[Lauchenoiria]

Film Title: Pointed
Nominating Nation: Glanainn

Nomination Category/Categories: Best Supporting Actor, Best Costume Design
Language: English, Gaelic
Run Time: 114 mins
Director: Moira McInnes
Producing Studio/Company: Swords and Stars Productions

Cast:
Morag Kyles as Rhiannon
Torquil MacCrum as Oscar
Ivor McCallum as Cadfan
Kenina MacCallion as Cáelfind
Ally Leslie as Ailbe (Best Supporting Actor nominee)
Euan Glen as Iudris
Senga Begbie as Bláthíne

Brief Summary:
In the mythical kingdom of Puingaela, King Cadfan (Ivor McCallum) and Queen Cáelfind (Kenina MacCallion) of the elves rule with an iron fist over the round-eared humans, who are treated little better than animals. The short-lived humans, around for a mere tenth of an elven lifespan, can only hope to live in the forest as hunter-gatherers or eke out a meagre living on the fringes of elven civilisation. The few human settlements are strictly monitored and controlled by the elves, lest the humans gain any measure of independence. The pointier one’s ears, the more power they have in this society. Despite this, the human couple Oscar (Torquil MacCrum) and Rhiannon (Morag Kyles) begin to organise a rebellion in secret.

They are aided by a pair of elves with less-sharp ear points, Iudris (Euan Glen) and Bláthíne (Senga Begbie) who were exiled from Puingaela for breaching the arcane and complex code of etiquette of the elves. The goal of the small group of rebels is to found a human kingdom on the far side of the forest – something many have tried, only to be destroyed by the threatened elves. Panicked, the elven monarchs send Ailbe (Ally Leslie), their intersex child, to the humans to negotiate. In elven society, (identifiable without modern medicine) intersex conditions are even rarer than in humans, and the birth of an intersex baby in the royal family was prophesised long ago to herald the coming of a new age. The elves fear that this will bring an Age of Humanity and reduce their grip on the world.

However, to the elven monarchs’ shock, Ailbe, whose ears are sharp enough to pierce human skin, agrees to assist the humans with the founding of their own homeland, through sharing elven technology and elven protection. King Cadfan and Queen Cáelfind ask Ailbe why and she tells them not to worry, that she is merely giving the humans an illusion of control. Decades pass and the humans build their own city. The film ends with an elderly Oscar and Rhiannon discussing matters of governance… with Ailbe, unchanged by age, hovering over their shoulder, reading all their correspondence.

What makes this film special? Why was it nominated for these categories?
The film received attention for the prominent role of Ally Leslie, a non-binary actor, in the role of an intersex individual who identifies as non-binary. Their acting as Ailbe was noted for being eerie and inhuman as an elf, as well as their portrayal of a non-binary character who eschews traditionally androgynous appearance to define their own way out of the binary mould.

The creativity of the fantasy costumes depicting the elves and humans was also noted, with the elven characters looking suitably not-human and the use of clothing and ears to denote social class, despite different ways of noting class between the human and elven societies.

Additional Info:
While not noted by domestic critics, foreign critics have clearly noticed certain themes of empire and covert control, which they say mimics Glanainn’s current situation as a protectorate of Opthelia. It is uncertain whether this is purposeful; especially as the Glannish government tends to clamp down on pro-independence sentiments.