So Pretty

You won't see too many films like Jessie Jeffrey Dunn Rovinelli's "So Pretty" which, you're probably saying to yourself, is a good thing. It's a seemingly plotless look at the lives of a group of gay and transgender people living in a communal situation, one of whom is Rovinelli herself, (Rovenelli not only directed the picture and acts in it but is also the producer, the writer and the editor). Nothing actually happens; most of the time they just eat, make love or read from a script which probably reflects the film we're watching and is apparently based on a book by Ronald M. Schernikau. I haven't read it but I don't think if I had I would be any of the wiser. Usually I find this kind of experimental film-making a real turn off but these people are so attractive and such pleasant company I actually found the film quite engaging. A one-off to be sure but not one to be dismissed either.

This movie is not my cup of tea, but it is definitely not a cheaply made movie to cash in some quick bucks.

The good: really good photograhpy. Real life characters. I SO much appreciate REAL life chareacters in movies. And this one has got that. Thank you!

This movie is about transgenders. And it is quite a decent portrayal of the lives of several transgender persons.

Recommended viewing for those who are interested in the subject of transgenderism, because it is produced with attention for detail and it has got SOUL. Remember SOUL?

There is no plot in this film. It only shows the lives of the residents of a queer commune. The pace is very slow, with a shot of a resident making a salad for five minutes. Despite that, I do find the film interesting, because I otherwise would not have known what it is like to be in a queer commune. Coupled with the copious nudity, it offers an almost voyeuristic look into the residents' lives.

An interesting cinematographic exercise and vision of a marginal sector of societies, although in this case, in a developed nation, its idleness and hedonistic lifestyle may go unnoticed by weary populations. All the cast is convincing, since the actors are hardly acting but being themselves, there is no challenges in playing their own roles, and their actions end as if having no real meaning: most dramatic ideas are solved by reciting fragments (apparently) from a film script. Although their confusion and aimless wandering around New York would merit more attention, these four boys (named Tonia, Franz, Erika and Paul) and a girl (Helmut) seem mostly concerned with their bodies, despite the script is based on a novel by Ronald S. Schernikau, a German author whose reflections on homosexuality, ideology and existence surged in a highly politicized context and conscious conceptual questioning, from East Berlin to West Berlin and back to the East before his too-soon demise, being 31 years old. If you do not mind minimal plot and slow camera movements, if you are not biased or homophobic, and if it shows up out of nowhere in any platform, do take a look. Awarded Best Film in a Chilean film festival.