Austin Nunes is a queer filmmaker, cinematographer and editor from Berlin. He is best known for his award-winning campaign featuring Aquaria and his work with RuPaul’s Drag Race stars such as Bob The Drag Queen, Yvie Oddly, and Rosé. He has also worked with Sienna Miller, Troye Sivan, and Colman Domingo. In the past decade, he directed multiple short films. His latest creation Into the Bloo premiered at Out on Film: Atlanta’s LGBTQ Film Festival.
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Eoghan Lyng – How did you first meet Lagoona [David Brumfield], and how did the idea of the film come about?
Austin Nunes – I first met Lagoona Bloo during World Pride in 2019 as she performed the National Anthem with her drag sisters for ABC news. I filmed behind the scenes for the trio, and continued from that day on collaborating with each of them in different ways. Lagoona from that point was ascending to her life now as a pop performer, and I knew it was a journey I wanted to document. I wasn’t prepared for the story I uncovered as we delved deeper into Lagoona’s past.
EL – Lagoona talks about forgiveness during the film; is that the core theme of the short?
AN – Definitely, I think forgiveness is the key to Lagoona’s healing. There was so much trauma and pain that her family burdened her with, but she’s also able to see the good in them. Despite fat and queer shaming David at a young age, his mother was an exceptional model of femininity that David now channels into his drag. Despite his father beating him, he gave him the gift of music.
EL – Do you think Lagoona’s background as the child of a Mexican immigrant shaped their musical journey?
AN – I think Lagoona’s Mexican heritage is so present in her performances, from bilingual renditions of “Part of Your World” to impersonations of her mother. She also has Spanish / Spanglish versions of her English songs, which I think is fun and really bridges cultures.
EL – “My mom would say crazy shit to me…” do you believe that this was a therapeutic confession for the protagonist?
AN – I think what’s important about this statement is that she once thought that the way her parents behaved was how everyone’s parents behaved. And I think that’s so relatable because how are we supposed to know what the norm is when we’re growing up? Now because of the inner work that Lagoona continues to do, she can recognise what wasn’t ok, and then move into forgiveness.
EL – Metallica documentary Some Kind of Monster (Bruce Sinofsky and Joe Berlinger, 2004) made guitarists Kirk Hammett and James Hetfield uncomfortable at points due to the raw nature of the final cut. Were there similar misgivings when Lagoona watched Into The Bloo?
AN – Oh my god, yes! There was a point that Lagoona called me and was like, hey this is really beautiful but I don’t think I can show this to the world. And I told her I totally understood, and was willing to accept the losses. However, a few weeks went by and she called me back, eager to tell me she thinks it’s important and her story could help other people like her.
EL – For a short work, Into The Bloo packs a lot in: immigration, emotional abuse, queer issues. It must have been challenging to sandwich so much with such an economy?
AN – I think that all of those different traumas are so intricately related to each other it became necessary to touch on all of them. In order to make an efficient short film, I divided it into 2 main acts: Mom is act 1, Dad is act 2. As long as my selected moments served the arc of each of the parents, it made sense to pack it in.
EL – During the concert montages, ocean blues are centred in the forefront. Is that meant to represent the voyage the subject and audience are going down?
AN – It’s Lagoona Bloo! Blue is so foundational to her drag persona it’s part of the fabric of anything you capture with her. That being said, Into The Bloo is no doubt a deep “dive” into Lagoona’s past, and we love a double meaning.
EL – “I’m more in tune with capturing my emotions”: Do many songwriters realise their internal emotions through their work?
AN – I think that’s universal to a lot of artists. I think it’s also why people keep journals. The act of putting your inner turmoil, joy or other emotions down on paper has the power to enlighten the person who writes it. We all become more aware by doing, but I think when someone strong minded and highly artistic like Lagoona does it, we get really compelling results.
EL – Wings of Love is highlighted as one of Lagoona’s finest songs. What is it about that track that speaks to audiences?
AN – I think Wings of Love has a kind of pop ecstasy, it’s about taking flight and trusting love. It was also notably her Dad’s favorite track off the Aqua album, which gave us a great opportunity to include it in the end of act 2 as sort of a tribute to Lagoona’s dad, and an uplifting and inspiring send-off for audiences.
EL – Do you think there is an appetite for a follow-up work with Lagoona; a longer version of the story, perhaps? And are you working on anything else at present?
AN – What’s crazy is, Into The Bloo is only the tip of the Bloo iceberg. Don’t forget, we had over 50 hours of childhood tapes to work with. Since this film premiered, Lagoona has went on to be in an off-broadway show, and tour the country. There’s SO much story to tell, and we’ve talked lots about a feature. I’m also starting to capture footage for a documentary with x2 Production about the plight of the trans experience in the world of dating apps. So, more on that soon!
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Austin Nunes is pictured at the top of this interview. The other image is a still of Into the Bloo.