Death and Bowling
In a fractured, dream-like world, a transgender actor struggles with what it means to be seen after the beloved captain of his lesbian bowling league dies and a mysterious stranger shows up at the funeral.
X (Will Krisanda) is a white transgender actor who struggles with what it means to be seen, both as a representation of transgender identity on screen, and interpersonally as the beloved outsider to his queer community of amateur-bowling lesbians who meet as The Lavender League. When the captain of the Lavender League, Susan, asks X to speak at her funeral, X finds himself thrown into a time of not only intense grief, but also of desire. At the funeral, an unexpected and handsome stranger arrives. No one recognizes him. This is Alex, Susan’s estranged transgender son.
Alex and X inherit Susan’s hand-drawn map of her desired location for her ashes and lead their community through a hot and slow march across the desert. When the mourning party arrives, they discover that there’s nothing there. On their journey, X and Alex are joined by Arnie (Susan’s widow), who dons her dead lover’s wig, Gio (Arnie’s son and X’s confidante), who is a queer Tamil-Sri Lankan-American butcher, and Joyce (Susan’s best friend), who is a Black body-positive gym dominatrix, to make their way through the fragmented and dream-like fugue state that follows Susan’s death.
Awards & Press Quotes
Audience Award, Outstanding Narrative Feature- Outfest 2021
“Innovative, avant-garde…one of the few films to depict queer desire between trans men.” -Bay Area Reporter
“Death and Bowling” marks a new era in trans masculine storytelling on its own terms. -Indiewire
“Insightful and inspired…an extraordinary achievement.” -Queer Guru
