People have all sorts of coping strategies to deal with trauma, but crafting and donning gender-bending superhero costumes is one we haven’t heard before.
Blurring fact and fiction, "Felt" is based on the life and experiences of artist Amy Everson, whose fictional version attempts to regain control of her body in the aftermath of a sexual assault. As part of her healing process, "Amy" wears elaborate costumes, fashioning herself into a sort of superhero.
The NSFW trailer for "Felt" begins with Everson declaring that her "life is a fucking nightmare" from being objectified and discredited on the basis of being a female. We see footage of "Amy" crafting, then donning gender-bending outfits and challenging the sense of entitlement men feel in not only touching "Amy," but also telling her what to do and think.
In addition to starring, Everson co-wrote the film as a treatise about rape culture. "To understand rape culture, we have to acknowledge the fact that
we live in a society where women are devalued and objectified," explained Everson in a press statement for the film. "Starting from birth and reinforced throughout our
lives, we’re groomed to believe that our worth is contingent on our sexual
desirability and that we are to tolerate ever-increasing boundary
violations. We’re continuously objectified, coerced into unwanted
sexualization, and blamed for the violations perpetrated against us. We must
accept that it is these societal attitudes that culminate in a climate
that trivializes, normalizes, excuses, and ultimately perpetuates sexual
violence."
"Felt" arrives in theatres June 26 and VOD July 21.
