Altered Innocence Vol. 2: "Innocence" Is Sweet

Altered Innocence Vol. 2 is the second installment of a collection of LGBTQ and coming-of-age short films. On July 25, Vinegar Syndrome is releasing this collection on Blu-Ray and DVD. Altered Innocence is four hours of content that is split into two distinct blocks of programming. The “Altered” block is for all things strange and boundary-pushing. The “Innocence” program is far sweeter. Together, they create an exciting taste of work from filmmakers all around the world.

The “Innocence” program consists of five short films: Awakening (dir. Christian Tafdrup), A Wild Patience Has Taken Me Here (dir. Érica Sarmet), Shower Boys (dir. Christian Zetterberg), Dustin (dir. Naïla Guiguet), and Kiem Holijanda (dir. Sarah Veltmeyer).

Carsten gazes out the car window — *Awakening*, from *Altered Innocence Vol. 2*: “Innocence.” Photo: courtesy Vinegar Syndrome.

In Awakening, Carsten (Allan Hyde) and Melissa (Julie Grundtvig Wester) are young and in love in the way only teenagers can be. One night, the two drunkenly return from a party to find Melissa’s parents, Stig (Lars Brygmann) and Birgitte (Ellen Hillingsø), awake and waiting for them. Carsten is shocked by their easygoing nature and is drawn to Stig. Over the course of a camping trip with Melissa and her parents, Carsten is forced to reckon with some feelings he buried deep down. In doing so, he finds he’s not alone. Unfortunately, Awakening feels a little too much like a product of its time. Made in 2008, Awakening relies heavily on tropes that now feel outdated. The short film is less about the internal emotions of Carsten as he’s figuring out his sexuality and more about the scandalous nature of having a crush on your girlfriend’s father. A more introspective look at Carsten’s emotions during this time of upheaval and revelation would have added depth to the short film.

Two women on a motorcycle — ,*A Wild Patience Has Taken Me Here,* from *Altered Innocence Vol. 2*: “Innocence.” Photo: courtesy Vinegar Syndrome.

A Wild Patience Has Taken Me Here takes the audience back to the ’80s. Equal parts a narrative and a documentary-esque reflection on the past, this short is a love letter to the lesbians and queer women of yesterday, today, and tomorrow. Vange (Zélia Duncan) is a lonely motorcyclist who meets four women (Bruna Linzmeyer, Lorre Motta, Camila Rocha, and Clarissa Ribeiro) who live a far freer existence than Vange has ever known. A Wild Patience Has Taken Me Here feels like a scrapbook that cannot be defined by a single medium. There are archival photos, reenactments, Snapchat-filtered clips, direct-to-camera addresses, and other means of documentation at play. In many ways, this short film feels like the only honest way of reflection. It takes the good with the bad, the past with the present, the truth with what we choose to believe and creates something close to the human experience.

Viggo and Noel yell in the shower — *Shower Boys,* from *Altered Innocence Vol. 2*: “Innocence.” Photo: courtesy Vinegar Syndrome.

Shower Boys examines the idea of masculinity through the eyes of two preteen boys, Viggo (Lucas Andreasson) and Noel (David Ramirez Knezevic). They’re two friends on a school sports team who spend an afternoon trying to figure out who is more of a man. Their friendship is sweet and earnest, more gentle than is considered the norm for boys. Shower Boys explores two kids experiencing the effects of toxic masculinity and not understanding how their actions are something they should be ashamed of. They’re kids who like to goof around and don’t subscribe to the idea of needing to be a masculine man. It’s something that’s drilled into them by their coach (Robin Stegmar) and Noel’s dad (Thomas Olausson), but their friendship transcends that. Shower Boys has the potential of growing into a feature-length piece that deeply explores how insidious toxic masculinity is for boys coming of age. Even with its short seven minute runtime, Shower Boys creates something thought-provoking and melancholy, a plea for a new definition of masculinity.

Dustin dances at a party — *Dustin, from Altered Innocence Vol. 2: “Innocence.” Photo: courtesy Vinegar Syndrome.*

In a time when anti-trans legislation is at a terrifying high, Dustin feels like a breath of fresh air. Told over the course of one night/into the morning, the short film focuses on Dustin (Dustin Muchuvitz), a trans woman at an EDM party. Dustin is special because so many trans narratives center on the trauma and the hardships of being trans. They often don’t go beyond the pain and are more exploitative than telling an honest story about the trans experience. That’s where Dustin differs. It’s not all sunshine and rainbows because no one’s like is perfect all of the time, but when Dustin is misgendered or overhears the two people closest to her talking behind her back, the film feels genuine. The themes Dustin is exploring are not to exploit hardships, but to give a brief, personal glimpse at a day in the life of a twentysomething transgender woman. It’s lonely, sincere, sweet, and sad in the way that life can be.

Andi sits against a wall — *Kiem Holijanda,* from *Altered Innocence Vol. 2*: “Innocence.” Photo: courtesy Vinegar Syndrome.

Kiem Holijanda is about two brothers, Andi (Andi Bajgora) and Florist (Florist Bajgora). Andi goes door-to-door selling milk in old soda bottles while Florist works at a shop in their small town. At first, Kiem Holijanda seems as though it will be about Andi’s desire for a cell phone so that he can watch porn online, but the short film morphs into a reflection on vulnerability and teenage masculinity. The decision to have two real-life brothers play Andi and Florist adds an incredible realism to the film, creating something that skews toward cinema verité. In such a short amount of time, Kiem Holijanda is able to touch on familial expectations, the bond of brothers, and burgeoning sexuality. The film is stunningly shot and the juxtaposition of the vibrant colors of the buildings with the overwhelming sadness makes for a stunning comparison.