Alison Petrash-Hall

A young bartender’s marriage is threatened when his ex, Lila—a successful drag performer and actress in Los Angeles—returns home. Now he must face the destructive force of his addiction and his memories of the near-fatal accident that broke them apart.

This is my first feature-length screenplay. My passionate love letter to my community. It is called When You Know, a romantic dramedy with a rich cast of mostly queer characters. This is not a story that begins with someone in the closet, culminates in a hate crime, or ends in tragedy. While bigotry exists in this story, it is overwhelmingly set within the part of the world that wants us, not the one that doesn’t.

Within this narrative you will find drag queens, messy breakups, and inverted Biblical symbolism. There is a produce drawer so rancid that it’s too scary to open. A degree of marijuana consumption described as scientifically significant. Brain surgery. A Judy Garland impression. An erotic scene featuring an egg, but not in the way you just thought of. No, not that way, either.

At its core is a love story between a cishetero man and a trans woman. While he himself isn’t definably queer, queerness touches and molds his life, his regard for himself, and his sense of belonging in a way he never expected. Yes, that’s right. I queered heterosexuality.

Robin, our male lead, was inspired by struggles I continue to grapple with. Very much falls into the “men written by women” category. He may be a polarizing figure—I’m excited to see how he is received.

Lila, meanwhile, has traveled much farther up the hierarchy of needs. Vulnerable, messy, to be sure, but also brave. Self-determined. Not afraid to change her life.

Eve, Robin’s wife, I would have done so much more justice with a longer runtime. But as a spec script I tried to keep it under 105 pages. The story does not live with her, but she has her own inner journey and an ending.

Picture RuPaul’s iconic “If you can’t love yourself, how in the hell you gonna love somebody else?” in movie form.

If you’re an actor, filmmaker, or fellow queer creative interested in this project, I’d love to connect. You can email me. In the meantime, I’ll be searching for contests to enter. Wish me luck!