"How do you write someone's last words when you can't even remember who they are?"

When a lonely community college choreographer receives an invitation to deliver the eulogy for a man he doesn't remember, he travels back to his hometown of New York City and, through repressed memories, reconnects with his first love: A boy. In his struggle to finish the eulogy, he is forced to relive and confront his traumatic past and what led him to forget it all, surging an internal struggle between maintaining his stable and dependable life or looking back and acknowledging his history.

Boys Don't Dance explores how homophobia, peer pressure, and the fragile expectations of masculinity not only harm queer persons directly, but also indirectly by burying their sexuality deep within out of shame, especially during the developing years of a teen. Trauma in children fundamentally changes the brain, mistaking learned behavior for fact, which allows it to be weaponized by oppressive groups.

The story also opens the discussion of what freedom means. Our story takes place in New York City, the city watched by the Statue of Liberty, the city where everyone can be whoever they want to be. In a country that preaches freedom, it is hypocritical how sexual intolerance still runs rampant. Our story makes light of that fact, showing off this American Hypocrisy in all its red, white, and blue.

Boys Don't Dance highlights the lasting effects of sexual violence and how shame intersects with masculinity. Instead of simply depicting the act, our film lingers on how, even without recollection of the events, our protagonist was fundamentally changed within one night.

"This film is extremely personal to my own experience as a queer person in America. It’s not a story about homophobia; rather, it’s a story about growth. It’s a story of a man remembering his first love, a boy. It’s a story about memory living beyond a heartbeat. It’s a story that reminds us that sometimes we have to confront our demons before we can remember our blessings. It’s a story about love."

- (Writer/Director Enzo Peluffo)

Films that Boys Don’t Dance takes inspiration from:

All of Us Strangers

Mysterious Skin

Moonlight

The Perks of Being A Wallflower

Mulholland Drive

Call Me By Your Name

In difficult times like today, it’s easy to find yourself trapped inside who the world wants you to be. The world may tell you who you should be, and people around you may tell you what you need to do, but ultimately, only you can define yourself. Remember your dances, not your fights.

Arthur (Male, 39)

Arthur Finegold is a struggling choreographer for a community college in Yonkers. Arthur is withdrawn, controlled, and emotionally guarded from the outside world. His creative block mimics his emotional repression, a feeling which is challenged as he is tasked with writing the eulogy for a forgotten childhood lover. Arthur’s central conflicts lie in dealing with his vulnerability, both in queerness and his trauma. His arc revolves around reclaiming agency in his past, letting love outshine his pain.

Sticks (Male, 15)

A younger Arthur. Sticks is quiet, not out of timidness, but as a survival strategy. His nickname comes from the fact that he’s thinner and smaller than the rest of the boys he spends time with; he’s the runt of the litter, and as a runt, the other boys don’t go easy on him. Sticks is a sensitive boy, not yet sure of who he is supposed to be, or what he’s allowed to feel. Sticks struggles to hide his sexuality from a disapproving world. 

Jersey (Male, 16)

Jersey was Arthur’s first love growing up. Jersey is confident, outgoing, and unafraid to show himself to the world. He is decently lean and isn’t afraid to show it. Given his influence within their friend group, Jersey acts as a protector and mentor to Sticks before becoming a lover. Jersey represents freedom and possibility, a version of masculinity that allows for softness. He is a reminder of who Arthur was.

Manny (Male, 18)

Manny is the unspoken leader of Stick’s group of friends. He is charismatic, but physically imposing. He is also much older than the other boys. Manny enforces masculinity through humiliation and dominance, disguising his prejudice as camaraderie. Manny embodies Wrath.

Brooke (Male, 17)

Manny’s second in command. Loud, obedient, and morally flexible. Brooke demonstrates complicity in his actions by blindly following Manny in order to avoid becoming a target himself. Brooke embodies Sloth.

Coney (Male, 17)

The wannabe jester. Coney seeks attention from his peers at any given opportunity. His actions are motivated not by hatred, but by desperation and confusion stemming from his own complicated feelings and need for acceptance. Coney embodies Envy.

Melissa (Female, 30s)

As Arthur's wife, Melissa is the one person who could understand him if he opened up to her. She worries for Arthur, but allows him to make his own decisions without input. 

We are planning to raise $10k before production begins. Most of that budget will go into properly feeding our crew, paying our cast, transportation, G&E, and production design!

We plan to distribute this project through a variety of film festivals across the country. This short film is a proof of concept, so our hopes lie in the film being picked up during festival runs.

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