So admittedly I get a little bit dorky when I see anything butch/femme in the media-- I actually looked at butch/femme cinimatic represenation as part of my senior project as a women's studies undergrad. For me seeing butches and femmes in the media holds a special place in my heart in a world where I feel like the mediated representations of my community is so horribly skewed. 

I should admit that I have a LOVE of really cheesy lesbian movies.  One of the best things I have recently found (which is of course dangerious given the amount of writing i need to be doing) is netflix instent view----it's now mac compatable and means that i have hundreds and hundreds of movies right at my fingertips every day!!!!! it doesn't hurt that a ton of them are LGBTQ specific- which means i take way more movie chances when i know i won't have to wait two days for the mail to bring me a new one if it's a bad film. 

Over the weekend I watched the 2005 collection "The Ultimate Lesbian Short Film Festival" and as I expected it wasn't super great.....until I got to Meredyth Wilson's  "The Black Plum" and was completely transfixed.  The film revolves around a tomboy from a home that doesn't understand her.  There is a beautiful femme----- full of performativity down to the lace gloves!  She's watched out for by a magical femme from the moment of her birth. After the 'young one' falls picking fruit from a tree our femme hero drives the young tomboy off in a gorgious car to her mysterious home to introduce her to someone she 'might like to meet.' 

There the young tomboy meets the femmes' incredibly handsom  butch partner. Together they make a potion to heal her wounds from the fall, and she is given something even more important by the couple. The story has beautiful moments of survival, 'family,' and community.  It's a gorgious film that speaks to the importance of intergenerational queer kinship. Besides it's not everyday that you find a movie (even a really short one) where where the chemistry of butch/femme dynamics  is so visible and even rarer an actress performs femme in such a beautiful and authentic way.

Latest posts by Sassafras

• Farewell - May 1st, 2011
• Persistence: All Ways Butch and Femme - April 16th, 2011
• Little Red Writing Dress - March 27th, 2011
• Unexpected Butch/Femme Poetry - March 22nd, 2011
• Tell-tale Signs a Queer Femme is Queer - March 4th, 2011