Austin’s contribution to movie lore is about to get much weirder.
The festival known as aGLIFF is presenting a psychedelic romp featuring Austin queer fitness guru Erica Nix. And it’s quite a romp, with an opening scene of Erica hosting her weekly Zoom meeting where witches have an on-screen orgy.
The movie, which was shot during the COVID pandemic and pays homage to the awkward ways folks tried to stay connected, has many themes that Austinites have come to expect. Erica worries that Austin’s evolution from sleepy weird town to big-time technology hub will leave little room for her in the future, and she desperately wants to remain relevant.
Her fevered-dream mentor is none other than Leslie, the longtime street weirdo who often ran for mayor. And Erica reveals that her mother is worried that she will end up like Leslie, homeless and on the streets.
The title of the movie is “Erica’s First Holy Shit,” which refers to the magical moment when Erica decides that the answer to her troubles is to run for mayor, just like Leslie did. In real life, Erica has indeed collected enough signatures to get on the ballot, and is indeed running for mayor.
Before Erica launches her campaign, however, we witness a series of masturbatory moments, with Erica watching her inner child thrusting her crotch against a pillow, then seeking advice from God, Gwyneth Paltrow, Mother Nature and Satan.
The movie is the result of a queer art collective known as This is Not a Cult. It includes Erica Kid, Jessica Gardner, Sawyer Stoltz and Jeremy Von Stilb as well as drag queens, musicians, burlesque dancers and comedians.
Nikki DaVaughn plays God, who chastises Erica for her Only Fans account online, where God says she has “put her pussy behind a paywall.”
Lynn Metcalf plays Gwyneth Paltrow, who spouts a lot of nonsense about nothing important.
And the meeting with Mother Nature ends up with an exploration of the insides of Mother’s colon, where Satan resides.
Yes, it’s a weird little movie with a lot of Austin characters, including p1nkstar and Christeene.
It’s having its world premiere at the festival on Friday night.
