A film by Susan Winter

The odds of Pousse Café being released after so many years is like being struck by lightning. Thanks to the generous support of ShadowCatcher Entertainment’s Executive Producer, David Skinner, Pousse Café has been given a new life. My gratitude is unbounded to him, as well as my colleagues, friends, family and community, without whose efforts this film would never have been made.

Watching the digital transfer of the film for the first time, a tsunami of memories flooded in: the camaraderie on the set, Erich’s innovative Super-16 shooting, my mother and cousin’s spot-on costumes, the Barbie doll escapade, Keith’s miracle art direction (props for free or on loan), Beatrix’s shining screen presence and my father pivoting from scenic carpenter to shrimp boat captain when the actor didn’t show. And most of all, the moving performances of my lead actors, real father and son, Anthony and Dominic.

Working with these two men was a tremendous joy, as we explored characters, who, for all of their excess and protective archness, reveal a poignant, father/son relationship that is not predicated on the son’s sexuality. Through the cocktails and dark humor, Rex and Gerald’s relationship was always the film’s heartbeat and driving inspiration.

It’s a paradoxical gift that Pousse Café is being considered timely in this current climate. While there’ve been major strides in LGBTQ+ community forging its place in mainstream American culture, it’s not been a whole-hearted embrace. We’re witnessing a resurgence of the hateful “otherizing” of these members of our human family, not seen since the AIDS epidemic of the 80s–90s.

It's hard to reckon with Dominic and Anthony no longer being here to talk about this, and to celebrate Pousse Café’s revival together. Though my film was made in what seems like another lifetime, I hope it offers a shot of humor and humanity in our divided world.

– Susan W.