Private Project

When The Man Comes Around

An exploration of the inextricable relationship between love and capital, When The Man Comes Around traces the whirlwind romance between a cowboy and a trans camgirl.

  • Tommy Meisel
    Director
  • Quentin Lebeau
    Producer
  • Harlie Sullivan
    Key Cast
    "Polly"
  • James William Clark
    Key Cast
    "The Man"
  • Angela DiMarco
    Key Cast
    "The Owner"
  • Damian Byington
    Director of Photography
  • Andrew Francis
    Colorist
    Hereditary, Looper, Carrie
  • Project Type:
    Short
  • Genres:
    Romance, Western, Drama
  • Runtime:
    12 minutes 1 second
  • Completion Date:
    April 6, 2023
  • Production Budget:
    40,000 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    United States
  • Country of Filming:
    United States
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    Alexa
  • Aspect Ratio:
    1.66
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    Yes
  • Student Project:
    No
Director Biography - Tommy Meisel

Tommy Meisel is an Armenian American filmmaker based in Seattle, Washington. “When The Man Comes Around” is his first major short film project. He is currently working on several upcoming short films, both narrative and documentary. His dream project is an adaptation of the Armenian fairy tale “Rose-Maiden.”

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Director Statement

I started writing When The Man Comes Around (WTMCA) in an attempt to make a modern-day western. Westerns have always followed people in the margins of society - cowboys, sex workers, bandits - and their struggle against the state and capital. WTMCA continues in this tradition while reframing the story to present-day: a trans camgirl fighting to define her own relationship to love and capital.

WTMCA is a film that centers marginalized people. When making the film we were constantly thinking about how to most accurately and compassionately represent Polly, a trans sex worker. Polly is portrayed by Harlie Sullivan, a first-time professional actor and trans sex worker. Harlie brought a wealth of lived experiences to the role and delivered a uniquely great performance. I am incredibly proud of what she accomplished in this role and film, and I’m so honored to get to present it to the world.

- Tommy