Any submissions to Rabelais expressly contain the opinions of the creator/author of that material, and do not reflect the opinions or beliefs of the La Trobe Student Union or the Rabelais Team. Thank you, and we hope you enjoy this wonderful edition.

PRIDE

Image from Tristan Billet on Unsplash

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What does being LGBTIQA+ mean to you? “It means being free, alive and as true as one can be.” - Anonymous “Being LGBTQIA+ to me means embracing all those around us regardless of their journey, and just spreading love.” - Bobby F. Przesmycki “To me being LGBTQI means finding security in friendly spaces where I can be and understand my authentic queer self while accepting queer identities of others.” - Anonymous

“Being queer means being able to have a shared, lived experience between amazing LGBTQIA+ people. It’s being understood, and sharing solidarity of a deep-rooted love amongst your queer friends and family.” - Natalie Williams

Rules for being Gay

By Joshua Raymond

eing queer is not a science but an art. There is no perfect path to a happy life, but I’d like to think the LGBTQIA+ tribe can build its own kind of normality and embrace all the joys the world has. Being an out gay guy from country Victoria, I have learnt a lot about resilience. These are my rules and that help me survive and I hope they can help you too. Embrace your rainbow: When I say embrace your rainbow, I mean embrace who you are; be it; feel it; express it. It doesn’t matter if that means you wear an overflowing flare of rainbow clothing, pink or green-dyed hair, covering every inch of your being in glitter, or a perpetual array of black skinny jeans and a monochromatic aesthetic that is darker than the blackest black. Dress in your rainbow - dress the way that is you. Be free: The worst prisons are the ones we create for ourselves. For me, being free means being able to choose without the expectations of others strangling your decision. Keep those around you in mind, but they need not be the priority. The walls others forge for you are the worst and strongest barriers, but also the most ineffable. When you find the strength, you can walk straight through them. Fight: In the face of so many who hate, the ultimate act of resistance is to stand for what you love. It means standing up for what you believe in. It means protesting unjust laws and means marching against hate. It means designing posters that spread love and inform. It also means dancing, drinking, singing and loving. It can simply mean living how you want to live. Living you is to live victory. To live as yourself makes the world all that much brighter. Make your own rules: From every situation there is value to find. The bad, the good and the crazy – take something and build your own rules. Every piece of homophobia, hate, rage and dread you face can be turned into something of use. Those dark things can’t always be avoided, they are often inescapable, but from them, you can find new strength, a new rule with which you can go ahead stronger than before. Break the rules: Rules do not bind you; particularly not these five and not even your own. There is no right path, no right style, no right choice. There are only choices, and I hope you choose you.

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Bi-te Me: A Love-Hate relationship with being bi

By An Anonymous Closet Case

he B in ‘LGBTQI’ is a very quiet one. People either don’t know much about the B or they think they know everything about it. In reality, the Bs are quite often trying to figure out what on Earth the Bs are themselves. This 26-year-old, South Asian, brown, cis-male (now you have an image - you’re welcome) is one of those Bs too. I’d like to zoom into some aspects of my bisexual experience with you with the hopes that you find it informative and/or relatable. So, hop on a unicorn and let’s dive right in. We all have our tightly shut boxes of pubescent shame. I have one too. It used to feel like mine was bigger than everyone else’s, because I thought I had more to hide. To help you picture the box, it was sturdy, with a soft lavender shade, iridescent embellishments and a plush interior. If you’re wondering what I hid in the purple shame box, here’s an example: I was taught that watching porn was wrong - so the goody-two-shoes that I was, rationalized that

secretly watching gay porn was okay since it was not “actual” porn - um, actual porn was straight porn, duh? Now, that sounds ludicrous. I look back at my 15-year-old self and ask him - “who were you kidding??”. But when I put on more empathic glasses (still very purple), I realize that when you are just that young, growing up in a climate that restrains any sort of discussion about sex, let alone queer sex, your helpless virginal mind takes ridiculous loopty-loops to make things make sense. After finishing high school, I started to actually look within the purple box. A maternal figure I looked up to highly told me to never be afraid to look deeper into the darkest, most uncomfortable parts of my mind. Fortunately, that was an adequate boost to really analyze my sexuality. When I had just started making peace with my queerness, I didn’t really like the word bisexual. To me, it implied that it was a 50-50 option, as was with all words starting with ‘bi’. Bicycles had two similar wheels, bifocals had two

of the same optics, so it made sense to me that bisexuals had to have an equal attraction to men and women. (At this point in time non-binary people had not even crossed my radar and little did I know I’d soon be attracted to them too.) I’d say that part of the rigidity of my views on bisexuality may have had to do with academic curriculums heavily saturated with scientific models of insane precision, leaving little room for abstraction - but that’s a whole other article. My personal experience was certainly not a 5050 attraction, so I refused to identify as bisexual. Attraction to me was annoyingly nebulous. My preferences for men and women ranged in varying degrees - all the while contributing enough shame and guilt to my purple box. One fine day, I was on Twitter - and let me just say that when you are queer and brown and eager for any crumbs of information, social media has a way of nurturing you with hugs of normalization and good-spirited noogies of selfdeprecating humour. Whilst on Twitter, I came across an article that changed my constricted perspective forever. With the ease of a fluffy passing cloud, this article laid out how to define my bisexuality. It taught me that the continuum of bisexuality stretched far beyond a 50-50 split. I could have been attracted to one guy for a day and only be attracted to girls after that, and I was still very much bisexual if I wanted to be. It changed everything and my shackles came loose. I did not have an issue with labels, but only now was I able to confidently accept this label for myself. I was finally comfortable to be bisexual. I’ll say it again. I am finally comfortable with my bisexuality. This is a truthful statement, but at the same time, it is also not so. At the forefront, I know that my feelings and attractions are all valid. There is sometimes however a tiny voice that asks uncomfortable questions; “Am I not man enough? Am I fooling myself? Am I less than ideal for not being straight? Am I genetically flawed? Am I not worthy of love?” If you hadn’t guessed already, that voice lives in the purple box too. It’s a very strange feeling because I am easily able to debunk all these questions, and yet this tiny voice continues to occasionally make an appearance. My theory

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is that the society I was shaped in still gives power to that voice. All those juvenile years of suppressing my feelings, all those years of being threatened by culture and tradition, all those years of internalizing the patriarchy and hypermasculinity that I was force-fed... They all come together in villainous unison to debilitate my spirit, so I have to consistently talk them down. While this does seem traumatic, it is quite ironic how bisexuality also gives me a lot of privileges. I’ve felt like being bisexual is like a superpower. It’s not only a superpower because I am attracted to more people than most, but it’s also because of my invisibility. I can walk through crowds of people without people calling me slurs, while hundreds of trans lives end up as bludgeoned carcasses. I have the sickening opportunity to hide within patriarchal systems while gay and lesbian people are very causally incarcerated across the world. It’s a superpower that I cannot really gloat about, but I can recognize its privileges. That is why it makes it quite bearable to put up with some of the assumptions and stereotypes. There are enough bigots who think my bisexuality makes me confused, or greedy or drowning in STDs, and while these are terrible accusations, they are still not as bad as what other queer people face - the ones who have no escape and end up risking their lives. For me, being bisexual is a journey of fluctuating confidence and continuous self-discovery. It is a ride that I simultaneously very much enjoy and am mildly annoyed by. While I can tell you more stories about this, this seems like a good point to get off our unicorns. But remember that if you have your own purple box, it would be wise to be kind to it. It certainly holds a lot of nastiness, but if you are gentle and empathic in your exploration, you will strike gold.

Closet

oming out. In my experience it was a hard thing to do. I was 15 the first time I told someone I was questioning my orientation. I am still searching 7 years later. The hardest part was coming to terms with what I could be, I had told two people that I thought I was asexual, because at the time it most accurately depicted what I was feeling. I didn’t have a drive for sex, I didn’t have sexual attraction towards anyone. I told my two best friends. The first reaction was cold and it wasn’t spoken about again. The second asked questions, she didn’t understand and wanted to try and know more, get a better grasp of what I felt and how I felt and to know who I was. I will forever be grateful for her. The next year, I got into a fight with the first girl, and she told me I was using my sexuality for attention, that I needed something to make myself stand out more because we were in a sea of people in high school, everyone was different and yet the same. She had her own interests and her own worlds to escape to. In books where she could express herself, through her art and through her pages of writing and through her friends that held those same interests. I wasn’t so lucky. My interests were musical theatre, they were tv shows like Doctor Who, I hadn’t found a place where I could express who I truly thought I was because the theatre shows and the tv shows that grabbed my interest weren’t about sexuality, I had only found the term asexual because I wanted to understand more after I had gotten out of my first relationship and had lost my virginity and was confused because his drive for sex wasn’t the same as mine. I felt lost and searched for answers, once I found it I knew it resonated with me, and I told the two people I trusted the most, and after it, it was thrown into my face. After that fight it made me question if I really was doing it for attention, if I was saying it simply because I didn’t understand where I fit in.

By Andy Lee

I’ve held that with me until I met a group that had people of all orientations, gay, lesbian, bisexual, and the like. I started feeling more comfortable around them, and for the first time in years I told another person what I felt, how I identified and I finally felt accepted. I am still searching, I realised I did feel somewhat of a sexual attraction towards other girls, but I was still romantically attracted to men. I was and am still confused. it’s taken me seven years of searching and trying to understand, asking others, talking to people to try and realise what I could be. I may never know what I am, but I know I will never be 100% comfortable with who I am. I don’t know if it’s because I haven’t been able to identify with another person, or if because the first person I ever spoke to and opened up to threw it back in my face. I am still yet to find a true sanctuary for who I am. There are days that it doesn’t cross my mind, there are days that it’s all I can think about. Today is one of those days. Today it is flooding my mind and flooding my emotions because she popped up in what I thought was my sanctuary for the second time in six months. I refuse to let other people define who I am, and I will always try to understand who I am and what I feel. It’s a personal journey but I’m fortunate enough to have people that are willing to help me come to terms with who I am. Willing to let me grow and flourish into a new person. I’ve had days where if I put out an arm or a leg to feel the surroundings and see if I will be accepted I have daggers thrown towards me, there are other days I’m handed cushions and blankets to make myself more comfortable. I’ve found comfort in the dark, hiding my scars from those who have hurt me, but surrounded by the comfort that others have helped provide me. I still don’t know if ever I will ever leave the closet, but I am letting out more limbs, and days come where I’m getting less hurt. At least thats’s a nice thought.

Artwork by Vinukga Paramanantham

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Notes on Love from Plato

The Parthenon. Rationality. Wisdom. Classicism. Homosexuality. By Zara K

n a small cafe, caressing the handle of my cup of coffee, I tilted my head and asked my friend what he thought about homosexuality in Greece. Indifferent, he replied, “it didn’t exist.” Motivated to prove him wrong, I started to research the matter. With slightly different aims now, I hope not to change the minds of others — as that is not important at all — but open the conversation and offer my perspective on the topic, with references from some key texts and art. The infamous male nude art form isn’t foreign to most people. It is the fundamental of Western art, whether that’s imitating it or avoiding it altogether. However, the important contextualisation of these sculptures is often neglected. In his book, The Sexual Perspective: Homosexuality and Art in the Last 100 Years in the West, Emmanuel Cooper explains that these statues, often depicting young nude males with erotic overtones, have deep origins in the social aristocratic tradition of bisexuality and homosexuality. Homosexuality — albeit with its complicated history — in ancient Greece was not intended to be obscure, but we may have ignored it on purpose.

Despite its obscurity in mainstream forums of debate, a number of scholarly articles have attempted to debunk the myth of homosexuality in Ancient Greece or any western volumes of literature. There is no doubt that it is a contested matter. Some claim that Greek physicians thought of same-sex relations as disgusting and as a disease at that. Not surprisingly, these claims often come from individuals from medical or legal backgrounds with narrow binary perceptions of sexuality. The point is Ancient Greeks were just as confused about sexuality as most people are today. Our aim is to explore the fluidity of sexuality — not just homosexuality— and love from a different historical context and offer some notes that will be up to the reader to decide if it is helpful to them. Many like to ponder on the ‘meaning’ of love or what it means to experience love. Love is open to many interpretations, however, I have never read anything that embodies the meaning of love as holistically and inclusively as this:

“Love is the name for the desire and pursuit of wholeness.” This sentence is borrowed from the pages of Plato’s The Symposium, in which a bunch of Greek men get together, drink wine and argue about the philosophical underpinnings of love. Not a terrible way to spend a night. Other than some very obvious indicators that Plato’s mentor, Socrates, was attracted to men, there are more fruitful references to the fluidity of attraction: “When a lover of boys, or any other type of person, meet the very person who is his other half, he is overwhelmed, to an amazing extent, with affection, concern and love. The two don’t want to spend any time apart from each other. I mean no one can think that it’s just sexual intercourse they want and that this is the reason why they find such joy in each other’s company… It is clear that each of them has some wish in his mind that he can’t articulate.” Some may argue that homosexuality under these terms did not exist in Classical Greece. But as Plato would say, it is the essence of things that is of utmost importance, you may attach a variety labels to the concept but their essence evidently remains. You may describe a car moving as fast or rapid, but ultimately you are describing a car that is travelling at a high measurable quantity. Others claim that they were talking about some form of ‘bromance’, reducing samesex relationship to sexual intercourse and undermining individuals who identify as asexuals. Interestingly when referring to art movements such as Gothicism and Impressionism, these terms have come after people identified a number of art forms that share similar characteristics and decided on an umbrella name for them. Plato’s Symposium is transferable to many modern contexts and is more relevant than many over-saturated opinions of today.

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In another part of Plato’s philosophical text, in which Aristophanes discusses the nature of love, he describes men being attracted to other men as an indication of bravery and boldness despite being referred to as shameless. Samesex relations were a matter of debate in Ancient Greece and to assert your sexuality identity was effortful and inspiring. It is also important to note that everything is never absolutely ‘good’ just as nothing is ever absolutely ‘bad’. While some comments on love from Ancient Greece fits nicely in our postmodern worldview, we cannot omit the prejudiced view of women that existed at that time. That does not mean we cannot take notes from the words of Socrates or Plato. While I may have not provided concrete evidence to support the claims that homosexuality or any type of sexuality formally existed in Ancient Greece, I have appreciated the multiplicity of perspectives on history, language and love.

Positive Queer Media: A Guide

By Kate Benesovsky

TV SHOWS ◊ American Horror Story (2011 – present ◊ Brooklyn 99 (2013 – present) ◊ Dear White People (2017 – present) ◊ Elite (2018 – present) ◊ Hollywood (2020) ◊ I Am Not Okay With This (2020) ◊ Queer Eye (2018 – present) ◊ One Day at a Time (2017 – 2019) ◊ Orange is the New Black (2013 – 2019) ◊ Please Like Me ◊ The L Word ◊ The OA (2016 – 2019) ◊ Sex Education (2019 – present) ◊ She-Ra and the Princesses of Power (2016 – present)

FILMS • 52 Tuesdays (2015) • Blue is The Warmest Colour (2013) • Boy Erased (2018) • Call Me By Your Name (2018) • Love Simon (2014) • Moonlight (2016) • Pride (2014) • Tangerine (2015) • The Colour Purple (1985) • The Half Of It (2020) • The Miseducation of Cameron Post (2016) • The Perks of Being A Wallflower (2012)

DOCUMENTARIES • A Secret Love (2020) • Before Stonewall: The Making of a Gay and Lesbian Community (1984) • Gayby Baby (2015) • How to Survive a Plague (2012) • L Word Mississippi: Hate the Sin (2014) • State of Pride (2019) • The Death and Life of Marsha P. Johnson (2017)

BOOKS ◊ A Boy Called Cin (Cecil Wilde) ◊ Anger Is a Gift: A Novel (Mark Oshiro) ◊ Boy Erased: A Memoir (Garrard Conley) ◊ I’ll Give You The Sun (Jandy Nelson) ◊ Necessary Errors (Caleb Crain) ◊ Two Boys Kissing (David Levithan) ◊ We are Okay (Nina LaCour)

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Artwork by Chamie Dayasiri

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Bisexual Tears: Tears: A A Tutorial Tutorial Bisexual By Carly Mitchell

Step One: Be Bisexual Step T Two: wo: Cry

PHOTOSHOOT

All photography by Nalisha Kumarasinghe @nalishaku

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IN THE KNOW

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Craze for Individuality in the 21st Century By Zara K

he urge for self-expression is hardly a new phenomenon and has been commented on by experts of varying disciplines. Neuroscientist James Fallon says that humans have an inherent need to understand themselves and validate their individuality. Countless social mediums exist to aid with that, such as Instagram, which acts as our personal virtual scrapbook, or Facebook that allows a digestible five-minute tour of somebody’s life. However, self-expression has not always been so overt. To avoid leading to a historical account of human individuality, one that would extend beyond the scope of this article, I will use the Late Middle Ages as the marker of when ‘human consciousness’ and humanistic philosophies were emergent. Professor Sharon Latchaw of Rosemont College describes Humanism as a philosophical movement that was at the forefront of change during the Renaissance. Humanism placed human identity at the centre of Italian social, artistic, and literary concern. In terms of the visual arts, artists still had to adhere to strict laws of mathematical proportion, harmony,

and order. The limits on self-expression meant that the Renaissance period isn’t the greatest example of artistic self-expression. Fast-forward to the Romantic movement in the 19th century, in which individual expression was of utmost importance to artists. The Romantic movement — as a continuation of The Enlightenment— placed subjectivity at the crux of human experience. Art forms, like ‘The Nightmare’ by John Henry, looked towards the subconscious of the human mind and the creative spark in humans for inspiration. This was in contrast to earlier Neoclassical and Renaissance art, which looked back towards the Ancient Greeks and the Romans to inform art. This shift in artistic expression was not only evident in visual art but in concert music also. Composer Robert Greenberg attributes the urgency for originality and self-expression in music to Beethoven. Beethoven was a child of the Romantic and Enlightenment equation and saw musical composition as a mark of his individuality. He revolutionized classical music by disregarding confines of the traditional musical syntax that was seen before the 19th

century. French composer Debussy represents an even more dramatic shift in compositional music, with music rid of German exactness and formulation. Debussy’s composition is not only an act of self-expression but a symbol of French nationalism, with its free-flowing form imitating the French language itself. This shift was amplified by economic and technological advances led by the Industrial Revolution of the late 18th century to the mid 19thth century. The telephone, transport systems, and radio changed the way information was consumed in ways that were beyond human conceivability at the time. They were channels to unprecedented ways of not only human expression, but human life. Life before the Industrial Revolution was static. Children followed the footsteps of their parents and never questioned the path they were heading towards. Social roles were clearly defined and human life was heavily routinised and predictable. The industrial revolution liberated — mostly white rich men — from highly homogenous communities. Under the guise of promoting human rights, this was the context in which laissez-faire Capitalism emerged. This largely individualistic economic system was the foundation of our now self-driven and selfobsessed modern society. Self-obsession — I use this term hyperbolically — was further augmented by the founder of psychoanalysis, Sigmund Freud. Freud established an increasingly individualized explanation of human behaviour, which is that our past experiences inform our current behaviour and personality. Freud’s influence is ubiquitous, and his ideas are embedded in the everyday vernacular of Western society. I have explored the development of individualistic expression from a Euro-centric perspective. Eastern culture is commonly thought of comprising homogenous tight-knit communities — another Eurocentric notion. It is also considered that Individual expression is not as important as the sense of community in eastern cultures. The concept of collectivism has been commented on by German sociologist Ferdinand Tönnies, the exact theoretical term being ‘Gemeinschaft’

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But is Western culture so different? Maybe more covert, but if we observe historical turning points, we notice that they were collective achievements involving groups of people, leading to a collective identity. Even Beethoven whose genius was a combination of agreeable circumstances was part of collective identity. We don’t ever come to things on our own and everything is a giant string of events, one leading to the other and so on. Similarly, if we observe contemporary trends in fashion, music and cosmetics, these are directed by giant corporations — or a community — who decides what’s in vogue this year, this season, this week. We are highly attuned to our dynamics of individual character and personality to comfort our need for distinctiveness in a — popular to the contrary belief — also homogenous society. This sense of collectiveness manifests in a more subtle manner when compared to Eastern communities. We are less likely to notice these patterns in our culture. Like in an episode of Gilmore Girls, when Lorelai Gilmore said, “Oh, he’s totally fine having his personal freedom slowly stripped away, as long as he’s completely unaware it is happening, just like a true American.” Are we just a combination of social and structural circumstances? There’s no short answer. On the micro-level of things, I’d like to think we are more open to celebrating diversity and multiplicity than ever before. It is important to note that prejudice against particular communities leads to ostracism of persons. In turn, this acts as a catalyst in creating bonds between persons who share the same estrangement. It is in this context, collective efforts unite to demand equality and eradicate injustice. In saying that, sometimes our need for distinction is no longer just self-expression, but social justice. This elicits a sense of pride and achievement. Despite our efforts to stand out, human life is characterized by patterns, repetitiveness and an inescapable attachment to collectivism. To acknowledge our belonging to a community is to acknowledge our basic human need for social bonding.

The Coronavirus - A New Beginning

By Marija Cukalevska

he year is 2020. Everything is possible, if you want something, go ahead and get it! Your dreams are reachable, your friends are cheerful and your family is supportive. You’re going through your first heartbreak, ever, and you escape it by travelling to the other side of the world. It did not seem that far. It was so easy to do that. It is also so easy to keep track of everything at home. You distance yourself, yet you are still so close to everyone. And then, something happens, something so far from reality. Almost like it’s a dream, like you’re watching a movie. Day by day, things get worse. Global panic. Global suffering. Global connection. But wait, haven’t we been connected for a while now? Connected to wifi, disconnected from each other. Human to human contact. Right now, that may seem like your worst nightmare. Isn’t it funny how the disease, distancing people from each other, only reflects the reality we live in? We’ve been at a distance longer than we think. The year is 2020 and we live our lives rapidly. We, humans, are constantly in a hurry. In a rush and always occupied. We almost forget that we are only human. There is only so much rushing that we can take. That the world can take. What if this pandemic forcing us to stop was a sign? A wake-up call in disguise. Put down your phones and look at each other in the eye. We are one world. In times like these, our similarities shine brighter than our differences. We are all in the same boat, praying for better times. We all want one thing - for all of this to be over. But what happens when it is? Will it be forgotten? Will our differences shine brighter than our similarities, once again?

The year is 2020. I’m just a 22-year-old woman trying to figure it all out. In this very moment, history is writing itself. What can we do to prevent it from happening again? Prevent the vulnerable population from needlessly dying, not by changing the healthcare, but by changing the way we’ve acted, out of ignorance. Irritation. Frustration. Desperation. I’m a daughter, a sister, a friend. A future teacher, mother, grandmother, maybe even great-grandmother. From this moment on, what did we learn and how did we use this new knowledge contribute to greater change? The year is 2020. Stop. Look around. Life is shorter than you think, and life can change in a matter of seconds. You never know when it is all about to end. Why do we not just love? Love our coffee in the morning. Love that we forgot to buy milk. Love our neighbour for giving theirs to us. Love the stranger that let you walk out before them at the train station. Love the driver that stopped their car to let you cross the road. Love the colleague that notices the sadness on your face on a bad day. Love the sign on the Nike ad that without even knowing it, gives you the advice you needed to hear. The year is 2020. The world is going through a pandemic. Should we panic? No. We should for once stay inside, look around and be grateful for what we got. If all we got is ourselves, then that is more than enough. Thank your body, soul, heart and mind for everything it has survived. And reward it by taking care of it. The world has pressed the pause button. No matter how annoying it may be for all of us, it is a wellneeded break. In times like these - remember the important things in life. Remember how rare life is. Remember. And don’t forget it.

The Growing Fear of Novel Coronavirus

rowing trends of sinophobia - a sentiment against China, its people, or Chinese culture - and panic due to the novel COVID-19 virus have only broken-down social cohesion. Much of this xenophobia was echoed during the Hong Kong pro-democracy protests which entered their 23rd week in late November as the violence escalated. Firstly, and thankfully obviously, COVID-19 is a health matter, not a race matter. Panic fuelled toilet roll shopping and avoiding Chinese restaurants are actions solely based on fear rather than fact. The Centre for Disease Control in America dissolves the fears of imports from China that have led to people avoiding contact with Chinese establishments. “There is likely a very low risk of spread from products that are shipped over a period of days,” they said. In reality, the relevant authorities are dealing with the public health issue. So, the questions ensue, why are we so scared of visiting Chinese restaurants and why are we isolating the Asian community and stocking up on non-

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By Emile Pavlich

perishable foods and toilet paper? The panic is extraordinary. Anti-Chinese sentiment has spiked in recent months and echoes a dark discriminatory past. Chinese immigration goes as far back as the 19th-century gold rush, which prompted hardworking opportunists to venture to the southern land in search of wealth and prosperity. Their different cultures and identities were often compromised as dirty and disease-ridden. Large swathes of Chinese students now contribute to economic drive in the education and technology sectors. China’s influence in Australian daily life has continued to expand, and likewise, its global influence is continuing to rise. Yet, despite all the positive contribution, prejudice and division still remain, leading to, as the ABC reported “undesired confrontations and shameful online vitriol”. Chinese-Australian individuals have reported racist comments and a large amount of yellow peril rhetoric. This sinophobia has been stoked by news agencies like the Daily Telegraph who stated,

racial blankets towards Chinese people has permeated traditional print and social media worldwide. Further false information and news regarding the coronavirus have spread into hyper-drive online through various platforms. Regular bat consumption by Chinese people and conspiracists pointing toward human-made COVID-19 are among the falsehoods that have inundated netizens since the virus was detected. The story of Ophthalmologist Li Wenliang, a doctor who warned of the potential risk of coronavirus before falling ill and dying from COVID-19, has put into question a possible coverup scenario that meant Xi Jinping, China’s President, had hidden vital information. The doctor’s message was spread online through various social media platforms, and, without this, it wouldn’t have been possible for his story to be told. Certainly, the epidemic exposed China’s level of state-controlled censorship, information secrecy and corruption. Of course, many resources found online are authentic and relevant to the way we can deal with this epidemic. We’ve moved to a world where we consume three-quarters of our news online. We must continue to be vigilant and question the legitimacy of pages that purport possible misinformation and disinformation. Spending late November amidst the antiextradition bill protests in Hong Kong was an intense and high-octane experience for me. A plethora of issues arose which included police brutality, social media proliferation and Beijing’s influence in Hong Kong. The escalation of violence saw a further division between pro-democracy protests and the proChina led authority of Chief Executive Carrie Lam. Three key universities were barricaded in by protestors and then later cordoned off by the police who attempted to disperse the protestors.

Since the handing over of soft-power from the British in 1994, the semi-autonomous territory of Hong Kong has faced an ideological conflict between the democratic values introduced by the British and the growing influence of the Chinese Communist Party. Finger-pointing and online misconceptions towards both sides rose to the surface due to scaremongering and fears of public safety. These included inaccurate depictions and anecdotes of police brutality by the Hong Kong Police Force and unreasonable rumours that the peaceful protestors were becoming militant. Such trolls and falsehoods appeared on sites like Telegram and Facebook. Bloomberg recorded fake news as a polarizing device used by either side in the protests. Moreover, that the proliferation of social media has manipulated fraudulent narratives and misinformed the public. Campaigns to see the borders between Hong Kong and the Mainland close have recently emerged in the semi-autonomous region. Annie Lab, a fact-checking project, has been established by Masato Kajimoto, an assistant professor at Hong Kong University. Its purpose is to make sense of our modern information disorder that is fake news. It was implemented during the pro-democracy protests to determine fact from fiction online. The complexities of censorship and China’s totalitarian approach to these two issues make it hard to navigate the truth of how China dealt with the virus and the threat of civil unrest in Hong Kong. It’s an important time for Xi Jinping to be transparent and show leadership in the face of adversity. Similarly, we must be vigilant and act sensibly against the growing fear and Sinophobia that ensues with the spread of COVID-19.

TIM MARSHALL Finding artistry and identity in the challenges of early filmmaking

By Natalie Williams

ward-winning, Australian writer and director, Tim Marshall chats to us to share his wisdom from working across the film industry. All filmmakers at every level face a number of challenges during their careers. It’s completely normal and a necessary part of the gig. However, with every challenge, there are lessons we can learn that can help us adapt and grow as artists. At least that’s what Tim Marshall’s experience was during the early stages of his career. “I, like most filmmakers, have very rough unpolished films I don’t share with people from my earlier days, but these films were important in shaping my learning,” Tim says. “The benefit of these early years for me is honing and practicing your craft and finding your voice as a filmmaker. Figuring out what matters to you, what you have to say and how you’d like to say that.” For Tim, he first learnt this through his studies at the Queensland University of Technology in Brisbane. It was after graduating there, that he landed his first production assistant job helping produce big budget TV commercials. This shaped the way he viewed filmmaking and provided him with an in depth understanding of the film industry. More than anything, this made him realise his true passion - writing and directing. Not long after, Tim moved to Melbourne to discover a deeper passion for television and cinema through his master’s in film at VCA. During his studies, he was surrounded by

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industry professionals who guided him in his journey towards self-discovery as an artist. “I had a really excellent teacher who really encouraged me to find my individual voice as a filmmaker and not just make films to ‘get into festivals’,” he says. “This was a revelation to me, writing what I know, but more than that, using film as a way of catharsis - exploring themes and ideas I had grappled to understand in my life.” As a queer filmmaker, Tim’s LGBT+ projects highlight the issues that he had been struggling with from adolescence to adulthood and he has now found a way to portray those complexities on screen. In an interview with Huffington Post, Tim explains that his experimental film project TORSO explores the ever-changing relationships that gay men have with one another in an age defined by online dating/hook-up apps. He hopes the project helps break down some body stereotypes perpetuated by the gay community and celebrates the diversity of queer individuals. With this intimate focus in mind, Tim says that he has “found a way to better connect to my audience, by making films personal, they became more universal. This has completely shaped the artist I now am.” Alongside TORSO, other films of Tim Marshall’s such as Battlefield, Followers and 2013 Iris Prize winner Gorilla, all demonstrate a range of representation of queer stories. Having funding for such passion projects is a difficult challenge practically all filmmakers encounter at some

point. “Battlefield and Gorilla were made on a shoestring and a lot of favours - this kind of filmmaking requires a lot of flexibility and creative compromise to achieve your vision within the limited means available,” he says. “Depending on what state you live in, there are emerging filmmaker initiatives all of which will have interest in underrepresented stories. SBS and Screen Australia just had a great initiative for this! You just have to keep your ear to the ground for these.” According to an SBS media release, Digital Originals is the new initiative from Screen Australia and SBS that “aims to provide opportunities and support for writers from diverse backgrounds currently under-represented in the sector.” Alongside these initiatives, we’re also lucky to live in Australia as it is one of the few countries that has a government that plays a key role in the funding of the film industry. In a 2018 Independent Screen Production Industry census, research found that 47% of productions had received some kind of government funding, but Tim warns that we must remember that “this isn’t the only way to make content.” Whilst there are new initiatives and opportunities popping up across the industry, particularly when it comes to funded programs, there aren’t enough. This is why Tim says that we have to keep creating our own. “(It) requires persistence, courage, ambition and above all self-belief (in yourself and in the stories you want to tell),” he says. It might seem like making a film or series is impossible without decent funding, but Tim says there are unique benefits to working without a large budget when you’re starting out. “It is very good training, as these challenges really teach you to focus on story, character and what you’re really trying to say with your film, rather than throwing money around for fancy camera tricks.”

According to Tim, the film industry, both in Australia and overseas is “a tricky one to crack,” but there are ways to get a foot in the door by working from the ground up. He reflects on his early production experience as one of the key steps to making it up the industry ladder that established his wide knowledge of all aspects of a film set. “No one is a production runner as a career, so if you’re on set as a runner, the crew generally ask you what you want to be in the industry, and if you’re a good runner they’ll take notice of you.” Years after his first production role and time working as a runner, Tim Marshall has not only spent time working on his own projects but has assisted on large scale, big budget productions like Pirates of The Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales and worked across the Hollywood and UK film and television industry. He is currently using the £25K Iris Prize money he won for his graduating film Gorilla, to create his first feature film Followers and has two TV shows currently in development. Across his career so far, Tim has learnt the highs and lows of filmmaking but now he makes a conscious effort to ensure that his artistry and truth is the most important aspect of his work.

“Create

no matter what. The industry is tough, and there’s this over emphasis on success, but my teacher reminded me that we’re not in this for success, we’re in it to create so we must enjoy the process and always keep creating as our goal.”

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CULTURE

Photo by @rockstaar_ on Unsplash

moth.

By Max Taylor

i am drawn to the white, clean light of your beating heart the cold tiles around me heated to roasting by your touch; love, lust, anger the cool, fresh air spiralling in from the window turns my head, my fingertips tingle as the breeze passes me bringing with it the love of my family, laughter of my friends and freedom of my soul but you slam the window shut, you prefer the room warm, hot, burning like a dragon you surround me with your fiery breath, words tainted with judgements and spurred by fear i flitter aimlessly around your heat, trying to fix things with cups of tea, coffee, pancakes? sometimes i warm my hands on your settling embers and breathe relief that finally we are safe before a tiny spark or hint of oxygen catches your tinder and you blaze up again, bigger and louder my edges crisp and melt, hands and feet blister under your onslaught my hair frizzles and reeks of the smell only ever sensed when follicles are burnt my breath catches in my throat, words are horse, dry, lungs aflame, lit by the hot ash in the air my heart beats huge and loud and fast, trying to keep up, forcing blood to any limbs, any organs that still function my mind sends distress signals to my body but receives no reply i am burnt, gone the last tingle of electricity leaves my brain, a plea of hope for my heart to do something, anything a husk remains, still burning your fire never ceases

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Image by emsalgado from Pixabay

Natureâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s beauty: the Genesis of Passion By Christina Mikhael Let the sun bathe you in her light and warmth, For you, my dear, have enough passion to burn down forests but do not ignite a fire to keep yourself warm. Your eyes could flood cities with their tears, but you barely let your feet submerge in the ocean, afraid to be seen, enjoying the taste of saltwater on your lips. Let yourself taste the honey that drips from his lips into your mouth. Allow the beast inside you to satiate her hunger for the passion you swore you would never let out of her cage. For you, my dear, can create hurricanes.

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Soft Hands

By m.georgia

it had taken years to wash my hands clean. germs would remain and bacteria would stick. bruising had appeared and pain had taken over. i told myself i would never let another damage my hands again. to my amazement, when they healed, they became soft. as though they were dipped in honey. they became forgiving. so when our hands touched, i held on. as though he was air and i needed him to breathe. honey softened these hands but honey does not take away the pain that continues to linger. but he knew that. he too was damaged. the longer i held on the more i felt the cuts along his fingers. he hadn’t healed. so eventually he let go. i became stiff. dry. so dry that even honey couldn’t soften me. i was swollen, bruising more and more every time i pressed the call button. too caring. too giving. too loving. that’s why he held on. i was soft. so soft that he took advantage of me. frail. bitter. broken. he broke me. soft hands he would call me. ignorant i would call him.

Image by zdantz from Pixabay

Ignorance By m.georgia

iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m air amongst the trees and the light blue sky but i am breathing i can breathe but i am invisible i am heartless so they believe i am breathing becoming not only the air but the bitterness around i am suffocating yearning for love longing for respect but i am air i am just air invisible heartless so they believe

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Kyudo on campus By Gabbi Suckling

hen thinking of martial arts, what springs to mind? Do your thoughts turn to the commonly seen and talked about arts like TaiChi, Karate or Judo? What if I told you to think of a weaponised artform? Would you think of Kendo, Jodo or Iaido? What about if we were talking about archery? It wouldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t be surprising if western archery, including recurve and compound bows come to mind. After all, people train in archery as an Olympic sport, right? What if I told you that the Japanese have a weaponised artform that uses the bow? Kyudo is a beautifully meditative artform that has a rich, and like many of the martial arts, bloody history, dating back to the Feudal Era,

during the times of the Shogun and the Samurai. There has been evidence found of the use of the Japanese Longbow, or yumi, being used on the battlefield, just as depicted in Japanese Samurai movies. These days, the various forms of Kyudo are no longer needed, however, they are still practiced by people all over the world, as a form of active meditation practice. In Australia, Kyudo was only recently introduced, being practiced and taught in the last 10 years or so. Japan commonly introduces the artform as an extra-curricular activity in high school and universities, as well as the multiple dojos (training environments) within their many prefectures. In 2017, Kyudo on campus became a new

concept, and one I am proud to have introduced, in Australia. As it currently stands, La Trobe University is the only Australian university that has an active (albeit small) Kyudo club. We have had a slow start, however as we build up our funds, through the random sausage sizzles and chocolate drives (since mid-year 2019), we are hoping to be able to succeed in having an official display happening by O-Week in semester two. Alongside this, we hope to have a fully operating range, with the cooperation of the Indoor Sports Centre, by O-Week 2021. Understandably, the set-up of the actual range, including the purchase of the equipment, like safety netting and targets with durable backing, does take a fair bit of money. In the meantime, pop by the Field House on a Sunday afternoon from 4pm. We welcome anyone who is willing to learn a new martial art, regardless of personal limitations. We do ask, however, that you do please disclose any injuries that you have had, so that we can work within your own limitations to avoid the risk of further injury or aggravation. Training will cost individuals $10 per session, which helps us to cover the hire of the Field House. Beginners

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are always welcome, as are students who may have trained in Kyudo before in their home countries, and wish to keep their skills sharp. As we are an all-inclusive club, we are open to people whatever their background, as well as promoting a zero-tolerance on discrimination and bullying. We are excited to share an artform that fosters a positive environment for all practitioners, for both mind and body, regardless of identity or gender.

Update: Due to COVID-19 restrictions, the club had to temporarily suspend any events and training, but is hopefully to resume activities by August.

Photo by Frankie Cordoba @byfoul

Behind the lens

Photo by Jakob Owens on Unsplash

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Knives Out

Genre: Comedy, Crime Running Time: 130 minutes Rating: M (mature themes, coarse language)

fun and quirky crime drama about a rich, elderly novelist and his loving nurse. And no, it’s not erotica. If you enjoy titles such as ‘Murder On The Orient Express’ and ‘Death On The Nile’, then you’re sure to enjoy this one. The story follows the death of Harlan Thrombey (Christopher Plummer) on his 85th birthday. Is it murder, or is it really suicide? That’s for Detective Benoit Blanc (Daniel Craig) to find out. With multiple family members in line for his fortune, and a mysterious nurse who cannot tell a lie, this tale will keep you on your toes throughout. Follow the impeccable and creative detective work of Benoit Blanc, as he uncovers lies and deception with a few twists and turns along the way to solve the case and put the deceitful murderer behind bars.

Reviewed by Michael Motta

The great thing about this murder mystery is that it demonstrates originality. The characters have their own unique personalities, and Benoit Blanc possesses similar quirky character traits such as the legendary Hercule Poirot. The plot also t h i c k e n s , creating a chain of events that you simply wouldn’t guess. This is something that you don’t see nowadays in the modern movie world. If you haven’t seen it already, make sure you catch it soon on DVD. You won’t be disappointed.

Portrait of a Lady on Fire Reviewed by Alex Cash Genre: Romance, Drama Running Time: 159 minutes Rating: M (mature themes, nudity)

linking as I emerge from the dark of the cinema I take a deep breath.

“I just…,” my friend grabs for my arm and I can feel her hands trembling. “Wow.” We sit in the foyer of Cinema Nova and exchange breathless, incredulous looks, both of us still processing the film we just saw. Céline Sciamma’s film Portrait of a Lady on Fire is a French film that recently swept the international awards scene, including Cannes Film Festival where it was awarded the Best Screenplay Award and the Queer Palm. Sciamma’s carefully constructed period piece of two young women who fall in love is set against the turbulent and beautiful setting of Brittany, with a sparse but powerful score to support the breathtaking

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cinematography and moving performances by the film’s lead actresses, Noémie Merlant and Adèle Haenel. It is objectively beautiful cinema, but it also fully encapsulates everything any sapphic would want to see in a period drama featuring two women. Lingering close shots of hands, heavy silences, and plenty of intense eye contact. The world of Portrait of a Lady on Fire is lush and rich, drawing the focus of the viewer to the sense of wildness and isolation in which the love story between Héloïse and Marianne unfolds. Lingering shots of the barren landscape, the stormtossed ocean and windswept trees introduce the surroundings as Marianne arrives at the opening of the film, drawing on conventions of gothic romances, calling to mind the bleak moors of Wuthering Heights or Jane Eyre, and priming viewers for the story of forbidden romance about to unfold. The sweeping and beautiful landscape against which the narrative of the film unfolds contrasts with the small cast and sparse dialogue, inviting the natural world to be a character in its own right within the world of the film.

There are only two pieces of music in the entire film, one being an original composition by Para One, and the other being Vivaldi’s Summer movement from the Four Seasons. The paredback nature of the film’s score makes every sound made by Héloïse and Marianne all the more meaningful, without a musical backdrop to dictate audience emotive response to the moment taking place. The use of silence throughout the film is masterful, conducting focus and tension with ease as the sounds of uneven breath or rustling fabric highlight the movements of the two lead actresses. Much of the dialogue is hushed, rife with meaningful pauses and hesitations, and the way in which the use of silence interacts with the restrained dialogue creates a sense of yearning and unspoken desire that I truly cannot describe as anything other than the most emotionally raunchy thing I’ve ever watched. I cannot fairly touch on the building of tension and the sense of yearning created in the film, without paying due credit to the performances of Merlant and Haenel. The chemistry they have is beautiful, the passion radiating off of the two women palpable through the screen in

the moments of intimate solitude they share in moments as simple as lending each other books, or discussing organ music. But most prominent of all, this film is not simply a love story. It is an ode to the small rebellions of all women, paying homage to the ways in which there is equality between women within a system that strips them of their agency. The relationship between Héloïse and Marianne is not simply romantically charged but based in a deep mutual understanding of circumstance and of personhood. It speaks volumes to the ways in which queerness, womanhood, and art intersect, and it is a truly remarkable film which I would urge everyone to see, though I must warn anyone intending to see it, you will require approximately 2-5 business days to fully recover from the intensity of emotion that Sciamma’s masterpiece will draw out of you.

Pokémon Mystery Dungeon Rescue Team DX

Reviewed by Carly Mitchell

want to start this review by defending remakes. Yes, there is an oversaturation of remakes in these current last years. Yes, film makers and game makers should be looking towards new and creative ideas rather than repackage old stuff. But… it’s Pokémon Mystery Dungeon. Red Rescue Team and Blue Rescue Team came out when Game Boy Advance was still a thing. I still thought Santa was real when it debuted. It’s been a long time since I’ve played through this plot, and dammit, I was excited to get back to the world of Pokémon. Like all Pokémon Mystery Dungeon games, we start with a personality quiz. It decides what Pokémon you will be, though you can change it if you’re not satisfied with what you were given. I got Skitty first try, and I took it and ran. Then, you choose your partner, which could be from the three first gen starters, or some special ones like Pikachu or Cubone. I chose a Psyduck. You can choose the gender for both Pokémon, but the game is quite inclusive and often refers to Pokémon as they/ them. The game is pretty much word-for-word the original, with all the same areas and dungeons to explore. The graphics are now 3D, with a watercolour aesthetic.

RABELAIS | EDITION TWO

The music is just updated versions of the original soundtrack – which really tugs at your heartstrings if you played either Red Rescue Team or Blue Rescue Team. You end up fighting legendary bosses like Moltres and Articuno. You save lost Pokémon as the world around you starts to crumble – which may be a result of you turning into a Pokémon. The plot is full of action, laughter and adventure. The only downside I can think of at the moment is a very small one. In the originals, as you recruit new Pokémon, you create camps for them to live in. These camps were gorgeously animated, and you were able to move around in them and interact with your recruits. For DX, they have a still image of each camp with sprites overlaying in a menu format. It’s a very small change, but I loved going to each of these camps as a kid, so I wanted to see how they’d update them. However, in this game the characters actually wear little bandanas and bows to symbolise their rescue team ranking. So, there’s that. Overall, I’m obsessed. I just love the rescue team format.

Carly’s tips for going into a Pokémon Mystery Dungeon game: Hoard Reviver and Tiny Reviver Seeds like people are hoarding toilet paper. Build up a collection, but allow yourself two or three for big explorations along the way. You’ll need to use the bulk of your reviver seeds for the Final Boss. You don’t want to end up being KO’d in the fight – lose all your stuff and have to face the boss with scraps you pick up in the dungeon. It happened to me once in the Explorers of Time game, and I spent a half a year trying to beat Dialga with absolutely nothing. I got there in the end, but my Skitty and Pikachu were overleveled by HEAPS. Use Wands and Seeds in combat. These can put enemies to sleep, or confuse them, or burn them, even if your character does not know moves to do these things. USE THE MAKUHITA DOJO. I cannot swear by this place enough. I hardly used it when I was younger, because the drills took ages. However, in this new version, they’re a minutelong intensive work-out for your characters, and you can grow a level or two quickly. Link moves sparingly. Whilst it can double the damage you cause; it drains the PP of your moves quickly. I only ever did it with link boxes before a boss, and that worked. But you can always unlink at Gulpin’s Link shop. Always keep an apple or two in your toolbox. Your character becomes hungry quite quickly – though you can switch leaders of your party and have a new full belly to drain. You also come across fainted Pokémon to save, and reviving them with an apple means they will join your party, and by extent, your team. Call your team something that is a plural. You’re referred to as both “Team ___” and “The ___” in the game. My usual go-to was ‘Heart’ for ‘Team Heart’, but it never sounded good when characters would call us ‘The Heart’. So, I went with Sprinkles this time for ‘Team Sprinkles’ and ‘The Sprinkles’.

RABELAIS | EDITION TWO

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Clodie Veyrac Christopher Graham

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Annabelle Romano John Dewar Kate Benesovsky Hannah Proasheck Bobby P Przesmycki Joshua Raymond Vinukga Paramanantham Andy Lee Nalisha Kumarasinghe Marija Cukalevska Emile Pavlich Chamie Dayasiri Max Taylor Christina Mikhael Mia Anthoulas Gabbi Suckling Michael Motta Alex Cash Carly Mitchell Elektra Thea Natalie Williams

RABELAIS | EDITION TWO