Shoppers are tuning into a wave of queer storytelling that prefers messy honesty over tidy answers , and Jess McLeod’s rise this year proves why. The actor, writer and director is turning a personal short into a hopeful feature, popping up in buzzy queer projects and insisting representation should feel human, complicated and welcoming.

Essential Takeaways

  • Breakout year: McLeod has appeared in high-profile projects including Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma and AMC’s The Audacity, bringing a textured nonbinary presence to screens.
  • Personal storytelling: Their short film She’s Nonbinary , written, directed and starring McLeod , is being expanded into a feature with executive producers including Bob Odenkirk and Jane Schoenbrun.
  • Nuanced characters: McLeod wants nonbinary people to be shown as morally complicated, not moral paragons, making characters feel honest and recognisable.
  • Emotional texture: The feature will treat identity and relationships with warmth and humour , McLeod describes it as a romantic comedy with a happy ending.
  • Festival-ready: The short has played festivals and the feature is gathering industry attention, signalling wider appetite for imperfect queer narratives.

Why messy characters feel truer than perfection

The strongest thing about McLeod’s work is its refusal to tidy up human contradiction , you can almost feel the friction in a line reading. According to interviews, they’re drawn to roles that lean into moral grey areas rather than presenting nonbinary people as flawless moral compasses. That choice lands: audiences recognise themselves in people who muddle through.

This approach matters because representation often ossifies into stereotypes , the saintly mentor, the tragic figure, the token friend. By choosing messy, funny, ethically dubious roles, McLeod and collaborators are widening the script of what queer life can look like on screen. For viewers still figuring things out, that frankness can be a relief.

From short film to feature: expanding She’s Nonbinary

She’s Nonbinary began as a short about Max and their cis boyfriend navigating the fallout of top surgery, and McLeod wore all three hats , writer, director, performer. The project’s festival presence and warm industry attention have helped it evolve into a feature, with Bob Odenkirk and Jane Schoenbrun attached as executive producers.

Rather than simply stretching the short, McLeod says the feature reframes the story into a romantic comedy about two people learning to define themselves apart from their relationship and maybe coming back together. Practically, that means broader scenes, more character beats and room to explore how identity and intimacy shift over time. If you liked the short’s emotional honesty, expect more nuance and lightness in the longer cut.

How this fits the bigger queer film moment

McLeod’s year has coincided with a surge of queer projects that refuse neat categorisation , campy slasher satire, dark Silicon Valley farce, tender indie romcoms. They’ve just appeared in Jane Schoenbrun’s Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma, and joined the cast of AMC’s The Audacity, a show that satirises tech power with a cast of morally messy characters.

Industry appetite for these stories suggests audiences want authenticity over clichés. Festivals and streaming platforms are increasingly willing to back queer creators who mix tone and take risks. For filmmakers and viewers alike, that means more room for stories that are funny, unsettling, romantic and oddly comforting all at once.

Practical tips if you want to watch or support work like this

If you’re drawn to honest queer storytelling, start with the short and follow its festival run , that’s often where features are seeded. Look out for McLeod’s projects on festival lineups and platform announcements, and consider supporting films via ticket buys, social sharing or funding initiatives that help shorts turn into features.

For creators, the takeaway is simple: lean into complexity. Stories that sit in contradiction tend to feel more alive, and they invite audiences in rather than telling them how to feel. Casting and creators who reflect lived experience will always sharpen the emotional truth.

What’s next for McLeod and friends

McLeod says they’re eager to keep doing things and working with people they admire. Season two of The Audacity is reportedly darker, and She’s Nonbinary’s feature incarnation looks set to reach wider audiences. The overall mood is optimistic , messy, but heading somewhere hopeful.

It’s a small shift in tone, but letting queer characters be flawed and funny makes them feel human, and that’s the point.

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