DYKE HARD

DYKE HARD
Directed by: Bitte Andersson
Comedy/Musical/Good Times, 82 min
Sweden, 2014
Distributed by Njutafilms

From the land of ice and snow comes a hot smorgasbord of delights as Bitte Andersson’s DYKE HARD finally leaves production and takes the bold step onto the big screen. Well, late last year really, as it played the Stockholm Film Festival 2014 and a few weeks ago the Berlin Film Festival, but now it's being released theatrically! Yes, I call this a smorgasbord because it is a smorgasbord of everything you love with low budget, b-film cinema. DYKE HARD has elements of musical, women in prison, horror, raw action complete with ninjas and fight scenes, road movie, roller derby thugs, hot pursuits, awkward sex, high school drama, bikers, cyborg assassins from the future, latex glove licking glory holes and Lloyd Kaufman in bondage gear! Yes it basically has everything thrown at it in a fantastic queer mix making it an eclectic melting pot of genre, storytelling and passion. DYKE HARD showcases Andersson’s passion for genre, a passion for queer culture and definitely a passion for filmmaking, which shines through every single scene. I often rant on about the passion of filmmaking and this is one such example where despite all odds the filmmaker pushes on with full belief in their piece. It shows. I live just behind the short strip of tarmac that many of the road movie/biker scenes where shot on, and knowing just how short that strip is makes a clear case of the magic of cinema coming to life even if it is through small means. 

Rock band Dyke Hard, consisting of Peggy, Scotty and Bandido, are dumped by lead singer Riff. Instead of moping, they pick up Thai boxer Dawn, enter a Battle of the Bands competition and set off towards the Big City determined on wining and putting Riff in her place. At the same time Riff, ever hungry for fame and fortune, teams up with super villain Moira totally intent on to destroy Dyke Hard. The roads lead to a grand show down where truths are revealed and the balance is be restored... or will it? You'll have to watch it to find out!

Director and multi-artist, Bitte Andersson, has patiently carried this child of labour for a very long time and the final result is kick in the nuts /punch to the tits hilarious. Low budget genre blender DYKE HARD is the disabled love child of b-film cinema. It’s John Waters, it’s Troma, it’s Rocky Horror Picture Show, it’s transgender, it’s cinema of transgression, I wish I could put some lesbian female filmmakers in here too, but that’s a gaping hole (no pun intended) in my cinema knowledge, it’s filled with dorky gags, catchy tunes – I promise you you’ll be humming the “Le le le le lesbian” theme all day (soundtrack available on spotify) – there’s loads of nods and references to stuff you grew up loving and even has a work-out-shape-up-get-ready-to-fight training montage!

Was the wait worth the wait? Has Bitte Andersson done the right thing in keeping this piece of independent art on the rails, slowly crafting and polishing it year by year? Yes, she has, patience pays off, and with that said it should also be said that she has created something unique to the history of Swedish film, an adorable abomination destined to become a cult classic!

Long live the underground, and watch your back, because it’s coming to jerk you off! 

DYKE HARD hits cinemas on the 6^th of March 2015.