Juliet Jacques (b. 1981) is a writer and filmmaker based in London. Jacques has published two books: Rayner Heppenstall: A Critical Study (Dalkey Archive, 2007) and Trans: A Memoir (Verso, 2015). Her short fiction, essays and criticism have appeared in Granta, The Guardian, The White Review, Sight & Sound, Filmwaves, Cineaste, Frieze, London Review of Books and many other
publications and websites.
You will Be Free
Juliet Jacques
Jacques’ short film You Will Be Free utilises a quote from American writer Cookie Mueller as a point of departure for her poetic reflections on the impact of the AIDS crisis, as well as notions surrounding death, the body and afterlife. Using 16mm film, archival footage and excerpts from a life simulation game, the work explores activism, alternative lifestyles and safe spaces created when "drop outs and drifters" come together.
‘Fortunately, I am not the first person to tell you that you will never die. You simply lose your body. You will be the same except you won’t have to worry about rent or mortgage or fashionable clothes. You will be released from sexual obsessions. You will not have drug addictions. You will not need alcohol. You will not need to worry about cellulite or cigarettes or cancer or AIDS or venereal disease. You will be free.’ Cookie Mueller, 1989
Narration by Anna-Louise Plowman and with music by Venn Rain.
Studio Voltaire commissioned You will be Free as a response to Putti’s Pudding, an exhibition of works by Cookie Mueller and Vittorio Scarpati. The film premiered alongside a curated selection of films by Jacques during the exhibition. Read more about Putti’s Pudding
You will be Free, 2017 has been screened internationally in institutions and festivals.
Juliet Jacques, You Will Be Free, 2017. Courtesy of the artist and Studio Voltaire, London.
