Pride month presents the perfect opportunity to catch up on any queer kitsch media one might have skipped out on during, well, the other 11 months. Places of Worship, directed by Bridget Frances Harris, is a wonderfully surrealist camp short film featuring a young lesbian, Steph (Virginia Alonso Luis), and her struggle with her queer identity within her religious community. Working at a movie theatre, Steph is first alerted to her curious disposition towards women when her fellow teenage co-worker is smoking weed in the bathroom on break. Feeling the holy spirit of munchies, the girl Joanna (Megan Wilcox), asks Steph to pass her some of her nachos. Somewhat embarrassed at the thought of putting food in Joanna’s mouth, Steph’s first hesitation at the request acts as a catalyst to her interest and eventual acceptance of her sexuality.
Harris had an idea and executed it succinctly, with a run time of almost 13 minutes. There is not much previous context given to Steph’s life, only that she works at a movie theatre and is involved with her community’s Christian organizations. While at church, she tries to stop others from stealing the collection money given at mass, suggesting Steph’s practical and orderly way of thinking. As a Christian girl, the new feelings that Joanna awakens within Steph regarding her attraction towards women trouble her, and further insists that Steph is a person who likes to follow the ‘rules.’ There is a natural aura of awkwardness surrounding her character, with a scene featuring Steph struggling to m********e to the thought of a girl. She is very quiet, questioning the world around her and her faith.
Steph stares at her reflection while nervously eating nachos—an unexpectedly pivotal moment in her queer awakening in Places of Worship.
“…she returns to the bathroom and decides to become better friends with Joanna…”
There are many dramatic cuts, and the camera framing works in favor of this buildup, sometimes cutting off heads or important realizations just in time. The lighting is standard, a bit dark since most of the movie takes place in a movie theatre. The climax (literally) comes during two key scenes symbolizing Steph’s sexuality. The first, she takes a seat after cleaning up a theatre in which lesbian porn is playing on the projector. Worried someone will see her watching intently, she quickly leaves in shame. The second was an encounter whilst praying with the Virgin Mary. A hallucination, Mary comes to her and reveals her breasts in a suggestive coax. Ready to take her up on the offer, Steph engages in a bit of softcore fun with a thousand-year-old religious figure. These two sexual scenes yield the essence of camp within the film, not taking itself too seriously in its pursuit of religious guilt. Some would say almost blasphemous, but that may just be the intention.
After her encounter with Mary, she returns to the bathroom and decides to become better friends with Joanna, gaining a newfound confidence in her sexuality. The short film features some decent acting, meaningful color schemes representing church, natural teenage costumes, and imparts a message of acceptance to the viewers. If Steph can hook up with The Virgin Mary, everyone can come to appreciate the hidden parts of themselves, even things at first scary to realize. If you’re in the mood for some comedic queer fun, look no further than Places of Worship to find your next place of lesbian courtship.
"…If Steph can hook up with The Virgin Mary..."
