September 11, 2023
A bullied transgender teen gets caught up with a glamorous newcomer, resulting in fatal consequences, in this tense thriller by McAdam (Blood Sport). After 17-year-old Max Fraser came out as trans to his school’s popular golden boy Danny, their fledgling relationship imploded. Now, a year later, Danny viciously bullies Max, and alongside a lack of community at school, Max must contend with his unsupportive, alcohol-dependent mother while his affirming father is mostly absent working long hours at the fire station. Max’s life upends when new student Emily “Gloss” Devereux arrives in his small English town from London; not only does she immediately befriend him but Gloss steadfastly sticks up for him and bankrolls a self-esteem-boosting makeover that prompts classmates to welcome him back into the popular crowd. Max, who still pines for Danny, doesn’t understand Gloss’s interest in him: are they dating, or are they just friends? But things get complicated when Gloss icily rebuffs Max’s friendship at a party—and someone winds up dead. While the plot’s culmination feels rushed and unconvincing, McAdam persuasively delivers a sensitive portrait of one trans teenager’s experience navigating the roiling, uncertain emotions of adolescence amid a nail-biting murder mystery. Ages 14–up. Agent: Stacey Kondla, Rights Factory.