Coming Out (2020)
I’ve always liked monsters. Weird looking, sometimes dangerous but sometimes heroic creatures that defy the rest of the world around them. Whether it was in comics (it was always the odder X-Men that intrigued me) or movies (Dark Overlords from HOWARD THE DUCK FTW!) or elsewhere—I just loved everything about them and always rooted for them, even when they were hellbent on wiping out humanity (or maybe because they were hellbent on wiping out humanity).
Kaiju resonate with lots of people for lots of different reasons. But something I’ve found to be often true is that there are large swaths of the populace that gravitate towards monsters because they identify with them. These are creatures that can’t communicate with the humans around them, that may accidentally cause damage or panic; in short, they don’t fit in and their very existence is enough to frighten people. For me, it was my incubating mental health issues. Note monster-lover Clive Barker probably had some affinity for them due to his repressed sexuality growing up in the UK. Cressa Maeve Beer has used her love of Kaiju and her immense talent for stop motion animation to tell many stories—but probably none more affecting than the two minute “Coming Out” short.
Beer (aka Beeragon) is legitimately one of the best stop motion animators working today. Repurposing action figures to create brief comedy sketches, or chill out shorts, or interstitials for film festivals, her work is always entertaining and fascinating to behold. The artist uses mass-produced pieces of plastic of well-recognized figures like Godzilla, Guillermo Del Toro, Ryan Gosling, Minya, and more—but creates unique characters for each within the framework of her short films. She is breathing new life without taking an ironic path or cynical approach, but finding ways to have these beloved fixtures take on a new personality.
“Coming Out” (subtitled “a stop motion short about a trans kid.”) uses that dynamic between Godzilla and his spawn to showcase what it’s like to feel different, even among the already different, and does it in an extremely powerful and pithy way that doesn’t feel forced or like preaching. Focusing on a common trans experience of realizing that disconnect between inner self and outer appearance, and then trying to communicate that to those closest to you, all without uttering a word is impressive.
The lesson is simply that the world would be better with more parents like Godzilla. Beeragon doesn’t solely focus on “issue-driven” trans stories in her work, although many include trans characters (but that doesn’t make them trans stories); however, the arsenal of monsters at her disposal help humanize experiences that far too many people may not even realize exists. This is why certain public figures simply saying “Trans Rights are Human Rights” is met with thunderous applause; a group that is far too often demonized needs to be told repeatedly by those of us who love them that they are part of our world, part of our society in order to dispel the crass hatred spewed their way.
Please be sure to follow Beer on Twitter and Instagram, and support her where able. She makes the world a better place for those of us who feel like the monsters we love. Her incredible 2020 short is below.