Under the Dress

As a child, Aleksandr could play with his grandmother dresses and explore his desires and identities, which was not a standard gender behavior in Soviet. Later Aleksandr delves into his childhood memories recorded on VHS tapes, which take him back to the universe of freedom and tenderness that he shared with his grandmother. He embarks upon a dazzling drag queen transformation in which he plays his own role: a character in search of his identity. Suspended in a performance between the real and the fantasy, Aleksandr confronts his ideas on sexuality, gender and his own past. “Under the Dress” is a form of self-portrait that combines the filmmaker’s memories with his present day in an oppressive political context.