2514 W Sunset Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90026
(Enter through the rear)
Želimir Žilnik, Dupe od mramora (Marble Ass), Serbian with English subtitles, 86 min., 1995. Yugoslavia
Želimir Žilnik’s trailblazing exploration of trans life during civil war. Merlin and Sanela live on the outskirts of Belgrade, then-capital of Yugoslavia, turning tricks and forging a sisterhood as fellow trans sex workers. They take in Johnny, a hot soldier boy and petty hustler, who has just returned from war suffering from PTSD. They form an unlikely threesome, playing house and bristling against the financial hardships and sexual boundaries imposed upon them by society. Celebrating its 30th anniversary this year, Marble Ass is a playful, compassionate and campy romp, unlike any other Eastern-European films of the era.