Butch Jamie
| Butch Jamie | |
|---|---|
.jpg) | |
| Directed by | Michelle Ehlen |
| Written by | Michelle Ehlen |
| Produced by | Michelle Ehlen Leah Williamson |
| Starring |
|
| Cinematography | Matt Workman |
| Edited by | Michelle Ehlen |
| Music by | Harold Squire |
Production company | Ballet Diesel Films |
| Distributed by | Here! TV |
Release date |
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Running time | 84 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
Butch Jamie is a gender-bending romantic comedy film that premiered in July 2007 at Outfest: the Los Angeles Gay and Lesbian Film Festival. Writer, director, and lead actress Michelle Ehlen won Outfest's Grand Jury Award for "Outstanding Actress in a Feature Film."[1] The film was produced independently through the filmmaker's production company, Ballet Diesel Films.[2]
Plot
[edit]The film follows the story of Jamie, a struggling butch lesbian actress who gets cast as a man in a film. The main plot is a romantic comedy between Jamie's male alter-ego, "Male Jamie," and Jill, a heterosexual woman on set. The film's subplots include Jamie's bisexual roommate Lola and her cat actor Howard, Lola's abrasive butch German girlfriend Andi, and Jamie's gay Asian friend David.[1][3]
Cast
[edit]- Michelle Ehlen as Jamie
- Olivia Nix as Lola
- Tiffany Anne Carrin as Jill
- David Au as David
- Andrea Andrei as Andi
- Joe McDaniel as Dan
- Mary Lynch as Francine
- Nathan Edmondson as Glen
Comedic elements
[edit]Butch Jamie utilizes deadpan humor through slapstick, irony, and satire. The film incorporates elements of slapstick physical comedy along with the irony of Jamie entering into a "heterosexual" relationship with an unknowing woman. As a satire, the film pokes fun at gender roles, social assumptions, stereotypes, and the politics of relationships.[4][5][6]
In addition to gender roles and stereotypes, the film also satirizes the movie industry.[5] This is reflected not only through Jamie's adventures, but also through Howard, the cat actor who Jamie has projected her competitive drive onto.[4] Howard's owner, Lola, takes the cat's career very seriously, complete with professional head shots and a demo reel.
Representation of butch women onscreen
[edit]While it's common to see comedies where men pose as women, female to male comedies are much less prominent. While the film is said to be a lesbian version of Tootsie,[5][7][8] the fact that it highlights a butch actress marks it as unique. Jamie's stereotypical butch masculinity, sarcasm, and cockiness are rarely seen in such prominence in female actors on-screen. Unlike Dustin Hoffman in Tootsie, Jamie's career problems are not the result of a character flaw, but from a flaw in the way women are chosen to be represented.
Sequel
[edit]Writer/director/actor Michelle Ehlen is developing a sequel called Heterosexual Jill. While Butch Jamie is a satire on gender, Ehlen proposes to have the sequel be a satire on sexuality.[6][9]
Awards
[edit] |
- 2007: Grand Jury Award for "Outstanding Actress in a Feature Film" to Michelle Ehlen at LA Outfest[10][11]
- 2007: Jury Award for "Best Female Feature" at Long Island Gay and Lesbian Film Festival[10]
- 2007: Jury Award for "Best Dramatic Feature" at Chicago Gay and Lesbian International Film Festival[10]
- 2008: Special mention at Barcelona International Gay & Lesbian Film Festival
References
[edit]- ^ a b Butch Jamie
- ^ Ballet Diesel Films
- ^ "GayWired.com - Outfest Days Eight & Nine". Archived from the original on 2009-06-15. Retrieved 2007-11-16.
- ^ a b "welcome to dykediva.com". Archived from the original on 2007-12-19. Retrieved 2007-11-16.
- ^ a b c "Time Out Chicago: A wider stance". Archived from the original on 2007-11-18. Retrieved 2007-11-16.
- ^ a b "LesbiaNation - Butch Jaime's Michelle Ehlen". Archived from the original on 2008-04-27. Retrieved 2007-11-16.
- ^ Outfest 2007 | Film | Advocate.com
- ^ "Los Angeles Journal". Archived from the original on 2008-04-26. Retrieved 2007-11-16.
- ^ "In Development". Archived from the original on 2009-06-14. Retrieved 2007-11-16.
- ^ a b c "Butch Jamie | EDGE United States". EDGE Media Network. Retrieved 2023-12-24.
- ^ "서울국제여성영화제". 서울국제여성영화제. Retrieved 2023-12-24.