Released in 2017, The Feels by Jenée LaMarque is a Rom-Com featuring the character Kárin, a queer Armenian woman and musical artist. The character is played by Syrian-Armenian musician and actress Káryyn Tatoyan.
The Feels earned several award nominations and won Best Feature at NewFest: New York’s LGBT Film Festival (2017), as well as Outstanding Actress awards for Ever Mainard from L.A. Outfest and Long Beach QFilm Festival.
Throughout the film the characters deliver interview-style monologues. In hers, Kárin speaks in both Armenian and English. She describes sex as a taboo subject as well as her journey towards self-acceptance. Kárin performs for the soon-to-be brides and finds romance with one of the bachelorette guests.
The film is currently available on Netflix.
An accomplished musician, Pitchfork described Tatoyan’s music as “curiously powerful experimental pop.” You can follow Tatoyan on Twitter (@karyyn_music) and listen to a sample of her album The Quanta Series here. The album is also available on Spotify, Apple Music, Prime Music, and other platforms.
On the song “Purgatory,” there’s this lyric: “Shields down, you will be carrying, and I’ll drag you out of this purgatory.” That’s my inner child saying, “Hey, Káryyn, we’re brave. Remember? We fucking climbed trees, climbed the roof. We were introspective and we ran through the woods. We were playing battle. You smashed the spider. You’re fucking fearless.”
Interview with Pitchfork
