In She’s Nonbinary, trans nonbinary filmmaker Jess McLeod (One of Us Is Lying) brings their lived experience to the screen with unflinching honesty.
In Jess McLeod’s short film She’s Nonbinary, a casual misgendering sparks a full-blown identity crisis. Max—a trans nonbinary person played by McLeod—and their straight, cisgender boyfriend Jake are suddenly forced to confront everything they’ve been avoiding.
Backed by executive producers Bob Odenkirk (Better Call Saul) and Jane Schoenbrun (I Saw the TV Glow), She’s Nonbinary is a dark comedy rooted in McLeod’s own lived experience. “It’s something that’s happened to me,” they told Gayety. “And I know so many people that have had a similar interaction with a partner.”
A Story We Rarely See
The film opens with Max and Jake (Alexander Steele Zonjic) in a moment of intimacy, but tension quickly builds when Max reveals they’ve been approved for top surgery. What follows isn’t explosive in a traditional sense—it’s a slow, emotional unraveling shaped by fear, silence, and misunderstanding. There’s no villain here, just love buckling under the weight of what’s left unsaid.
Written just weeks after a breakup, the project came together quickly. “There was such a tight timeline because I knew I was getting surgery,” McLeod shared. “I was like, I have to do it before I get the surgery that I’ve been waiting for.” That pressure helped shape the film’s urgency—both in its production and its emotional core.
While LGBTQ+ representation has grown, stories like this—intimate, messy, and emotionally complex—are still far too rare. “Where are we seeing this?” McLeod reiterated. “Nowhere.”
“I just wanted to make something that felt authentic to where I was at the time. And I think I did that.”
Meet the Team
“This film is really, really good. It’s intriguing and alive, with excellent performances and visual style. After working with Jess, I knew they were an unstoppable creative force, and this film is a salient example of all the stories they have to tell – I wanted to be involved however I could,” says Odenkirk.
“She’s Nonbinary bravely confronts the silent stuff that never gets talked about in this particular relationship dynamic. It’s daring, funny, and Jess is ecstatic as a performer.” says Schoenbrun. “They’re a powerhouse, and I’m so happy to get in on the ground floor of their filmmaking career with this important short film.”
The film’s also supported by a collaborative creative team that helped bring McLeod’s vision to life. McLeod directed, wrote, produced, co-edited, and starred in the short alongside Zonjic. Meanwhile, the team included producers Erin Purghart and Eva Tavares, director of photography Sydney Bunning, intimacy coordinator Katherine Kadler, and production designer Mia Oberholzer. Many were longtime friends and creative partners, which made sharing such personal material possible. “We’ve all kind of grown up together as creative collaborators,” McLeod said.
How to Support
A public Instagram for She’s Nonbinary can be found here. In the meantime, McLeod encourages audiences to request the film at festivals, attend screenings, and keep supporting independent queer cinema.
“Show up and see it,” they said. “And then tell other people to see it too.”
Jess McLeod is an award-winning trans nonbinary filmmaker and actor, best known for One of Us Is Lying. Their first short, DTF?, premiered at the Oscar-qualifying 2024 Out On Film festival and earned multiple accolades, including Best Director at the Chilliwack Independent Film Festival and Best of BC at Short Circuit.
