Chasing Chasing Amy (2023) ‘Tribeca’ Movie Review: No matter which part of the world we come from, we base our understanding on the things available to us. Be it the people we speak with or the pop culture we consume, these things make a huge impact on how we perceive the world.
During a time when the internet was not an integral part of our lives, let alone social media, it was especially challenging to look beyond what is readily available. One was prone to biases and prejudices of the lack of exposure to an alternate way to think or rationalize things.
‘Chasing Chasing Amy’ by Sav Rodgers comes from his similar journey of self-exploration. It follows Sav’s real-life relationship with Kevin Smith’s 1997 film – Chasing Amy. This cult classic showed Ben Affleck’s graphic design artist character falling in love with a lesbian, played by Joey Lauren Adams. At the time of its release, the film was heavily criticized for more than one reason.
First, the film came from a straight, white man’s perspective. It showed the woman, played by Joey Lauren Adams, falling back in love with Affleck’s character, i.e., a man. It showed the dangerous trope of a lesbian supposedly rejecting her sexuality when a ‘right man’ comes into her life. Besides, Jason Lee’s character was shown as the worst kind of entitled straight dude who had no filter while sharing his ignorant opinions.
Despite those concerns, this fairly small-budget indie flick became wildly successful at the Box Office. This was particularly surprising since a film openly speaking about LGBTQ+ topics had broken into the mainstream audience circuit. We are talking about 1997 when a popular show like Friends was openly transphobic and homophobic, and Brokeback Mountain was still seven-eight years away.
Suffice it to say that this cult classic is fairly controversial. However, what strikes a chord in the Sav Rodgers documentary is Sav’s heartfelt connection with this film. He explores different facets of his relationship with Chasing Amy while coming out as a trans man. What captivated me the most is how Sav so skillfully delves into the good, bad, and ugly relationships with the film.
As a child living in American suburbs, Sav found solace in Chasing Amy. He mentions seeing it countless times. It provided him with the necessary comfort in embracing his identity. Besides, it explored the possibilities beyond binaries and openly discussed aspects of sexuality. While the dialogues sound like an instruction manual for a straight, ignorant guy wanting his lesbian friend to teach him, the film still managed to resonate with him. The documentary explores its reasons.
Smith made this film inspired by his writer friend’s infatuation with filmmaker Guinevere Turner. Alyssa was a culmination of Smith’s discussions with Turner and experiences from his relationship with Joey Lauren Adams. The script was almost like therapy for him to understand where he failed both of them. It reflects in the script where some dialogues show his ignorance, the others explore the idea of ‘love’ beyond generic conceptions.
A still from Chasing Chasing Amy (2023)The way Holden tells Alyssa why he can’t stop being in love with her captures this ever-illusive feeling with genuine emotion. The scenes where Sav talks about how that dialogue helped him realize his love for his girlfriend are deeply moving. It shows an artist’s impact on a person’s life if one manages to be truthful about themselves. Through that, the documentary serves as a deeply personal love letter to the film that saved him.
Besides that, Chasing Chasing Amy is also an illuminating examination of the political discussions surrounding the 1997 film. At a time when the representation of characters from the community was either outrageous or caricaturish, Chasing Amy wrote its queer characters as intelligent and confident.
While Holden was an immature man-child, Alyssa was self-assured in her views. Unlike the stereotypes that showed queer characters largely through the lens of shame or pity, she took charge of her life. Dwight Ewell’s Hooper X introduced aspects of intersectionality and cracked inside jokes, which was unknown in a film with such popularity. Sav smartly manages to capture how he evolved with this film.
On the other hand, the film’s success also has a shady history of the swine of a person behind Miramax studios backing it. Besides that, the film was released alongside Turner’s Go Fish but received far more recognition than her unapologetic work. Smith’s sexuality must have made an impact on that. Sav’s documentary brilliantly explores these threads with open discussions with Turner, Smith, and Adams. I especially adored the bits that he kept more to explore his personal kinship to the film.
During their conversation, Adams asks why Sav wants to interview her. Turner or Smith would have more to add to the discussions regarding the film’s politics. Sav adorably notes his love for the opportunity to speak with a person he grew up with. Adams’ Alyssa Jones was that friend he grew up with who understood him. I just shed a tear witnessing this sweet moment of connection unfold on the screen.
Chasing Chasing Amy was screened at the 2023 Tribeca Film Festival
Chasing Chasing Amy (2023) Movie Links: IMDb, Tribeca
Chasing Chasing Amy (2023) Movie Cast: Kevin Smith, Guinevere Turner, Joey Lauren Adams, Scott Mosier, Sav Rodgers, Andrew Ahn, Kevin Willmott, Trish Bendix, Princess Weekes, Regina “Riley” Rodgers
Director: Sav Rodgers
Screenwriter: N/A
Language: English
Genre: Documentary, LGBTQIA+, Romance
Runtime: 95 Minutes
Editor: Sharika Ajaikumar
Cinematographer: Bill Winters, Bradley Garrison
