Eat Your Heart Out

Blas (Lifetime Passes) teams up with newcomers Newton and Anslow for a beguiling fable set in New York City’s queer demimonde. Stifled by a career-driven mother, recent high school grad Blanca flees Boise, Idaho, for the Big Apple to pursue her dream of becoming a fashion designer. There, she befriends a close-knit cadre of multicultural creative types, including models and photographers, who offer her temporary lodging in their shared West Village brownstone and an entrée into their social set. Putting her plucky determination and dress-making skills to the test (“Wow, I know a queen who would love to wear that!” one of her roommates gushes over a sketch), Blanca quickly becomes ensconced in the neighborhood’s swirling, wisecracking milieu. But with financial trouble brewing at the beloved local drag hangout and her mother in hot pursuit (she’s hired a professional investigator to track her wayward daughter), the clock on Blanca’s ambitions may soon run out. Anslow’s bubbly character designs, accented with glowing colors by Claudia Aguirre, energize the heartfelt narrative, which humorously touches on coming-of-age tropes and the value of found family. Glamorous queer aesthetics, fairy tale optimism, and earthy sincerity uplift this breezy coming-of-age tale, which will appeal to fan’s of Ai Yazawa’s Paradise Kiss series. (Aug.)