Film Review: Cosboi
“Cosboi,” by Gosha Shapiro, was part of the 2022 Slamdance Film Festival in the “Narrative Shorts” category.
It is a short film that follows the story of a genderqueer teen who goes on a journey of self-discovery through TikTok and anonymous Uber-type rides. Through the power of the “For You” page on TikTok, the teen is inspired by advice and wisdom to venture out and practice new forms of themselves in conversation with rideshare drivers.
This film beautifully demonstrates a pivotal time in a teen’s life when they are discovering who they are through self-reflection, media consumption, practice, and rebellion.
Much of the film’s context is shown through Tik-Tok videos about cosplay, aka “costume play,” or the act of dressing oneself up as a character or concept.
Shapiro says the film’s ability to move fluidly between silly and profound “organically stems from the true tone of the experience.”
“We gender-expansive folk do not have access to conventional tools of self-discovery,” Shapiro said. “But that means we can get creative with forging our own tools, and sometimes those tools are found in the strangest, funniest, and most unexpected of places — like cosplay and TikTok. While there is this fun element to our self-discovery, the stakes remain incredibly high as we’re not only at odds with ourselves but much of the world around us as well.
“Our experience is not only marked by dysphoria, but a lot of secret euphoria if you look carefully enough,” he continued. “That is what compelled me about this story — that we get to watch a character shape-shift out of desperation, both as a form of survival but also as a form of play.”
Trailer:
