Program Note
Saira, the protagonist who is in the midst of puberty, is the daughter of a lesbian royal family ruling over the small planet ‘Clitopolis’. One day, her ex-girlfriend Kiki is kidnapped by heterosexual white villains, and Saira embarks on a long journey across the universe to rescue her. Along the way, she gradually becomes more honest with her emotions and identity, growing as a person. This film, filled with brilliant imagination and cheerful energy, is undoubtedly this year’s heroine of BIFAN. Indie–sci-fi–musical–comedy–animation—there are enough genre elements to list endlessly, yet the film freely crosses genres and weaves them into one lovely queer coming-of-age story. It presents a new approach to the increasingly formulaic queer coming-of-age genre, skillfully and cleverly navigating between mass appeal and independence while building a unique universe. Another irresistible charm is the participation of many famous Australian actors as voice actors. Most importantly, Saira’s journey playfully and metaphorically touches on the confusion and excitement, alienation and solidarity of the growing pains that all ‘kidults’ go through. The fact that she’s the daughter of a lesbian royal family doesn’t matter at all. In the end, we’ll find ourselves genuinely cheering on Saira’s growth—with a warm smile on our faces. (Kani KIM)