Upon Her Lips: Touch and Go (NQV Media)

Upon Her Lips: Touch and Go arrives on Prime Video, Peccadillo On Demand and Vimeo on June 12.

Sometimes a single touch changes everything as a once confusing situation suddenly becomes crystal clear. Throughout our lives, no matter our outward confidence, we all question who we are, what we want and where we want to be; Upon Her Lips: Touch and Go brings us four shorts that reflect these questions and the power of a single human touch in illuminating the answers we seek. 

The first short in this sumptuous collection is SOME GIRLS, directed by Cait Lyn Adamson. Adolescence is a mix of conformity and rebellion; we often rebel against the adult world and our parents while conforming to peer group rules that allow us to maintain a sense of belonging, place and purpose. For LGBTQ+ kids, this often throws up many complicated issues as they battle the hidden desires that play into this uneasy process. Mina longs for Lana, a rebellious teen who thrives on pushing her to her limits. At the same time, Lana plays with Mina’s emotions like a cat with a mouse through a teenage haze of control and manipulation. On a night out at a local club, Mina’s world is about to change forever through a dancefloor kiss, but can she find the confidence to escape the need for conformity?

SOME GIRLS

The second film in the collection also focuses on the power of a single connection in our teenage years and the enlightenment it can suddenly bring. FLAPPER (GARÇONNE), directed by Nicolas Sarkissian, takes us to a wealthy lake-side house in the French countryside in the 1920s. During a long hot summer, we meet Lisa, a girl who constantly rebels against the pressure of her mother to conform to the expected stereotypes of feminity in 1920s France. Escaping the sterility of the home, Lisa goes swimming in the nearby lake. There she discovers her truth and the reason for her rebellion as the water transforms the girl into the woman she is destined to become.

Transformation is not the preserve of youth. For many, the ability to explore feelings and emotions is curtailed in their younger years due to social restrictions, fear and oppression, with the window of opportunity arriving later in their adult life. RANIYA, directed by Sidsel Møller Johnsen, is an exquisite exploration of change, risk and opportunity as we follow Raniya, a young Danish woman from a traditional Middle Eastern family and her nervous attempt to move from a romantic online connection to a physical meeting. To add to Raniya’s problems, her sister Nadia discovers her phone and threatens to inform their parents of Raniya’s deepest secret. But sometimes, a touch is all you need to find the confidence to open the gates that have kept you locked away for far too long.

FLAPPER

The first sparks of attraction can be powerful, especially in our teens, when obsession, desire, love and experimentation mix to create a potent adolescent cocktail. THE GUITAR LESSON (Cordes Sensibles), directed by Guillaume Lijour, explores these first rumblings of desire, experimentation and infatuation through the eyes of Lucile as she meets the older Mona in a music store.

Through a diverse collection of short films, Upon Her Lips: Touch and Go beautifully explores the transformational power of a single touch in shaping our sense of self, sexuality and belonging. Once again, NQV has assembled an exceptional collection of essential shorts exploring the female experience.