The Word is a Hug

“The Word is a Hug” (2024) is about building a queer life. The film follows three friends finding comfort in the home that they create together. From struggling to feel seen in their identities, the friends learn to love themselves through loving each other. The film portrays the undervalued love that is held in platonic queer friendships. Filmed in the rural forests of Ontario, the natural setting serves as a tranquil alternative to typical loud and busy urban queer media. The display of living freely and queerly in unlikely (but likely) places allows others to imagine queer life in any place. This is how it feels to be queer sometimes — we must build our homes, families, and selves from scratch in the middle of nowhere. It is unglamorous and the road is unpaved, but our collective effort keeps our love alive.