Transmasculine boxer Remy (Beck Williams) is struggling with dysphoria and knows their decision to transition will likely affect their marriage. Running a local boxing club, Remy meets Joey (Bex Taylor-Klaus), a transman who is returning to training but worried about being judged by the boxing community. Remy invites Joey to train with them, and the two find a kinship and support system that they both desperately need.
‘Pace’ is a 15-minute short feature from Beck Williams, who wrote, directs and stars in it. In its short duration, the film delivers a nuanced exploration of being trans in a way that I haven’t seen before. Williams story doesn’t tell the shiny PR version of transitioning, it shows the warts-and-all of the decision, along with the impact on the person doing it and those around them. For Remy their transition is a line in the sand for their wife, and this is one of the most interesting aspects of the short. I can’t recall ever seeing the partner of a trans person expressing the conflict inside of them as the person they love transforms into something different than what they fell in love with.
Outside of the marriage, Remy is clearly struggling and meeting Joey provides a much-needed lifeline. Like them, Joey is struggling too following his transition but his concerns are what others around him will think and say. Joey opens up to Remy, acknowledging that the two of them are going through a similar experience and their time together training is the only time they can be truly honest. Through both characters, Williams reinforces the idea that it’s OK not to be OK, and not to have all the answers as you go through huge change.
Both Williams and Taylor-Klaus give strong performances. They dig deep, likely into their own experiences as trans people, to give their characters a rounded and realistic feel. Neither shies away from a topic still considered taboo and misunderstood by many. Williams isn’t here to preach, they are here to share their experience and that results in a compelling short.
‘Pace’ tackles difficult subject matter and it does so in an engaging and realistic way. Williams gives us two deeply conflicted characters to spend time with and they make you think. Trans is very much a hot button issue in the world right now and Williams’ voice in the conversation is vital. It may only last 15 minutes but ‘Pace’ offers plenty of food for thought long after the credits roll.
Cast: Beck Williams, Bex Taylor-Klaus, Kelly Lou Dennis Director: Beck Williams Writer: Beck Williams Certificate: Unrated Duration: 15 mins Released by: Beck Williams Release date: 29th September 2024 (Out on Film Atlanta)
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