Star Appeal

Coming alone from Mars to the Earth, ET is brought home by Xiao Bo. Xiao Bo’s girlfriend, Wen Wen totally disbelieves that ET can be an alien, while Xiao Bo’s boyfriend, Xiao Jian is simply skeptical. However, Xiao Bo is rather convinced of ET’s identity. He is very attentive to ET, enthusiastically showing him what the Earth looks like. In order to distract Xiao Bo from ET, Wen Wen masquerades herself as someone from Jupiter. Her plan doesn’t work, however, so to get revenge, Xin Xin declares that she’ll have a mixed Earthling-Martian baby with ET. She brings ET home, teasing him and trying to persuade him to have a baby with her, but instead ET ends up losing consciousness. Coming to his rescue, Xiao Bo inadvertently utters “I love you,” a phrase also used by Martians. Upon hearing this, ET recovers consciousness.

ET used to survive merely on sunlight, never taking any food or drink. It is for Xiao Bo’s sake that ET savors coffee for the first time. He gradually experiences various aspects of life on Earth, learning how to love as well as what the physical limitations of humans are. On the eve of his return to Mars, ET uses the same ultimate human way of expressing love and makes love to Xiao Bo. By this means, he dedicates his Martian’s love to Xiao Bo. Not long after ET has left the Earth, Xiao Bo, who was “infected” by a certain Martian quality during lovemaking, comes back to where they first met, and discovers the way to Mars.

This screening is part of Aliens and Allies, the bonus ninth chapter of the film program Queer Strategies and Tentacles, curated by Rosa Barotsi and Zairong Xiang, and unfolding between November 25th, 2024 and March 16, 2025, with the films of each chapter streaming for two weeks.

For more information, contact program@e-flux.com.