Outfest’s ‘Jeannette’ Celebrates Resilience of Queer Single Mother After Pulse Tragedy
thewrap.com3 million people without electricity.Curran suggested there was a deep connection between Hurricane Maria and Pulse that “hit on a very similar wound,” noting that similar communities were impacted by the events and there was a great deal of neglect in the wake of both tragedies.
Feliciano echoed this similarity through her instinct to help out when her community is in need that was activated during both events. “What happened the night of Pulse when I was sticking my hands in people who were bleeding just to stop the bleeding, taking off my shirt to wrap people’s legs and arms,” Feliciano said, “It was no different when it came to my sister having no electricity, no food and things like that.”Although Curran could not have imagined flying out to Puerto Rico at the film’s start, this tendency toward service reflects the truth of Feliciano’s life. “Not imposing my idea was really important and going with what was actually happening and the emotional energy of her life and of her healing,” Curran said. “That was huge in terms of the trajectory of healing in her life.”As the film premieres at Outfest next week, Feliciano hopes that audiences will replace “Jeannette” with their name, recognizing their own strength and their commitment to keep fighting.
For Curran, the film’s release coincides with “a time of collective trauma” and hopes that the film gives viewers an opportunity to voice what they are going through as well as have conversations about violence and trauma that can become a “bridge to talk about healing, and how we can be better together in community.” “Jeannette” will premiere at Outfest with an in-person screening on Wednesday, July 20, and will be available to stream online July 21 through July 23 ..
