By Hook or by Crook

2001
5.7| 1h43m| en
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By Hook or by Crook chronicles the tale of two unlikely friends who commit petty crimes as they search for a path to understanding themselves and the outside world. Silas Howard plays Shy (a transgender man), who leaves his small town after the death of his father, and heads to the big city to live a life of crime. Along the way, he encounters Valentine, a quirky adoptee, in search of his birth mother. An immediate kinship is sparked between these men and they become partners in crime. Suffering money troubles, emotional problems, and physical confrontations, the duo face their issues head on and learn to trust each other and support each other in pursuit of their goals.

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Also starring Harry Dodge

Reviews

Executscan Expected more
Taraparain Tells a fascinating and unsettling true story, and does so well, without pretending to have all the answers.
Invaderbank The film creates a perfect balance between action and depth of basic needs, in the midst of an infertile atmosphere.
Philippa All of these films share one commonality, that being a kind of emotional center that humanizes a cast of monsters.
fagboibug I find this piece amazing, one of the few portrayals of butch identity in film. It's a buddy story really, mixed a lil with road movie and a dash of coming of age story. The writer/director/actor team of Howard and Dodge prove their versatility and strength by bringing characters to life that are so marginalized out in the world. Also a great performance by Stanya Kahn as Billie: an awesome Fem character that deserves a whole movie of her own. Visually, this is one of the better digital films you will see from 2001. The soundtrack kicks. "A man's journey is but the search for the first great images that gained access to his heart."One of a kind, highly recommended.
indietrash I didn't go out of my way to see this one but I found myself surprised at how interested I was in these characters. I found them very believable.I suppose some sections may have appeared creaky or stiff. But those of us who are fans of indies, well, every now & then it's worth it to wait out the imperfect stuff.My favorite parts of the movie were times in which not too much was going on - when the characters were just hangin' out talkin' well, trash. I found at least one of Val's crazy musings fairly thought provoking.And I was really impressed with how they decided to go with Sly's attempt to hold up a convenience store toward the end of the movie. That seemed -very- believable.I dunno..I wish I could hang out with these two more. One hopes for further adventures...More than anything tho, I was just glad they found each other. They make one hell of a team.
PeterMH Drag King lowlife drifter film had interesting premise but turns out to be one of the worst films ever made for the niche lesbian market. With the advent of cheap filmmaking equipment everybody thinks they're creative, but they're not. This film is like a Super8 film all kids make when they're bored during summer vacation.
weber2000 A great and truly independent film that hit most of my emotions and carried me into another world. Isn't this why we go to the movies? I was especially impressed with the editing and the music, the combination of which was very transportive.