A high school committee debates a trans athlete’s right to compete; parents and students arrive certain of where they stand, but leave changed by the humanity they didn’t expect to find in each other.
Director’s Vision for ‘The Machine’
I created The Machine to explore what happens when people with opposing beliefs are asked to truly listen to one another. Inspired by 12 Angry Men, the film drops us into a heated high school debate on whether a trans athlete should be allowed to compete on the girls’ team. What starts as a shouting match of certainties shifts when a teacher introduces a theater game, breaking the tension and opening space for something more human to emerge.
This is not a film about providing answers, it’s about the value of questions. Our culture is quick to divide, label, and dismiss. I wanted to create a space where nuance could live, where people can soften, not because they were persuaded, but because they were heard.
The story is deeply personal. As a father to a queer daughter with a trans partner, I’ve seen firsthand how loaded conversations about identity can be. But I’ve also seen how powerful it can be when people choose curiosity over judgment.
The Machine doesn’t preach. It invites. I hope that audiences leave the film with less certainty and more willingness to engage with people of other views.
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