lesvia

Published 2025-02-19

Yesterday I got a chance to experience something new to me. I saw a screening of the film Lesvia, a part of the Frameline Film Festival in the SF Bay Area.

I sat amongst all kinds of lesbians, and sapphics, of all ages, ethnicities and presentation. It felt like a warm hug, a sense of comfort that one feels when revisiting a place of deep yearning. It was a place where it seemed like the male gaze just did not exist. I’ll never forget how that feels.

The movie was similarly without male gaze. It was able to portray female bodies and sensuality in a tasteful way, connecting simultaneously with both nature and culture.

During the Q&A with the director, it was fascinating to hear many of the older women in the audience recount their own experiences visiting this place, and how it shaped their lives and identities. The warmth, community and solidarity, in the room felt palpable.

Regardless of where we were in our lives, I felt in my body a sense that I have arrived home, and I can finally relax and put down this burden I have been carrying for all these years.

I implore you to watch this movie if you’re curious about lesbian and queer art/history, if you are a feminist, or are curious about what a female gaze looks like in film making.