Directors Notes came to our graduation showcases (Fiction, TV Entertainment, and Documentary) at the BFI Southbank and rounded up 10 of their favourite shorts with a kind write-up. They praised in particular the high quality of the production design this year, to which I can only agree whole-heartedly!
Here is what they said about 'Virile':
"Set in the context of a major world fertility crisis, the world of Bo, a young androgynous deckhand aboard an all-female research vessel, turns upside down when a castaway man appears. Lydia Rui’s film is a character piece that confronts the interlinking psychology of identity, masculinity and sexuality within her troubled protagonist. It’s an incredibly mature film and Rui’s plentiful experience as a filmmaker is clear with decisive and visual direction that gives every corner of the ship a tense and confrontational atmosphere."
Thank you, Directors Notes, and author James Maitre!