Pretty Things

Francis, a young Irish Catholic boy, struggles with expressing himself in a world that tells men to suppress their emotions.

Francis's secret desire to experiment with makeup and androgyny conflicts with his very masculine surroundings, such as his brawny best friend, Enda, and his brutish, unwavering Irish Idealistic father, Darragh.

On a particularly tough day at school, Francis feels his emotions about repressing his true self bubbling up inside. He tries to talk to his friends about how he feels, but his attempts end up unsuccessful.

Francis finds an opportunity to put on makeup in a clever way with his friends, only to be reminded of the negative connotation behind boys acting feminine by a snarky remark from a schoolmate. He becomes overwhelmed with the fact that he feels he will never be able to be who he wants to be and races home, only to be confronted with more pressure to adhere to textbook masculinity by his overbearing father.

He finds solace when he is finally alone in the safety of his room and ritually does his makeup and dances to his favorite song.