notjustaboutsex

SLEPT LATISH

woke to a podcast about breast cancer,

Touched self…still present and accounted for… both.

Quietly passed gas. The true sign of morning.

Left foot stiff, strangled by a sock at foot of bed.

hate when that happens.

Pooch still snoring. Hmm. Maybe too early

to face the day

review nancy cohen koan

There are moments in this eerie road movie that really feel like you’ve been on the road a bit too long, when your back hurts from sitting, you’ve eaten too much junk food and your companion drives you insane That’s one of the things I like about Unidentified Objects. It’s painfully real at times and so uncomfortable. But the destination, a promised escape to outer space, keeps the dark stuff from wearing you down. You’re hanging onto the promise that someone is going to be saved.

A grumpy, gay dwarf Peter, (Matthew August Jeffers), is convinced by a sex worker, looking like a cross between Karen Black and Jessica Chastain, Winona, (Sarah Hay), that he must lend her his car to drive to Canada. He is a major grouch and who can blame him? Life in general is tough and he’s a Little Person…but Winona doesn’t notice. She only knows that her destiny with aliens is going to happen in three days and she must be in Canada in order to make it in time for takeoff.

Why he finally decides to go with her is not entirely clear as he complains endlessly. It takes courage to write a character so unhappy and the director, Juan Felipe Zuleta, and writer, Leland Frankel bravely keep him that way for as long as necessary to push the narrative.

Peter gets the juicy fantasy segments and they are quite weird. Space cops demanding he strip, not just down to his clothes, but his skin, and a remarkable dive bar scene where he slow dances with a handsome Canuck who really cares about his pain.

The folks they meet on the way are solid examples of why this planet might improve if hit by a meteorite and the until the self-absorbed Chekovianess of Peter’s head starts to shift, all seems dire.

There’s enough edginess to seduce Sci Fi fans, and Jeffers’ performance is raw and powerful. Plus, it proves if you know your way around, you can get to Canada through the back woods and leave your passport and driving license safe at home.