We first meet Alexe, a trans woman, as she is admiring her new body in the mirror. She looks good and she knows it, but is also seeming a little nervous about her first post-op outing with her friends. Carl, her gay best friend, comes over for moral support and a few pre-drink drinks. Marc-Antoine Lemire’s latest short explores the effect that Alexe’s transition- as well as their first sexual contact- has on their lifelong friendship.

Pre-Drink is a fascinating examination of how even the most enduring of friendships can be complicated by one friend’s period of transition. Actors Pascale Drvillon and Alex Trahan bring Alexe and Carl’s dynamic to life with believable and seemingly improvised performances. However, what is most remarkable about Pre-Drink is how it transcends the specifics of their relationship and exists as a truly universal story of friendship and change. Whether their friendship grows stronger or drifts apart remains to be seen but I’m willing to bet that you’ll be rooting for them.

Screens (as part of Short Cuts Programme 4):
Saturday, September 9, 9:45 PM, Scotiabank 14
Friday, September 15, 9:30 PM, Scotiabank 15

Tickets can be purchased at the TIFF website.