Coming to NYC’s Queer/Art/Film series this coming Monday, March 24: THE AGGRESSIVES
Daniel Peddle’s exploration of a male-identified lesbian subculture made its debut at SXSW in 2005. Its festival circuit included NewFest, Frameline, Outfest, London LGBT, Africa in the Picture, and Cleveland, among many others. Nightlife figure, artist, and writer Juliana Huxtable selected the doc to screen as part of Ira Sachs and Adam Baran’s popular monthly queer film showcase at the IFC Center.
I previously described the film in the NewFest program, saying:
The subjects of Peddle’s film can pass for everything from homeboy thugs to white-collar men, but they don’t aspire to be men, and they can’t be called drag kings, though they do participate in NYC’s predominantly African-American lesbian drag balls. This fascinating documentary reveals the lives of a varied group of aggressive women. Homeboy Marquise fosters a masculine image by strapping her chest until suddenly forced to live as a woman after enlisting in the army. Passing as a femme boy, Tiffany doesn’t identify as a lesbian because she only dates transgender men. Raw and uninhibited Octavia goes from drug dealer to construction worker after a stint in prison. Androgynous Kisha balances her aggressive life with a career as a fashion model. Peddle offers an insightful look at a little explored subculture.
what (not) to doc 