Any Other City

Lambda winner Plante (Little Blue Encyclopedia (for Vivian)) offers a vibrant if overstuffed chronicle of trans indie rocker Tracy St. Cyr, lead singer of fictional band Static Saints. The narrative takes the form of Tracy’s published memoir, and the first part, set in 1999, covers her exploits in an unnamed Asian city with two older trans women while pining for her girlfriend back in the U.S. As she navigates her gender identity before transitioning, she is mentored by installation artist Sadie Tang. The second part takes place in 2019, when Tracy is again visiting the same city, this time writing music and reflecting on her creative output and her transition. The alleys and streets are haunted by her memories of her old friends, whom she’s since lost touch with. Eventually, Tracy ends up at an exhibit of films by Sadie narrated by the Icelandic singer Björk that encapsulates her joy in being alive: “There was something very sensuous about how Björk said the word ‘orgasm’.... She imbued the word with a sense of wonder.” Though Plante loses momentum with overlong depictions of Tracy’s songwriting sessions, she adeptly conjures the wild and wonderful days of a musician finding her voice. Despite the bumps, this has plenty of life. (Apr.)