THE STORY OF LEE & CHARLIE

Lee, a trans man in his early 30’s, is creating a family with his wife, Charlie. When we first meet Lee- we learn that he must go off his hormone replacement therapy (HRT- testosterone) in order to start menstruating again. We learn that Lee has been on HRT for many years and this new shift in hormones will deeply effect his body. Once Lee begins to menstruate, his egg retrieval procedure is close behind him. After Lee’s procedure, his body faces a big adjustment from going off and then back on hormones. A few months pass and we see Charlie in the early stages of pregnancy carrying Lee’s retrieved egg. We watch the couple care for each other throughout Charlie’s pregnancy through tender baby-kicking moments and past twinkling memories revisited. We reach a brand new territory with the couple’s arrival of their baby, Emma. Charlie, much like Lee during his hormone journey, is facing a hormonal imbalance. She is in the throes of post-partum depression. Lee has taken on the role of primary caretaker for himself, Charlie, and Emma. It’s exhausting him. After a well-intended surprise gone wrong, Lee and Charlie get into a heated argument resulting in Lee leaving the home momentarily. Charlie is alone with Emma for the first time since birth. Time passes and we meet the couple again, but this time in couples therapy. Through their therapists gentle nature, we discover how both Lee and Charlie have been navigating the beginning of parenthood. 

LOGLINE: 

Lee, a trans man, and his wife Charlie are smack dab in the middle of creating a family. Insecurities, hormone imbalances, loss of bodily autonomy, and the exhaustion of new parenthood test the limits of  this resilient queer couple. 

CHARACTER BREAKDOWNS: 

LEE: Trans man in his early 30’s. Partnered to Charlie and is deeply in love. Lee is a quiet guy. He did not grow up in a supportive and loving household. He carries nervous energy around becoming a father, especially becoming a trans father. Lee is gentle, happy, and calm on the surface. His brain is constantly swimming with thoughts. His heart holds both tremendous pain and happiness. 

CHARLIE: Early 30’s. Grew up in a big, loud family. Charlie is a fierce soul and creates a safe space for  Lee. She has no problem being honest and upfront. While she has always seen herself becoming a  mother, she has never seen this journey more clearly than when she fell in love with Lee. Charlie is very certain of herself except in the moments she is not. Charlie is by no means controlling, but is uncomfortable when she doesn’t have control. 

THERAPIST: Any Gender. Age 40’s-70’s Calm, gentle, present, helpful, and lovely. 

EMMA: Lee and Charlie’s baby. Just a cute baby being a baby. Unseen by the viewer.

DR. K: Lee and Charlie’s primary care doctor. Any Gender. Over 30. Unseen and exists as a VO.

SCRIPT EXCERPT:

A NOTE FROM ELI:

We’ve all seen cinematic stories similar to Lee & Charlie. Boy meets girl. Boy and girl get married. Boy and girl start a family. The end. And from first glance, this story might look like that, but if you peel back one layer you find the rich complexities and struggles beneath. Pregnancy storylines are rarely told through the lens of “the father.” This storyline has a hyper-focus on Lee in the beginning. Lee is a different type of father. He is a trans father. With the lack of education and misinformation on trans healthcare- that’s why we follow Lee. Most people don’t know that when an AFAB (assigned female at birth) person begins to medically transition with HRT that they most likely stop menstruating- which is the case for Lee. Like Lee, to begin menstruating again, HRT must cease.

As a trans man myself- I have experienced this personal journey. While I haven’t begun the journey of family planning with my wife just yet, I deeply know the ins and outs of the hormone rollercoaster of HRT. I chose to focus on Lee with extreme intention. While Lee has always been a man in whatever physical form he was presenting to the world at the time, this is the first time he’s experiencing a period in his CURRENT form. It’s scary, discombobulating, and uncomfortable. Something that’s worth mentioning is the reality that Lee has to “out” himself in every medical situation. Every doctor he sees Lee’s doctors in this story are receptive, open, and accepting, but that is rarely the experience trans folks have with their doctors. I chose to not write trans suffering into Lee’s medical experiences because trans and queer viewers deserve to see the hopeful possibility that they will be cared for no matter what.

I wrote Lee & Charlie for a multitude of reasons. The big one being, yes, my wife and I are planning to have a family, but there are a lot of other reasons. As a trans performer I rarely get to see my life experience accurately portrayed in film/television/theatre. For a very long time the only transmale/transmasc storyline I had ever seen was when Hilary Swank played Brandon Teena in the film "Boys Don't Cry." Now if you've seen that film or know Brandon's real life story- you know that it ends in epic tragedy. You know that the role of a transman was played by a cisgender woman. Queer and trans stories are often told through the lens of suffering. Cis actors are often cast as trans or queer people. I wanted to be a part of a creative movement where I both stop that from happening and create new pathways for LGBTQ+ stories to exist without them being skewed through a heteronormative narrative. We deserve to tell our stories. My community deserves to tell their stories. I deserve to tell my story.

As the team for the film continues to grow- everyone who joins on has the same thing to say, "this film is so important." This storyline showcases this particular trans and queer couple with clarity. This film is absolutely catered to the trans and queer community, but the realistic emotions from the characters give the film a universal reach. Any type of couple, parent, partner, husband, wife, co-parent, mother, father, etc. will be able to find some slice of themselves in this story.

This is a script that deserved to exist 30+ years ago. It deserves to exist now because like they have always been- trans rights are under siege. The story of Lee & Charlie provides basic trans health care education. It invites the audience into a very sacred and private part of LGBTQ+ lives. Parenting and building families in the trans and queer community is nothing new. It’s just a new story to your average individual. Be above average. Engage with us and help our story grow.

TEAM STORY:

In the beginning, this script had the intention of just existing as a passion project, but it has turned into something so much bigger. It stayed in his mind as a passion project because of the time it was written in. The script budded to existence in the middle of the pandemic. After losing countless gigs and seeing future creative endeavors be canceled or postponed- the idea of creating his own project seemed hopeless. But Eli had his first table read with just his wife and co-producer/director Leah Raidt. After that first read, Leah and Eli knew they had to work together. They decided that, even in a pandemic, they were still going to make this happen. Leah is a force to be reckoned with. Her experience with trauma informed direction and strong positive leadership puts her in the perfect position to direct this film. 

The script went through a few more drafts and Eli was finally ready to share his script with a bigger team of trusted creative allies. The table read was a smashing success and provided both Eli and Leah a springboard of excitement to keep this project going. 

Shortly after the table read and the script building a solid foundation, Eli and Leah started meeting regularly to connect with community and figure out how to build the best team to carry the story of Lee & Charlie. After Leah and Eli combined their lists- Trina Mulligan joined the team as Director of Photography.

Trina's gentle and calm approach to cinematography is exactly the energy needed for the set of Lee & Charlie. The script has a fair amount of intimate moments and Trina's presence alone creates a safe working environment. Between her attention to detail and unique eye, our film will be as beautiful as it is powerful. 

OUR COVID SAFETY PLAN:

Our set will require proof of vaccination for all of cast and crew. Our Production Coordinator/COVID Safety Coordinator will facilitate mandatory rapid COVID tests each morning upon arrival to set for cast and crew. Unless eating or drinking, everyone will be required to wear a mask at all times. The actors will be unmasked during active filming. We will also provide extra masks, gloves, and hand sanitizer.  

FUNDRAISING GOALS:

L & C is in its first phase of fundraising. Our total desired budget for the film is $40K. We recently finished a fiscal sponsorship application in the hopes of receiving $20K to help us reach our goal.

Throughout June, we will continue to build and refine our storyboard and finalize script edits. Our campaign will be running all of June and into July. July will also involve the on-boarding process of the rest of the team and crew along with securing camera and lighting equipment.

August makes way for us to apply for the Full Spectrum Features Community Storytelling Grant and The Frameline Completion Fund. The month of August will also involve rehearsals with actors, director, and intimacy choreographer. 

In September we will shoot the film over the course of 4 days. Once wrapped, October 2022-December 2022 will begin the editing process. During that time we will apply for DCASE & Illinois Art Council Grant.

Thank you for reading!

Sincerely,

The L & C Team

Pssst- use these hashtags when sharing our campaign! #leeandcharliefilm #chicagofilmmakers #queer #trans #lgbtq #pride