A new queer cinematic work to sway dreamily into the consciences of critics and cinemagoers, Into The Mirror is a surreal, thoughtful and at time distressing portrayal of a young man grappling with his identity.
Daniel has just moved to London – he’s got an office job with a boss who drips menacingly with toxic masculinity, but an ally in the form of friend and colleague Blue (not Blu Hydrangea although that would be fab).
Blue leads him from drab office conformity into a euphoric, fluid underworld, full of fishnets and frivolity. As Daniel dissects his past life experiences and explores this exciting new milieu, he starts to discover who he really is, underneath his protective costume of suits and ties.
We spoke to the lead actor and co-writer of the film Jamie Bacon to find out more.
Into The Mirror is a very dreamlike, surreal piece of cinema – is that what you were going for when you wrote it?
I’m a massive fan of David Lynch, that kind of genre of film. Very colourful, and not too plainly written out. I wanted to make people feel something in a certain way. We didn’t want a traditional drama.
Particularly with LGBT subject matter, a lot of stuff has been done before – the film does well at keeping things fairly original.
Thank you! We wanted to keep the start of the film naturalistic, and then there’s this moment when everything flips for Daniel. The whole film is underlined by his desires and his demons. Self-consciousness as well. We wanted to make people feel a little bit claustrophobic, and a little bit trippy, and tell the story that way.
For readers who haven’t seen the movie, how would you sum it up for them?
It’s a story about acceptance and identity, but as well as that, it’s a celebration of what people go through with transitions – and the bravery that requires. It’s an in-depth portrait of a character going through this journey.
Daniel wears dresses and makeup during the movie – during filming, was that your first time doing that?
Well I’ve been doing drama and acting since I was a kid. There’s actually a picture of me somewhere in my nan’s clothes, my cousins all dressed me up, when I was like seven years old. I’m very in touch with my feminine side and I’ve got no boundaries when it comes to that. So yeah, I’ve done it before. But for the part, it was a lot more intense and a lot different, because the headspace I was in for Daniel was obviously a lot more meaningful.
Where do you think Daniel fits in on the LGBT spectrum?
When I was writing this, it was really important to not give any labels to anyone in the film. I think it’s really important for people to draw their own conclusions on who he is and where he goes. It’s nice that way.
Into The Mirror is in limited UK cinemas and on Amazon Prime Video and iTunes from 22nd November. It’s also playing at The Eagle at 8pm this Friday 22nd.
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