A trans musician is caught in a love triangle with his bandmates as they rise to fame, in this love letter to Toronto’s 2000s music scene
BY ELLA GAUCI, IMAGE BY BFI FLARE
Could you tell us a bit about what inspired you to make this film?
We Forgot To Break Up is based on the Canadian novel Heidegger Stairwell by Kayt Burgess. It’s amazing. Punk, sexy, lavish squalor existentialism. I was inspired by a lot of retro band documentaries from the late 90s/early 2000s. If you’ve never seen Ondi Timoner’s doc DIG! I’d recommend it.
What is the key message you hope LGBTQIA audiences take from your film?
As an artist, I try to avoid messaging that is overly blunt. I love it when an audience is given the opportunity to ask themselves how a piece of art made them feel rather than being told how to feel by the artist.
What are the main themes that your film explores?
Lust, fame, transformative loss. How much collateral damage does becoming the artist/person you want to be cost?
What is your favourite line or scene from your film?
The beating heart of this film is a very sexy queer love triangle – and morality aside, the clandestine transgressive love scenes are so electric and tragic.
How did you get into filmmaking and what has been your biggest challenge in the industry?
I’m also an actor and started working on sets in that capacity before trying directing. Now I’m really enjoying doing both. Finding a balance between projects can be tough, but I’d say the biggest issue for me in film right now is finding ways to favour financing for artists who do not come from rich families. I don’t think our industry should be a playground for the rich. It’s very boring.
Why is LGBTQIA representation in film so important in 2024?
Sometimes it can feel like the work is done when you’re living in a progressive urban bubble – but whenever I step outside that and see how casual and banal homophobia still is for the vast majority of people I’m reminded that the work has really just begun.
This year’s Flare is split into the themes of Hearts, Bodies, and Minds. Do you have an LGBTQIA film which affected your heart, body, or mind?
John Water’s oeuvre affects my Heart, Body, and Mind on the daily.
What do you hope to see in the future of LGBTQIA filmmaking?
I think it’s a fine balance of bringing LGBTQIA voices into the mainstream, while retaining the punk iconoclast identity that has historically made the community’s filmmaking so exciting. If corporations want to lean into rainbowification then I hope they put their money where their mouth is and shower radical queer art makers with $$$.
We Forgot To Break Up will be showing at BFI Flare on Sunday 17 March at 15:35 and Tuesday 19 March at 18:20. For further details go to the BFI Flare website.
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