When we asked writer-director Danielle Lessovitz why she wanted to make “Port Authority,” she told us, “I wanted to write about a connection, both romantic and familial, that transcends biological and social dictates and reflects my experience of the world more closely. I also wanted to comment on dominant American culture, in that it can be toxic even to those who benefit from its bias.” Set against the kiki ball scene in New York City, the drama is about a young man trying to reconcile who he is with what the world expects him to be. He hurts a lot of people in the process, himself included.
Paul (Fionn Whitehead), a cis white guy with anger issues and a troubled past, arrives in New York from Pittsburgh with nowhere to go. He finds himself drawn to a young Black trans woman, the warm, kind Wye (Leyna Bloom, who became the the first trans woman of color to lead a Cannes-selected film with “Port Authority”). Wye is a ballroom mainstay and lives with a found family, the House of McQueen, led by the wise, nurturing Mother McQueen (Christopher “Afrika” Quarles). Ignoring her brothers’ warnings, Wye welcomes Paul to ball culture. To paraphrase one the McQueen siblings, the entire world is built for Paul — he doesn’t need to claim ballroom as well.
But Paul feels he belongs at the balls, he feels like he can be himself — not that he really knows what that is. There seems to be a queer side to himself that he won’t fully acknowledge, something he actively suppresses when he’s around his own group of friends, who are the epitome of toxic masculinity. When he’s on his own, Paul experiments with glitter makeup and practices voguing. He also falls in love with the opportunity for family ballroom offers. Paul grew up in foster care and is alienated from his sister, his only relative in New York — you can’t really blame him for trying to find a home.
For all his good intentions, though, Paul is an interloper in Wye’s world. His queerness is something he wrestles with, when he’s not fully denying it, and it’s suggested that his lack of self-acceptance contributes to his anger problems. Wye’s trans identity does throw him a bit when he finds out — although not for long — and he adopts a macho, homophobic mask when he’s around his own buddies. He juggles multiple personae throughout the film, and it’s only a matter of time before they all come crashing down.
The events of “Port Authority” indicate the beginning of Paul’s journey of self-exploration. And as much of a mess as he makes, you do want him to figure things out and find a way to love himself. Thankfully, Lessovitz doesn’t place that burden on Wye’s shoulders: it’s not her job to teach Paul who he is, or how to be an ally. He’ll have to do that work himself — and it seems likely he will.
“Port Authority” is now in theaters. It will be available on VOD June 1.
