Outfest Los Angeles: 2021 Title Guide
Here's what's screening at Outfest Los Angeles 2021.
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173 titles
- CreatorQ. Allan BrockaMatthew RettenmundStarsDerek MagyarDarryl StephensJason CaceresA hard-working escort-for-hire finds that he's up against a younger generation who have gained a competitive edge on the market in the digital age. A continuation of Q. Allan Brocka's 2006 'Boy Culture'.
- CreatorJohn OniealStarsShannon DeVidoJimmy FowlieChester LockhartFollows Terry, the man-of-honor intent on stealing away his best friend Judith's husband-to-be before the couple can make their vows.
- DirectorPatrik-Ian PolkStarsDarryl StephensDalila Ali RajahJennia Fredrique AponteA pandemic-era reunion special of Patrik-Ian Polk's groundbreaking 'Noah's Arc' series.
- DirectorBlythe HaagaStarsAbby McEnanyCeleste PechousKarin AnglinAbby settles into a routine with a new roommate as she embarks on a fraught quest for a therapist she doesn't hate. Season premiere.
- DirectorKun-Young ParkStarsLee Sang-heeHong KyungKang Gil-wooA sheep farmer whose remote and quiet life is disturbed by the arrival of both his lover and his twin sister.
- DirectorDante AlencastreStarsPeter CashmanJohn DuranPaul LanglotzSeizing her power as she confronts her mortality, trailblazing trans activist Connie Norman evolves as an irrepressible, challenging and soulful voice for the AIDS and queer communities of early 90's Los Angeles.
- DirectorNathan Hale WilliamsStarsDyllon BurnsideThomas HobsonBernard David JonesBernard David Jones, Dyllon Burnside, Thomas Hobson, along with Jenifer Lewis bring Johnson's words to life in this dramatic reading of his book, All Boys Aren't Blue. Each of the characters represent a Johnson at different stages of his life. The memoir is a firsthand account of trials, tribulations, and triumphs that have made George M. Johnson into the person they are today.
- DirectorJoshua GuerciStarsMichael PhillisRory DavisJoe AndrewsThe story of San Francisco's gay all-male revue.
- DirectorEmily BranhamStarsNea Marshall KudiEmily BranhamRuPaulCaptures the incredible rise of the first ever winner of RuPaul's Drag Race: the legendary BeBe Zahara Benet.
- DirectorJeffrey SchwarzStarsMuhammad AliSteve AllenBrooke AndersonDickson Hughes and Richard Stapley, two young songwriters and romantic partners, find themselves caught in movie star Gloria Swanson's web when she hires them to write a musical version of "Sunset Boulevard."
- DirectorDaniel Sánchez LópezStarsMatthew MorrisonAlexandros KoutsoulisLouis Labron-JohnsonHarry has been partying for 48 hours when he meets Johannes on the dance floor of a club in Berlin. With 15 hours until his flight home, Johannes offers to help him print his boarding pass. This mundane task leads to a day together wandering the city. The contrasts in their lives and values force each one to confront their own truths. Boys Meet Boys is a feature length mumblecore about the journey of a brief encounter: the mark left by a fleeting moment of joy.
- DirectorGina LambEdward 'Enyce' SmithStarsRyku BellaThomas DavisJerome KitchenFive members of the Los Angeles LGBTQ+ House & Ball Community share intimate stories of their experiences with methamphetamine addiction in response to the death of Ballroom community member Gemmel Moore, who died in the home of Democratic political fundraiser Ed Buck.
- DirectorLyle KashStarsWill KrisandaTracy KowalskiFaith BryanIn a fictional meta-critique on trans representation, 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.
- DirectorJonathan ButterellDan Gillespie SellsTom MacRaeStarsMax HarwoodLauren PatelSarah LancashireDespite obstacles, 16-year-old Jamie has the courage to fabulously follow his unconventional dream.
- DirectorAlberto FuguetStarsPaco MoyanoManolo RodríguezFrancesc MuletA film essay about a singular couple, Paco and Manolo, two Catalan photographers from the outskirts of Barcelona, who have been together for thirty years. Both have managed to work as a single photographer and have captured their imagery in Kink magazine, a very personal photography fanzine with an essentially Mediterranean homoerotic aesthetic.
- DirectorBobbi Jo HartStarsFannyJune MillingtonJean MillingtonFANNY: The Right to Rock reveals the untold story of a Filipina American garage band that morphed into the ferocious rock group Fanny, who almost became the female Beatles. Features Bonnie Raitt, Joe Elliott.
- DirectorPeeter RebaneStarsTom PriorOleg ZagorodniiDiana PozharskayaFirebird follows a handsome, soulful young soldier who embarks on a clandestine sexual affair with a charismatic fighter pilot on a Soviet Air Force Base at the height of 1970's Communist rule.
- DirectorBrielle BrilliantStarsTim KinsellaSpencer JordingCaleb CabreraA film about "first" perceptions of three characters in the desert. A dad in an experimental therapy program, his non-binary kid, and a recently incarcerated neighbor. Their relationships feel both dreamy and concerning-depending on who's watching.
- DirectorMichiel ThomasStarsGia BanksMark ChambersJeffrey DrewFriends reminisce on the lives and deaths of Gemmel Moore and Timothy Dean, two black gay men who died at the hands of West Hollywood politico Ed Buck.
- DirectorJoseph SackettStarsColby MinifieTre RyderMaria DizziaA little boy sends his spirit into his babysitter's body.
- DirectorT.J. ParsellStarsBonnie BakerCidny BullensDianne DavidsonThis documentary explores a group of gay women songwriters who have successfully navigated the male dominated country music genre and have written number 1 hits for some of country music's greatest stars.
- DirectorPhil ConnellStarsCloris LeachmanAndrew BushellSheldon McIntoshA rookie drag queen reeling from a break-up escapes to the country, where he finds his grandmother in steep decline but desperate to avoid the local nursing home.
- DirectorFrida KempffStarsCecilia MiloccoAlbin GrenholmVille VirtanenA woman leaves a psychiatric ward after a nervous breakdown, only to start hearing mysterious knocking sounds in her apartment.
- DirectorPedro PeiraStarsPatricia ArquetteRosario DawsonBarbara JacobsBamby, a transgender activist, hosts a 50th birthday celebration attended by the people who made her.
- DirectorChris J. RussoStarsFelicia CarbajalJoyce CentofantiCheryl Mumzer GoldmanAfter the widely praised decision to legalize marijuana in California, six courageous women come out of the shadows of the cannabis underground to enter the new commercial industry. But with excessive government oversight and regulations that favor well-funded corporations, these trailblazers risk everything to fight for a piece of the "American Dream" in the market they helped create.
- DirectorNatalie MoralesStarsMark DuplassNatalie MoralesDesean TerryA Spanish teacher and her student develop an unexpected friendship.
- DirectorRuth CaudeliStarsDiana WiswellSilvia SantamaríaAna CuéllarLeading Ladies reflects how guilt affects us in different ways based on our perspective or memories. A welcome dinner is the excuse to discover that we always keep a secret from who know us the best.
- DirectorÜmit ÜnalStarsSelen UçerEce DizdarAysenil SamliogluAfter not having seen each other for 20 years, two women are reunited on the small Turkish island where, as teenagers, they first fell in love. What is the mysterious force that binds them together after all this time? And what can they do about it?
- DirectorMarion HillStarsIdella JohnsonHannah PepperLucien GuignardA surprise reunion in the South of France reignites passions and jealousies between two women who were formerly polyamorous lovers.
- DirectorJulie CohenBetsy WestStarsPatricia Bell-ScottPauli MurrayDolores ChandlerA look at the life and ideas of Pauli Murray, a non-binary Black lawyer, activist and poet who influenced both Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Thurgood Marshall.
- DirectorVivian KleimanStarsAlison BechdelJennifer CamperAlex CombsA lively look at five LGBTQ+ comic book artists whose careers go from the underground scene to the cover of Time Magazine and the international stage.
- DirectorAngelo Madsen MinaxStarsAngelo Madsen MinaxFilmmaker Angelo Madsen Minax returns to his home town after the mysterious death of his two-year-old niece and the arrest of his brother-in-law as the culprit.
- DirectorWes HurleyStarsJonathan BennettLauren TewesLea DeLariaAn autobiographical dark comedy about a gay boy growing up in the Soviet Union, his mail-order-bride mother, and their adventurous escape to America.
- DirectorDebra ChasnoffKate Stilley SteinerStarsDebra ChasnoffNancy OttoIn perhaps her bravest act as a filmmaker, Oscar-winning San Francisco documentarian, LGBTQ+ activist, and Frameline Award recipient Debra Chasnoff (It's Elementary: Talking About Gay Issues in School (1996)) responded to her diagnosis of stage-4 cancer by turning the camera on herself, her wife, and her sons to chronicle the journey that lay ahead of them. With customary candor and humor, she took on the assignment out of necessity: not wishing to be defined only as patient or victim, she adopted a role she could play with certainty-that of storyteller. Completed according to her wishes by a circle of Bay Area peers and family, Prognosis: Notes on Living is not only a film about illness. Clear-eyed and unsentimental, intimate and honest, it is the unforgettable, present-tense diary of a life fiercely lived, and a love worth fighting for.
- DirectorRichard GlatzerWash WestmorelandStarsEmily RiosJesse GarciaChalo GonzálezAs Magdalena's 15th birthday approaches, her simple, blissful life is complicated by the discovery that she's pregnant. Kicked out of her house, she finds a new family with her great-granduncle and gay cousin.
- DirectorAlex ClausenRyan A. WhiteStarsSusie BrightDarryl CarltonRick CastroRaw. Uncut. Video. chronicles the rise and fall of homegrown gay porn studio Palm Drive Video, and explores how a devoted couple helped battle a devastating health crisis by promoting kinky sex. Legendary leatherman Jack Fritscher met Mark Hemry in 1979 at Harvey Milk's birthday party - and the two fell head over heels in love. When the AIDS epidemic swept through San Francisco, the couple left the city to begin a new venture: turning a rural ranch in Sonoma County into a safe-sex porn studio that offered viewers new sexual possibilities in an age of plague. Casting rugged non-professional models to explore their unique erotic fantasies onscreen, the studio explored a wild array of queer kinks - and helped champion sex-positivity in the porn industry.
- DirectorHarri ShanahanSiân A. WilliamsStarsIndigo AzidahakaKaren FischREBEL DYKES is a full-length documentary about the explosion that happened when punk met feminism, told through the lives of a gang of lesbians in the riotous London of the 1980s.
- DirectorAdrián SilvestreStarsAlicia de BenitoLena BrasasCristina MillánJust as the Earth is, our inner selves are made up of many layers that make up our identity and tell the story of our existence.
- DirectorMari WalkerStarsPooya MohseniLynn ChenDanny JacobsA decade after abruptly breaking up with Naomi, Kris invites her to dinner to catch-up on their complicated lives, relationships, and Kris' transition.
- DirectorD'Arcy DrollingerStarsD'Arcy DrollingerMatthew MartinSeton BrownAfter her fiancé and sister are brutally murdered and the police do nothing, Champagne White, an exotic dancer and serial divorcee, goes undercover to exact revenge.
- DirectorBo McGuireStarsCarron ClarkChuck DuckBo McGuireA poet composes a cinematic love letter to his grandmother as his homophobic aunt and drag queen uncle wage war over her estate in Hokes Bluff, Alabama.
- DirectorMarley MorrisonStarsNell BarlowJo HartleyElla-Rae SmithA socially awkward, environmentally conscious teenager named AJ is dragged to a coastal holiday park by her painfully 'normal' family, where she becomes unexpectedly captivated by a chlorine smelling, sun-loving lifeguard named Isla.
- DirectorJavier Fuentes-LeónStarsGhia BurnsRoberto CanoGracia OlayoA long-hidden secret flips generational hierarchies upside down at a huge birthday celebration.
- DirectorJames Andrew WalshStarsMichael UrieDrew DroegeTracie Bennett"The Extinction of Fireflies" is a modern day gay comedy inspired by the epic romance of Roman Emperor Hadrian and his teenage lover Antinous.
- DirectorMaria MaggentiStarsLaurel HollomanNicole Ari ParkerMaggie MooreAn adventurous love story between two young women of different social and economic backgrounds who find themselves going through all the typical struggles of a new romance.
- DirectorLauren HadawayStarsIsabelle FuhrmanAmy ForsythDiloneA college freshman joins her university's rowing team and undertakes an obsessive physical and psychological journey to make it to the top varsity boat, no matter the cost.
- DirectorCarl AndressCharles BuschStarsCharles BuschJulie HalstonDoug PlautA down-on-his-luck movie collector discovers a legendary lost film and becomes entangled in an outrageous adventure to deliver it to the right hands before it is lost forever.
- DirectorAndrea MeyersonStarsJessica M. BairAshlynne BairChristian BairIn the quest to find herself, Jessica Bair had to be prepared to lose her family, her faith, her job-and nearly her life.
- DirectorAntonio Giménez RicoStarsLorenzo AranaRené AmorJosé Antonio SánchezSeveral transvestite prostitutes that work the Madrid streets discuss their personal experiences. The camera follows their daily lives. The lid is also lifted on their personal histories.
- DirectorSean King O'GradyStarsSierra McCormickVinessa ShawPat HealyAfter Melissa and her family seek shelter from a storm, they become trapped. With no sign of rescue, Melissa comes to realize that she and her girlfriend Amy might have something to do with the horrors that threaten her family.
- DirectorJane SchoenbrunStarsAnna CobbMichael J RogersTheo AnthonyAlone in her attic bedroom, teenager Casey becomes immersed in an online role-playing horror game, wherein she begins to document the changes that may or may not be happening to her.
- DirectorEric GriffinJake McclellanStarsJosh DorsheimerMike GarlandJake McclellanMonster Girl, a phone sex line host, has a breakthrough during a breakdown as she travels through television while telling her story.
- DirectorRobin CloudStarsGabrielle MaidenKarissa Lee StaplesNaomi MackA troubled office worker finds the courage to leave their working life behind and pursue their dreams.
- DirectorMarko DjeskaWhile transitioning from male gender to female, Matia struggles with finding a sincere intimate relationship with a heterosexual male.
- DirectorJamieson BakerStarsMitzi AkahaEve LindleyEmilio VitoloAs the coronavirus pandemic progresses, the overlapping routines of three New Yorkers change unexpectedly.
- DirectorRavenna TranStarsRina HoshinoErika IshiiMana, a Japanese-American woman who arrives in Tokyo seeking to find a break from her life as an artist, meets Haru, a Japanese woman from the countryside who dreams of becoming an artist herself one day.
- DirectorAlex CardyKitty ChrystalTali PolichtukStarsZoe TerakesIn the midst of Melbourne's COVID-19 lockdown, Jamie finds reprieve from the monotony of isolation through their imagination, sensuality and some help from iconic onscreen queer characters.
- DirectorLorena GordonStarsKatie BurtonZack GottsagenGeorge LopezA timid high school girl reveals her truth during the most important night of the year.
- DirectorIván Reina OrtizStarsIván Reina OrtizMy body, my films, my non-binary gender identity. What is my place in this world?
- DirectorCloudy RhodesStarsMorgan DaviesSariah SaibuViolet and Blue's youth collide in an early morning toke that leads to the ocean, where connection stirs. A tender, visually-charged, uplifting queer surf-romance about the nuance of gender and the refuge found in being truly seen.
- DirectorRoberto Pérez ToledoStarsJorge AlcocerPablo CapuzEdgar CórcolesA group of friends spend free time together on the volcanic island of Lanzarote. One of the young men begins to show his true self for the first time, and like a volcano before it erupts, he begins to signal that something new is afoot.
- DirectorCailleah Scott-GrimesStarsChihaya Sho KadotaMariella PaceyKumiko KatoKei, a transgender man, longs for a quiet, "normal" life in rural Japan, but his partner prefers the freedom and openness of life in Tokyo. Their opposing wishes and identities are revealed in the heat of the local hot springs, a place Kei loved as a child.
- DirectorAvery ArchieJoshua WalkerWhen being yourself is more than enough.
- DirectorSaad NawabVarsha PanikarStarsMeheka ClSachin Das GuptaSushant KhomaneUsing Varsha Panikar's anthology by the same name, "Bodies of Desire" is an award-winning short that follows the journey of a poet as they rediscover love, passion, and identity after encountering their muse.
- DirectorSaleh SaadiStarsAnan Abu-JaberYussuf Abu-WardaA father gives his son a ride to the airport. The car breaks down on the way.
- DirectorAaron GevaMickey TriestStarsBatel MoseriOrna BanaiMaayan RachimaDuring the covid 19 curfew, Bracha is wandering in the middle of the night, in the empty streets of Bat Yam. Her anxious mother, Nitzi, is surprised to find her at her doorstep, and has a hard time welcoming her into her home.
- DirectorAlyssa LernerStarsKimia BehpoorniaSara ChandlerCat DavisWhen Nousha accidentally texts erotic fiction to her crush, she enlists best friend Oliver to set out on a mission to delete the text.
- DirectorAaron AlexisStarsAaron AlexisNorman VladimirA gay, second generation Afro-Caribbean immigrant is forced to reevaluate his worldview when he returns to the Netherlands to reconnect with his older brother.
- DirectorMegan ChumbleyStarsAngela GiarratanaNatasha IvkovicIsabel HainerA series of phone calls passes along more than just a message.
- DirectorXiaowen WangStarsYonggui WangXüxü WuJuyi ZhanA teenager is sent back to stay with her grandparents in her hometown village. As she begins a budding friendship with a classmate, she is forced to confront her past and imagine a much different future.
- DirectorRyan WhiteStarsJudy Goffman CutlerJennifer A. GreenhillNeil Patrick HarrisFollows the illustrator J.C. Leyendecker, whose legacy laid the foundation for today's out-and-proud LGBTQ advertisements.
- DirectorIsak KohalyStarsOmri LeviHanny NahmiasMichael LahavItamar, a chubby young man, returns to live with his eccentric mother after suffering a mental breakdown. Old tensions about his homosexuality arise after he meets Ronen, a handsome lifeguard who leads him to confront his body image.
- DirectorTodd VerowStarsJames KleinmannTodd VerowA condensed snapshot of all the anxiety and stir crazy sexual tension of the COVID-19 summer of 2020.
- DirectorDarrin JamesAj KnightStarsAj KnightIndar SmithMarkus MolinariWhen Jameson, known to his small-minded town as a wilted wallflower, meets an open-minded stranger, his unapologetically queer identity-Daisy Boy-blossoms through the vibrant dreamscape in his head.
- DirectorStephanie Osuna-HernandezStarsRiver GalloNicholas R. GardnerDaniel VicenteFor Fran, LA is where dreams come true. As he saves enough money for the move from Texas, he documents his journey through YouTube. However, Fran learns that following one's dream is a privilege not everyone has.
- DirectorNaïla GuiguetStarsDustin MuchuvitzFélix MaritaudRaya MartignyFollows the events of DJ Dustin over the course of one wild night at a warehouse party and the morning that follows.
- DirectorAdrian ChiarellaStarsJaxon Graham-WilsonAlex RoweA lonely, awkward teenager encounters a male sex worker on a morning in suburban Sydney. Based on the short story "Concealer" by Andy Boreham.
- DirectorSven SpurStarsMustaf AhmetiVincent van DriesscheDirk CouventA restless young man roves in the gay hotspots of a metropolis. Anonymous places dressed in mirrors, intense colors and kitschy decors are the landscape for this stranger in search of comfort, connection and himself.
- DirectorSlava DoychevaStarsIvan DoytchevStela StoynovaOn Easter day, when her girlfriend picks family over her, Nevena dyes two red eggs and sets on a journey to meet her own estranged father.
- DirectorGeorden WestStarsLia BassJalen BeattyTommy BlackwellBallroom culture and ancestral rituals infuse in a nourishing potion brewed up by a Black, queer, fashion coven.
- DirectorEmory Chao JohnsonAnimation, archival footage and video are interwoven in this transnational meditation through time and space of an international art student carrying a heavy burden regarding gender transformation and home.
- DirectorMaria ÅkessonAgnes and Ellen fell in love and spent the following 50 years together. After Ellen dies and their dream of moving on together shatters, Agnes learns to start anew.
- DirectorJosé Manuel VélezStarsRodrigo CalderónDomingo JeameDaniel CandiaTomás, a gay teenager from a small beach town in Chile, lives daydreaming at the beat of pop-music. During a summer day he sees his crush again, Benjamín, and encouraged by his music he jumps forward to the adventure of burgeoning first love, facing his fears and risking leaving the safe refuge of his musical and colorful world.
- DirectorJacqueline ChanStarsStacy ChuRyan DizonEddie EngAfter her first semester of college at Berkeley, Natalie drives home to LA with her childhood friend, Joanne, for Chinese New Year. Navigating the festivities that were once inviting but now tinged with a foreign animosity, Natalie must juggle between the growing attraction shared herself and Joanne, and the prying eyes of those she once called home.
- DirectorNicky MillerStarsJorgeTheObsceneSultan of FilthJose PirasA fisherman is at the lake when a beautiful young man gets into the water. Fascinated by him, the fisherman begins an idyllic sexual trip into nature.
- DirectorGiovanni AdamsStarsGiovanni AdamsTonatiuhJoshua BittonHaving recently ended an affair with his Ethics Professor, Nathan is looking for love online in the midst of the lockdown. But progress is slow.
- DirectorJenna LaurenzoStarsJenna LaurenzoMeryl Jones WilliamsA woman craving connection during Covid, reaches out to her ex-girlfriend. When she's invited over, they awkwardly navigate whether or not they're willing to drop their masks to reignite the romance.
- DirectorPaloma LopezStarsMaya DelmontAmber Wynne-JonesArianna LópezA group of 16 year-old girlfriends get ready for a party together.
- DirectorKaterine MartineauStarsAmaryllis TremblayNahéma RicciGuillaume LaurinAfter a late night high school graduation party, Chantal and Delphine find themselves walking home alone in the dark. Lost in the forest, their long night walk is punctuated by carelessness and an irrepressible desire to exist.
- DirectorSungbin ByunStarsChoi HaejunHojun LimKim Woo-kyumA transgender female dancer, Shin-mi, gets a call from the Military Manpower Administration.
- DirectorRobin WangStarsTodd LienDylan J. LockeArthur PengFollowing a graduation celebration, four Chinese must navigate their relationship's future as dictated by the circumstances of life and their families.
- DirectorAnn Marie PaceStarsKeyla Monterroso MejiaCristela AlonzoSean BurgosA teenage girl struggling to hide her identity as a vampire from her human best friend, starts a new school for vampires. She soon realises it's not as easy to fit in with students there as she thought.
- DirectorDamon LagunaStarsAlejandro AkaraEduardo Alexis PeñaAlberto ManqueroAn introverted high school wrestler struggles for acceptance after his secret sexual identity is exposed.
- DirectorCarlton DanielStarsDerrick BentonChazz Giovanni BruceAyyhaunnah de la RentaWorking as a mortician at his father's funeral parlor, Junior cycles through an unsatisfying life routine. A night out with friends forces him to see the world as it truly is.
- DirectorDarci FulcherVaughn GreveStarsPrince AliSam BeardSaoirse BertmanA young man lets down his guard and summons the courage to cruise.
- DirectorOwen ThieleStarsOwen ThieleRichard EllisJohn McEnroeWith some apprehension, Jared (Richard Ellis) flew across the country to move in with his boyfriend, Owen (writer-director Owen Thiele). On top of the expected challenges of move-in day, they're faced with a practical one that puts their relationship to the test.
- DirectorMonica ZanettiStarsClare CavanaghSophie HawkshawNat JobeWhen Naomi realises she is queer at 23, she has to squeeze all her sexual adolescence into one year in order to stay on the life schedule she has set for herself.
- DirectorPetersen VargasStarsElijah CanlasKokoy De SantosMiguel Almendras"How to Die Young in Manila" was made as a short pitch teaser to Petersen Vargas' full-length feature, entitled "Some Nights Feel Like Walking." It's about a young boy who braves the streets of nighttime Manila to meet an anonymous hookup. Thinking one of them is a hookup, he trails a pack of young hustlers who then draw him into their strange world of death and desire. This short film questions and explores the possibility of an urban life, of human connection in the city, for those not protected by privilege from the cruel policies of this government, which kill young men everywhere. It's a film that imagines and situates queer desire within a city determined and shaped by politics.
- DirectorJustice Jamal JonesStarsMaiya BlaneyRodney ChromeChristian Coston-PayneFour Black boys disappear one night, as many Black boys do, and find themselves on a fantastical journey to break the curses of Black boyhood.
- DirectorZinzi LeMondStarsMadison René KnappJulia Planine-TroianiJordan SaenzA dark commentary on modernity and the wreckage of an empire in free fall.