Two decades ago, the groundbreaking queer doc The Aggressives chronicled the daily lives, dreams and desires of several transmasculine BIPOC protagonists—Kisha Batista, Trevon Haynes, Octavio Sanders and Chin Tsui, among them—as they navigated gender, sexuality, race and class over the course of five years in New York City. Now, movie fans will get to catch up with that pioneering quartet in the documentary sequel Beyond the Aggressives: 25 Years Later, airing tonight on Showtime.
Directed by Daniel Peddle, the filmmaker behind the original 2005 film as well as narrative films like 2014's Sunset Edge and 2017's Moss, Beyond the Aggressives similarly follow Kisha, Trevon, Octavia and Chin across five years, with footage shot between 2018 and 2023. Following its premiere at New York's Newfest last fall, tonight's airing will mark the doc's television premiere.
Nominated for a 2024 GLAAD Media Award for "Outstanding Documentary," the acclaimed doc sees the trailblazing foursome "pursuing dreams in the arts, surviving the experience of being held in ICE detention, reuniting with estranged children, deciding whether to start families of their own, and seeking gender-affirming healthcare," reads a Paramount press release.
Interwoven with the remarkable personal stories of its four featured subjects, the highly anticipated sequel film will also feature candid testimonials of fresh voices from the wider BIPOC community, offering "compelling insights into the queer experience" and continuing to challenge normative ideas about gender while painting a deeply moving portrait of modern LGBTQ+ life.
The movie also kicks off a collaboration between Showtime and organizations including GLAAD, GLSEN and Trans Equity Consulting, with a campaign aimed at expanding conversations about identity and visibility for trans and gender non-conforming people, per Deadline.
Beyond the Aggressives: 25 Years Later premieres on Showtime tonight, March 30, at 9pm Eastern. The 80-minute film will also be available to stream beginning March 30 for Paramount Plus subscribers who have a Paramount+ with Showtime plan (available for $11.99 per month or $119.99 per year). Cord-cutters can also tune into Showtime as a premium channel by adding it to one of your existing livestreaming TV apps, including Fubo, Hulu with Live TV, Sling TV, YouTube TV and DirecTV Stream.
Check out the trailer for the documentary before tuning into Beyond the Aggressives: 25 Years Later tonight on Showtime.
