SCÈNE 05. Elias Hinojosa, Actor, Writer & Director
Watch what happens when a film is taut and tough, but also deliberately impossible to pin down in its liquid lushness.
Welcome to our fifth edition of Mise-En-Scène. To paraphrase the oft-meme’d saying: If I had a nickel for every time we’ve featured a fast-talking, femme-centered caper… I’d have two nickels, which isn’t a lot, but it’s delightful it’s happened twice. Back to back, no less!
Last week, we featured writer, programmer and filmmaker Juan Barquin’s valentine to one of the best buddy romps of all time: The musical comedy Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1953), directed by Howard Hawks and starring Jane Russell and Marilyn Monroe as two showgirls carpe diem-ing their way through men, diamonds, and sly song-and-dance numbers.
This week, I’m absolutely tickled to introduce our guest curator: The award-winning actor, writer and director Elias Hinojosa (@3liashinojosa), whose Mise-En-Scène pick, Bound (1996), written and directed by Lana and Lilly Wachowski, celebrates love and lust on the lam. Our twisty heroines, Violet (a sublime Jennifer Tilly) and Corky (the singular Gina Gershon), are charged in the way they seduce, sling double-edged repartee, and slink like liquid metal in every frame.
Before we bounce into Bound, a brief preamble on the talents of Elias. I attended Camp John Waters for the first time last fall. Under a tent full of Divine disciples, leather daddies, hair-hoppers, and every proud freak under the Connecticut sun, Elias immediately caught my eye. His dimples can be seen from the outer limits, sure, but it was his deep curiosity in and generous engagement with his surroundings and fellow campers that made him radiate against the sheer cacophony of people dressed like a literal pile of dog shit. (No small feat.) He screened his own work at camp, and I knew then: This person is a star. This person is a natural-born storyteller. It’s ineffable and obvious.
Elias graduated from film school at the University of Texas at Austin, where Matthew McConaughey was a professor. After that, in his words, Elias “followed [his] manifest destiny to the pulse of pop culture”—that would be Los Angeles, where he is currently based. Prolific, passionate, and resourceful, his directorial debut Lullaby screened at SXSW 2018, and his sophomore work, Widow, is, and I quote, “a psychological experiment starring [his] actual abuela.” Elias’s latest work, All-Nighter, in which he also stars, had its L.A. premiere at Screamfest Horror Film Festival last year. In 2024, he is preparing to act in three distinct, “peculiar” projects while simultaneously writing his first feature and working as a VIP Tour Guide at the Universal backlot.
Given the, ahem, boundless ingenuity of his films, I’m not surprised Elias is dialed into intricate stories like the one navigated in Bound.
And what a story it is. For their feature film directorial debut, the Wachowski sisters crafted something that is wickedly resolute in its shape-shifting. Bound is both an evolution and subversion of the great film noirs of John Huston, Alfred Hitchcock, and Billy Wilder. It outwits the camp-canon erotic thrillers popularized by Paul Verhoeven, Joe Eszterhas, and Zalman King. It’s firmly of its time (the mid-’90s!) and also ahead of it. This is a movie that’s full-bodied, stylish and substantive, and follows its own code. It’s ferociously queer, down to the font used in the end credits. Is it any wonder the fascinating Wachowskis, in their mastery of the neo-noir with all of its labyrinthine taxonomies and systems, went on to helm The Matrix (featuring a protagonist named Neo!)?
But don’t take my word for it. Here’s Elias1 on the quicksilver essence of Bound.
“BUT TO STEAL? I NEED TO KNOW SOMEONE LIKE I KNOW MYSELF": ACTOR, WRITER & DIRECTOR ELIAS HINOJOSA ON THE WACHOWSKIS’ BOUND, 1996
ELIAS ON HIS FIRST ENCOUNTER WITH BOUND, BEING SEDUCED BY JENNIFER TILLY, AND WATCHING WITH HIS GRANDPA:
I discovered the debut film by the Wachowskis as a precocious pre-teen around 2006. Obsessed with Jennifer Tilly (during an intense Chucky phase), I was on the hunt for any and every film she was featured in. Enchanted by her star power, I was lured toward the sound of her voice like a sailor to a siren. She was my second muse (after Margaret Hamilton’s Wicked Witch, of course).
I had done the preliminary research and knew Bound was something special… but I also knew it was rated R. In order to get my hands on a copy, I would need to cheat the system… I convinced my grandpa to rent it for me. He had never heard of it.
We slipped in the VHS tape, hit play, and watched it together. My pulse quickened. My face flushed. My jaw dropped–not just because grandma walked in the room during the iconic lesbian sex scene–but because of what the film made me feel when the credits started to roll. I had gotten my first taste of pure, red-hot, unadulterated genre. It was the first film I saw that I didn’t want to end. It shook me in a way that was formative to my creative worldview. I was completely entranced… and so was my grandpa, I imagine.
ELIAS ON THE WACHOWSKIS’ PRESCIENT SUBVERSION OF GENRE AND GENDER:
Bound was definitely a queer awakening for me, but not just because of the subject matter. Every stitch and thread of its story felt coded in something deeper and much more profound… especially when we recognize the Wachowski sisters and their personal struggles with identity. Through the screen, I felt it. Their unique ability to tell a female-centered story. How they play with genre like a calculated game of chess. How they pull and ply their characters like silly putty… defying archetypes and subverting expectations around masculinity and femininity–before gender became an experimental social concept.
Bound was ahead of its time. True mastery in the craft. Clever and razor-sharp. Raw, hyper-minimalist and stylish. The Wachowskis re-imagined the femme fatale, reinvigorated the noir, and reinvented not only the erotic thriller, but romance at large. Finally for its time, two women who defy odds, subvert the male gaze, defeating the patriarchy at its own game… and I’m not talking about Violet and Corky.
ELIAS ON BOUND AS AN AFFIRMATION OF IDENTITY IN BOTH ITS CRAFT AND CONTENT:
I return to Bound often, to remind myself of the feeling it first gave. It opened my young eyes to a world I hadn’t seen yet, a realm where misfit toys like myself could find love and live happily ever after.
As a filmmaker, the film is a technical treasure trove to be endlessly inspired by. The sensual yet dangerous way the camera glides. The deep, rich color palette and wardrobe choices. The ticking clock of a mafia boss gone mad. The risk of true love, in the face of life and death. The rollercoaster ride that whips through themes like survival, trust, and freedom. The freedom to dare. Dare to live your truth. “We make our own choices, we pay our own prices…”
Much like Bound, I find Elias’s cultural appetite unpredictable in the best way. Who doesn’t love to be kept on their toes? Here’s a peek at what else is on his radar. (And if you’re new to this newsletter, know this: I use no affiliate links.)
ELIAS HINOJOSA RECOMMENDS
Poor Things (2023), directed by Yorgos Lanthimos.
Elias says: My top pick for the Academy [Award]. A wonderland romp, fun and extraordinary in its imagination. Bold in its choices, and risky in its execution. In an industry today where virtues are signaled, remakes are remade and superheroes are a dime a dozen, I admire filmmakers who roll the dice and commit to their own visions. Yorgos exceeded my expectations with this one. I can imagine John Waters watching Poor Things with an extra large popcorn and a Cheshire cat’s grin.Mr. Monk’s Last Case: A Monk Movie (2023) on Peacock.
Elias says: I grew up with a mild Monk obsession. So mild, I dressed up as the obsessive-compulsive detective (Nat’s note: Played by the unparalleled Tony Shalhoub!) for Halloween when I was eight and carried around hand sanitizer before it was cool. I related a great deal to his idiosyncrasies and struggles with fitting in. I looked up to him as a role model; he inspired me to be fearless in my curiosities and more inquisitive of the world around me. The new movie is admittedly a bit clunky, mostly fan service, but, boy, is it good to see my old friend again. I cried a little at the last scene. A lot.Love Has Won: The Cult of Mother God on Max.
Elias says: As of late, because of a new project I’m working on, I’ve been diving head first into the world of cults. I am fascinated by the dangers of group-think and the effects of absent critical inquiry. The real darkness of this docu-series is so surprising when you peek behind the bright colorful façade of Mother God. Everything I tackle creatively has a psychological edge, and this true story is definitely fodder for the future.Liarmouth: A Feel-Bad Romance by John Waters.
Elias says: A Roald Dahl novel for the sick, twisted and institutionalized. I recently experienced this story for a second time, but via audiobook. What an absolute joy to hear John read his world aloud. The film adaptation is in the works and will mark his big return to directing after nearly 20 years. I am not just a fan of his; I am John’s long-lost freak son by way of immaculate deception. Whether he likes it or not. He is my lord and savior. Blessed be his fruit. Amen. (Nat’s note: When we attended Camp John Waters last September, Johnny Knoxville, star of A Dirty Shame (2004), was the featured guest camp counselor. During a Q&A, a camper suggested he should play a crucial character in the Liarmouth movie, and now I can’t see anyone else in the role. Let’s pray on it.)Live to 100: Secrets of the Blue Zones on Netflix.
Elias says: At the top of every year, I always try to undo the damage I did the year prior. This docu-series helped me recalibrate my health habits. “Blue Zones” are parts of the world where the highest concentrations of centenarians live. The series explores what makes these communities so special and how certain cultural practices can prolong your life. It has sparked a renewed interest in my own health, and I’ve prioritized longevity as a goal worth pursuing.
Some souls are like a jolt to the system, and Elias Hinojosa is one such force: a bright burst of zest, inspiring in his confidence of vision and his unwavering tenacity to execute.
May you follow him (here and here), and may you be lucky enough to check out his work at an upcoming screening or film festival. Lastly: May we all be as relentlessly passionate in making what we want to see more of in the world. Life-affirming stuff!
Thank you to Elias, and thank you, dear reader, as always, for being here with us.
‘Til we meet again, real soon!
Lightly edited for clarity.