June 1. 2012
Evenings Out
Stepping outside the boundaries
by Anthony Glassman
http://www.gaypeopleschronicle.com/stories12/june/0601125.htmOpen is comprised of two storylines, very separate in terms of action but connected thematically, revolving around the central idea of opening oneself to new possibilities.
In the first storyline, Cynthia, a receptionist at a cosmetic surgery clinic, falls in with characters representing Genesis and Lady Jaye Breyer P-Orridge, the performance artists who sought throughout their marriage to blend themselves into a single person. Cynthia, who Yuzna describes as "hermaphroditic," is fascinated by their devotion to one another, and falls inexorably in love with Genesis.
Yuzna does not really mean intersexed, by the way, as one would first think when reading that last sentence. Cynthia (Gaea Gaddy) is classically and mysteriously androgynous, encapsulating both male and female in one body. She is at once both difficult to describe as a character and completely entrancing.
In the other storyline, transman Syd (Morty Diamond) hooks up with artsy gay boy Nick (Daniel Luedtke) at a party, and the two head home for some hot sex. They then have to navigate their sexual relationship while also dealing with an increasing love and a not-quite-shocking turn of events in Syd's life. Pseudo-spoiler: It happened on both The L Word and in real life.
