This work has not been peer reviewed by the University of the Philippines Rainbow Research Hub or its project members. The views expressed are solely those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect those of the Hub or its project members.
2026 Philippine Queer Studies Conference
POSTER PRESENTATION
Wish i could be part of your world: The queer coding in independent film
Ann Louise C. De Leon
This study analyzes two independent films that tackle relevant issues like coming out. First is the film Baka Bukas a Cinema One film by Samantha Lee (2016) starring Jasmine Curtis Smith and Louise De Los Reyes about a closeted gay girl who struggles to come out in her closeted creative world of social media and production design world. Second is the indie film called Hello Dracula a (2020) a Korean film by Kim Da-Ye starring Seohyun of Girls Generation who plays the role Anna a grade schoolteacher who tries to live her life according to her mother’s wishes. These two independent films are depicting the presence of queer coded characters as closets code creates the implication that homosexuality is immoral. This article anchors in the Disney movie The Little Mermaid (1989) which traces the code-era tracing of antagonistic characters. The Little Mermaid (1989) film conquers heterosexuality world and prevents homosexual lifestyles which supports the queer coding in the closeted characters in Baka Bukas (2016) and Hello Dracula (2020). Using a historical era in American film industry called the Hays Code or a code that demonizes homosexuality in public. This study anchors in The Disney Renaissance or a historical era in foreign films in 1968 when queer and coded characters were portrayed while it was in effect had a long-lasting effect in films. Like the 1990s era of films, there was a higher chance of fictional characters in film and tv series but being explicitly queer. Likewise, queer coded characters were often antagonistic. As a case in point in a Disney film The Little Mermaid in 1989, the mermaid Ariel falls in love with the human prince Eric despite her father’s wishes against visiting the forbidden surface of the ocean. As Ariel disobeys her father, a sea witch Ursula lures Ariel into a deal in which Ariel can gain legs for three days. Ursula’s physical appearance can be linked to a prominent member of LGBTQIA+ community. Also, Ariel can be considered as the closeted member since she wants to be part of a world that accepts only humans with legs not half. Ariel’s wish to be part of her prince world categorically gives her a closeted character. The ground of having a character tries to fit in a society which only accepts heterosexuality is the main point of this article. This article tries to investigate the emergence of queer and depiction of closeted sexuality in independent films specifically the character of Alex in Baka Bukas who secretly falls in love with her best friend and Ji-Anna the character in a Korean tv series Hello Dracula. This article also examines the treatment of queer characters in independent film and tv focusing on the effects Queer coding and how the queer coding methods works in Asian film and tv series.
