How Are Trans Bodies Made Visible in Cinema? The Case of Anything's Possible (Billy Porter, 2022)

Abstract

Queer cinema is an oxymoron, a label that seeks to categorize films that should not be labelled as an act of vindication. Therefore, there is no homogeneous and unanimous definition of what queer cinema as such entails. Authors such as B. Ruby Rich coined terms such as New Queer Cinema to refer to cinema that constructed new narratives around diverse identities, but is a queer cinema where queer characters appear, or where the technical team and direction are queer? In this research paper, we hypothesize that there is a queer and transgressive cinema shaped by the gaze constructed through audiovisual language, particularly when it comes to representing characters with trans identities. The international organization GLAAD is one of the most representative when it comes to recognizing and rewarding the most accurate representations of the LGTBIQ+ collective, which is why we select as a study case the latest film to win the award for the best streaming film: Anything's Possible (Billy Porter, 2022). A film-textual critical analysis is carried out, focusing on the formal aspect, selecting the presentation sequence of the protagonist as the main element of analysis, as well as the visual and sound presence of the protagonist. In conclusion, it is observed that, although some canonical resources are still reiterated, there is a transgression in the way of framing the trans character, making transgressive and diverse corporeality visible to the audience.