Whitney Biennial 2024: Even Better Than the Real Thing

Film

Born 1992 in New York, NY
Lives in Brooklyn, NY

In the 2023 film Dilating for Maximum Results, the Brooklyn-based director, writer, and actress Nyala Moon tells the story of Dreya (played by Moon), a Black transgender woman attempting to dilate her vagina after undergoing vaginoplasty surgery in preparation for her first romantic encounter with a man she met online. Set entirely in Dreya’s apartment, the narrative delves into her desires and insecurities while discovering her own body. As an omniscient masculine voice narrates the film, news headlines highlighting threats and hostilities against the transgender community appear on the screen halfway through, serving as a reminder to both the viewer and the protagonist of the adversities she faces beyond the safety of her apartment. As Dreya—bolstered by the support of her sister and a fictional YouTube personality named Keisha Simply—overcomes her fears, Dilating for Maximum Results poignantly addresses trauma without making it the sole focus of the work.