Fleeing a troubled recent past, Archer returns home to Central Oregon amidst a time of confusion. Intent upon asserting his trans nature to a family who still thinks of him as “Angela,� he hesitates in the face of his ill father’s transition from life to death, and the very certainty of the local Ponderosas shattered by climate change-induced decay -- the world of his childhood is disintegrating quickly. As he wrestles with voicing his identity, Archer must contend with his grandmother’s gleeful matchmaking, his father’s self-destructive sugar binges, and his bereaved mother’s anger. He finds solace in a relationship with Owen, a sympathetic forestry student, and is able to gain some peace during their nightly trysts under the trees. The year wheels around, ghosts walk, and families break apart and re-form in this dreamy, magically realistic tale. Set under a cold, clear, end-of-year sky, and beneath the protective branches of a matriarchal pine, MJ Kaufman’s Sagittarius Ponderosa is a moving story about identity, family, and the passage of time, told in a voice that is poetic, delicate, and down to earth.
Note: For licensing, contact the Gersh Agency (Kate Navin) [email protected]
Sagittarius Ponderosa guide sections
