“Butch Jamie”
Too Butch?
Amos Lassen
Wolfe Video has announced that it has acquired the DVD rights to “Butch Jamie” winner of the best narrative feature at the Chicago Reeling Festival. It is a film filled wit rich satire and wonderful dialog and is a fantastic comedy. Director Michelle Ehlen pokes fun at the movie industry while looking at the dynamics of lesbian relationships. Here is a totally irreverent comedy and a new look at gender roles in modern society.
Jamie Klein (Ehlen, herself) is a desperate out of work butch lesbian actress who is willing to try anything to get a role in a film. Lacking femininity, she descides o eschew her traditional garb and gussies up as “Femme Jamie” but she is still unsuccessful. To make her feel even worse is the fact that her roommate Lola’s cat named Howard gets cast in whatever he tries out for. Jamie is bent on being ore successful than the cat but her appearance is so butch that she has problems. She usually spikes her hair and wears Doc Martens boots, a belt with studs and neck chains. Her best friend, David convinces her to audition as Steve and wins a role as a man. She finds it offensive that there are so few roles for butch women but she accepts the part and is not allowed to reveal her identity as a woman. Once on the set, she faces many new challenges as a male. Then Jamie meets a straight woman named Jill and they begin an affair which is truly complicated (and sexy).
We believe in Jamie as a person, either as a male or as a female. Jamie’s gender is unimportant to the viewer and we grow to love her and identity with her. Though the film is about lesbians, what it has to say is true for all of us. I found a great lesson here about being who you are.
I found the script to be literate and intelligent and the actors do a fine job. But it is Huey as Howard the cat who owns this movie. He is amazing—and the others are good too.