Writing about the recent Cuckoo, critic Willow Maclay asks: “does a film starring a trans person have a duty to say something specific about transness?” It’s a pertinent question, particularly as the existence of trans people is bandied about by competing political agendas and an increasingly fraught culture war largely perpetrated by bad faith actors and right-wing bigots. Having said that, it’s been a banner year for trans representation on screen, with Jane Schoenbrun’s I Saw the TV Glow, Vera Drew’s The People’s Joker, and two films by Alice Maio Mackay getting theatrical releases, including the gleeful splatter-comedy T-Blockers and now Satranic Panic. Perhaps the most refreshing thing about Mackay’s work, then, is her bald-faced determination to put trans people front and center — there is no subtext, just a middle finger to any and all haters. Only 20 years old, the Australian wunderkind has already made four feature films, with a fifth (Carnage For Christmas) already making the festival rounds. She’s producing work at a remarkable pace, shot through with an infectious energy and a DIY spirit that should be an inspiration to all aspiring filmmakers.
Satranic Panic follows the cross-country adventures of Aria (Cassie Hamilton) and best friend Jay (Zarif) as they investigate the murder of Max (Sebastien Grech), Aria’s “brother” and Jay’s boyfriend. Aria and Jay traumatically watched demonic cultists murder Max, and they’re determined to find the culprits and exact revenge. After an estrogen shot gone wrong, Aria now possesses a kind of sixth sense and can tell who amongst them is actually a demon in disguise. It’s a useful superpower, as the duo is set upon at every turn by murderous monsters who want nothing more than to stop our intrepid heroes. Along the way, Aria and Jay pick up Nell (Lisa Fanto), and the duo becomes a trio. But Jay is unsure of Nell’s true motivations, and as she and Aria grow closer, the group begins to fracture. What will become of our fabulous demon hunters?
Satranic Panic is so good-natured that the ultimate fate of our protagonists is never really in question; the pleasure here is in Mackay’s no-holds-barred aesthetic, a go-for-broke melange of burlesque, drag, Gregg Araki, and the Evil Dead movies. The action is fast and furious, cut quickly but clearly, and with charmingly cheap special effects (the demons have weird neon tongues and melt away into nothing upon death). It’s all undeniably chintzy, but the lo-fi digital work is an essential part of the film’s charm. It’s like a home movie scaled up — just a group of friends and collaborators dashing off whatever comes to mind, palpably entertaining themselves as much as a the audience. But more important than its modest amiability, there’s also some real meat on the bones here; Mackay paints her villains as raving lunatics led by a manipulative, closeted bigot determined to destroy others while denying his own nature. It’s all fun and games until it’s not, but here’s hoping that some songs, a little dancing, and a lot of camaraderie has the power to change hearts and minds.
DIRECTOR: Alice Maio Mackay; CAST: Cassie Hamilton, Zarif, Lisa Fanto, Chris Asimos; DISTRIBUTOR: Dark Star Pictures; STREAMING: August 13; RUNTIME: 1 hr. 20 min.
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