Writers: Victoria Linares Villegas and Carlos Marranzini
Director: Victoria Linares Villegas
This body horror from the Dominican Republic is a smart way to discuss homophobia, but it’s neither scary nor funny enough to really hit hard. Set within a group of university students, Don’t Come Out is influenced by teen horrors such as Scream, but it’s a little long, and the scares too repetitive.
When Liz and Wendy are caught making out in a car by the police, Liz decides to end their relationship. She won’t come out after all. When, perhaps, to change her mind, she returns to Wendy’s house to find her girlfriend slaughtered by her brother. It’s not the first brutal murder, either. Another young woman has been killed by her mother after finding her with another girl. Homophobia turns people into zombie creatures which have to rid the world of queer people.
So, to protect herself from the zombies and the Dominican society in general, Liz decides to go straight and starts dating literature student Carlos. Her parents love him, of course. However, when, on a weekend away with friends, she meets confident Jess, her same sex desire resurfaces. And then, too, the zombies. However, the effects of the murderous monsters and their grey, dead eyes have diminishing returns.
For such a film to be made in the DR, where LGBTQIA+ individuals have no protection against discrimination, is a wonder in itself, but its narrative is frustratingly simple, and we don’t really see enough of a more general struggle for queer people against a homophobic legal system, meaning that the horror metaphor seems a little isolated. Perhaps for audiences within the Dominican Republic, this doesn’t need to be explored, but for wider audiences, a more detailed rendering of the local society would be useful.
Cecile van Welie puts in a spirited performance as the beleaguered Liz, while Camila Santana provides hope for the future with her portrayal of the self-assured Jess. They have fun battling the homophobic devils, but the audience may not be so engaged.
BFI Flare runs from 18-29 March.
