Deep Run Trans Life in the Rural South
Executive produced by Susan Sarandon, DEEP RUN is a powerful verite portrait of trans life in rural North Carolina. Exiled by her family and rejected by an ex-partner, 17-year-old Spazz has no one to lean on for support. But when Spazz falls in love again and summons up the courage to become Cole, a strong-willed trans-man, his candid humor and steadfast, all-inclusive Christian beliefs counter the bigotry he experiences daily.
This deeply personal documentary reveals rebirth and courage within America's deeply conservative Bible Belt as Cole struggles to find a church that will affirm his identity and the couple's relationship. With a small group of supportive friends, relatives, and his girlfriend, Ashley, Cole's search for love and belonging leads him to a radical revision of what faith and church can be. An intimate study of young outsiders in an insular Christian community, DEEP RUN explores the intersection of modern identity and faith in the American South.
Winner of Best Documentary at the Austin Gay and Lesbian International Film Festival. Official Selection at DOC NYC and Frameline Film Festival.
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Comments (2)
Thank you for this generous and insightful comment; the film team, the director, (that is me), and Cole collaborated for over 6 years to make this film, and we did our best to chronicle Cole's story and capture his strength and grace. This was a labor of love for all of us; and Cole is a new ...Read more
Thank you for this generous and insightful comment; the film team, the director, (that is me), and Cole collaborated for over 6 years to make this film, and we did our best to chronicle Cole's story and capture his strength and grace. This was a labor of love for all of us; and Cole is a new kind of very human icon that I feel we need in this world.
Read lessTo have a successful documentary, a filmmaker needs not only a compelling subject—which Cole and his story of struggling to reconcile two intimate identities—gender and religious—undoubtedly is, they need a protagonist that is willing to be emotionally bare, to connect their audiences to the ...Read more
To have a successful documentary, a filmmaker needs not only a compelling subject—which Cole and his story of struggling to reconcile two intimate identities—gender and religious—undoubtedly is, they need a protagonist that is willing to be emotionally bare, to connect their audiences to the humanity of this life they choose to observe through film. Cole is the reason Deep Run works so well on this level, and why such an intimate look at his experiences—from familial and romantic relationship troubles, to struggling to find an accepting church—feels completely natural for viewers. He is troubled by his past but unapologetic about his present, totally vulnerable but an inspiration to be strong for yourself and for others. Cole makes the film, not the trauma he’s experienced, or the problems he still faces. This film is an incredible portrayal of transgender life in the South that never romanticizes, sensationalizes, or exploits Cole and his story; instead humanizing him for viewers in ways that many documentaries simply fail to achieve.
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