How to use Queer Methodology to create a Film Narrative

”Queers have long been collectors because they are not the subject of official histories and thus have to make it themselves, collecting materials that others might see as marginal”–Ann Cvetkovich

「對你來說的禁忌與奇觀，對我們來說是日常。」（What is taboo and wonder to you is everyday to us.）

FeintI’m heartbroken, I say. You scoff, “Heartbroken? Big deal. Do you know how many people in the world are heartbroken right now? Besides, there are far more important things going on in society than your little breakup.”I tell you my heartbreak isn’t just a breakup—it’s layered, tangled up with where I am, who I am, the class I occupy. It’s not as simple as you make it sound.“Layers, huh?” you challenge. “Tell me about these layers. I bet they’re not as complicated as, say, the EU’s economic mess right now.”“I’m alone,” I say. “Working and living abroad. It sounds glamorous, but it’s exhausting.”“Working and living in your home country is exhausting too!” you shoot back.“I know that,” I reply. “But I’m lonely.”You raise an eyebrow. “What, you think people working in their home countries aren’t lonely? And don’t forget, there are tons of unemployed people out there right now.”“I’m queer,” I say quietly. “The kind who only loves women.”You pause, then shrug. “That’s hardly news. Plenty of people have non-normative orientations, and some weren’t even born cisgender. The social pressures they face are probably way heavier than yours.”“I have generalized anxiety disorder,” I add.You don’t miss a beat. “I know someone with major depressive disorder.”I can feel your impatience. “You’re just venting, aren’t you?” you say. “How can you call this a ‘layered’ heartbreak? How can you say it’s more serious than all the chaos in society right now?”I take a breath. “Because on top of all that—being abroad, being queer, living with anxiety—I’m a person existing in this world, in this society, and now I’m heartbroken too. These things don’t just sit side by side; they pile up, they compound. It’s like how your therapist would never tell you your stress comes from just one thing.”

Loneliness“Confucianism says that being widowed, orphaned, childless, or alone is the most tragic state of human existence,” I say.You tilt your head. “But those ideas come from Chinese culture, brought over by the Nationalists in 1949.”“True,” I reply, “but whether it was before or after martial law, or even for the kids born around 2000, we’ve all been shaped by this education. These concepts are inescapable, burrowed deep into our minds, like a kind of collective trauma.”You nod slightly, but then counter, “Yet in contemporary European thought, ‘loneliness’ and ‘solitude’ are framed from a different angle. Living in today’s society, we’ve imported those ideas too, preaching about the virtues of ‘me time’ and independent thinking.”I press on. “In Confucianism, ‘loneliness’ is an uncared-for child; ‘solitude’ is an elder no one bothers about. And now, with these Western perspectives, we’re being told to embrace this state of being perpetually alone? How much inner conflict does that create?”You look at me, a glint of challenge in your eyes. “You’re thinking in absolutes—right and wrong, black and white. Don’t you see? That’s part of the Nationalist education you’re talking about, too.”

『人靠得再近，也無法真正的溝通，是世間上最孤獨的事。』(How can I express my loneliness to others, even though I cannot share it with them and want to communicate?)