Seek Bromance

by Samira Elagoz

Samira Elagoz dedicated years to filming and researching cis men when still a female artist. While his previous works explored cis-men and masculinity in its different forms from an outside position when still identifying as a woman, his latest work Seek Bromance (2021) changes the vantage point as Elagoz captured his own transition.

Seek Bromance is a trans romance situated at the end of the world somewhere between insta-reality and sci-fi dystopia. It shows a relationship between two transmasculines who met during the beginning of the pandemic, who both have a history of performing extremely feminine characters but who have very different attitudes as to what masculinity can be. The images that Samira Elagoz captures with his collaborator, Brazilian artist Cade Moga, document their relation, from the moment they first met to their final breakup. But they also document Elagoz’s long farewell to his femme identity. A painfully beautiful, deserted world, as if a virus had wiped everything out, and they could only be infected by each other. With just a car, some cash, and a supply of testosterone they expose the integral dynamics of masculinity and femininity.

“I set out to edit a work that I needed to see while struggling with my gender. A trans work where it’s not about educating cis people, or justifying our existence or being shiny positive examples, but a real story, where the trans protagonists are complex and troubled, progressive and admirable, problematic and relatable. Where they are rebels, lovers and creators.” - Samira Elagoz