No Matter What

Faggot* Friends

Intimacy without love and/or sex, what about that? In literature and movies, queer friendships often revolve around a secret, unrequited love (think Call Me By Your Name, Brokeback Mountain, Saltburn). What forms does intimacy take in a relationship where this doesn’t play a role? To explore this more broadly, the creators came up with the framework “faggot friendship.” During the course of the research, it turned out there was little space for such platonic bonds within current systems, leading to a portrait of a dystopian friendship with palpable socio-political overtones. 

*RELNACHT recognises that faggot is a provocative word used in a discriminatory manner. This performance follows in the footsteps of a long history of creators, writers and individuals from the queer community; who reclaimed the word as a slogan. The frame of the ‘faggot friend’ is a conscious choice derived from the queerness of the creative team, including the questions it raises.