MOVIE

The World Is Lit by Lightning

· 18 min ·

New Orleans, 1943, a happenstance meeting in bar between a writer and a young person of undefinable gender sparks new inspiration for one of the greatest works of mid-century theater. Tom, a playwright, is having a drink in his local haunt as a storm approaches. The bartender, Brick, acknowledges that the storm is on its way. Tom spots a young person (Kipp) across the bar, and wonders "if it's a boy or a girl." He engages the young person, and after some flirtations, and mixed signals, Tom invites the young person back to his apartment. It is clear by now that the person was born male, but has blurred the lines of his gender expression. Over the course of the night, Tom is inspired by Kipp's story, and ultimately uses the encounter (which never turns sexual) to continue on his work, one of Tennessee Williams's masterpieces.