Geena Rocero on her Lilly Wachowski-produced trans sci-fi thriller, Dolls

2025 has seen relentless attacks on the trans community in the UK and US. In the UK, the Supreme Court ruled that trans women are no longer entitled to the same legal protections as cisgender women. Meanwhile, in the US, Donald Trump has issued a series of executive orders targeting trans and non-binary people – defunding gender-affirming care for trans youth, banning trans participation in sports, and removing LGBTQ+ and HIV-related resources from government websites, and so much more.

Yet these dehumanising attacks have not silenced trans people – especially trans creatives. If anything, they’ve only grown louder, and their work more vital. There’s Shon Faye’s Love In Exile, Grace Byron’s Herculine, the BBC’s adaptation of Paris Lee’s memoir What It Feels Like for a Girl, and now Geena Rocero’s short film debut, Dolls, produced by Lilly Wachowski.  

“It was truly amazing to be part of an ensemble of trans women,” Rocero, who wrote, directed and starred in the film, tells Dazed. “It’s just so good to be in a space like that.” Dolls follows Yan (Yên Sen), a trans junior private investigator tasked with going undercover at a dating workshop for trans women to investigate the disappearance of one of the attendees. What she uncovers is something far more sinister, and what she learns about herself in that environment is equally thrilling and unsettling.

“The film really speaks to the kind of duality that trans people have to exist within to protect themselves,” Rocero explains. “It’s so exhausting… but it’s the reality for a lot of trans people.” Inspired by films such as Suspiria (2018) and The Stepford Wives (1972), Dolls is an ambiguous exploration of what it means to live in a world that demands self-erasure to survive, and the dangers and joys that come with reclaiming your true self.

Below, we spoke to Rocero about how the film responds to the pain of her community, what it was like working with an almost all-trans cast, and the ways the term “dolls” has been co-opted. 

Dolls is a pretty ambiguous film, with a lot happening in its 18-minute run. Where did you get the idea for the film? 

Geena Rocero: It was sparked from very personal experiences. I started writing a simple character study of another character last year, but then three of my friends were experiencing painful and emotional experiences at the same time. One of them had started experiencing chronic pain, another was experiencing emotional trauma from a relationship, and another shared the sexual abuse she experienced as a child for the first time. When these things were happening, I was thinking as an artist, ‘How do I respond to this and its occurrence in my community? How do I process this?’ I scrapped the other story and considered exploring this instead. I was thinking about the idea of therapy in a workshop setting. From then, I also wanted to include my interests – I love The Stepford Wives, I love sci-fi, and I love ensemble pieces.

Have the friends you mentioned seen the film? How did they respond? 

Geena Rocero: Yes, they’ve seen it. They were appreciative that a poignant moment in time from our relationships inspired me to make Dolls. I was born and raised in the Philippines. I grew up in a culture that exists as a community. We have this word in Tagalog called “kapwa”. It’s a spiritual ethos for us Filipinos – it means that my inner self is a reflection of who you are. So you don’t exist as an individual. We have a symbiotic relationship with each other. So, you can imagine that when I moved to America and heard of this concept called ‘individualism’, I was like, ‘What is this?’ As I create more projects, direct and write, I want to be in touch with those senses and what I was immersed in, particularly during my formative years. I think the notion of responding to my community and what they are going through is just what I know.  

You play Gene, the enigmatic cult leader of the group. When you wrote this character, what other women were coming to mind? Where were you looking for inspiration?

Geena Rocero: Definitely, Glenn Close from The Stepford Wives. I love Tilda Swinton’s performances in all things, obviously, but I am inspired by particular elements of Suspiria here. I was also watching a lot of Gena Rowlands’ films – I’ve seen A Woman Under the Influence so many times. Another inspiration was Angelina Jolie in Girl, Interrupted. I just love unhinged female characters. When I was building this character, I was thinking about how I could add those kinds of layers. Gene has to be charismatic, yet manipulative, and also bring all these people together. I attempt to portray that kind of complexity.  

The film really speaks to the kind of duality that trans people have to exist within to protect themselves. It is so exhausting having to think about what environment you’re in and if you assimilate well, but it’s the reality for a lot of trans people 

What was it like to work on this production with other trans women, and to have it be executive-produced by a trans woman, Lilly Wachowski? 

Geena Rocero: Lily has been an incredible support. She is the Queen of Sci-fi! Almost everyone in the film is a trans woman, apart from one of the private investigators. I made everyone audition, even my friends – it was incredible to see and a real honour to watch them all perform. It was truly amazing to be part of an ensemble of trans women. On the second day of shooting, everybody had become best friends. At some points, people weren’t listening to me because everyone had gotten so close, and I had to be like ‘Dolls! We have limited time to put this together.’ It’s just so good to be in a space like that. The story asked for it, but they also all brought something special to the conversation. 

Wachowski described the film in a really interesting way, telling Them that it is a ‘fever dream reflecting on assimilation and the investigation of trans identity’. The word ‘assimilation’ was particularly striking to me – would you describe the film similarly, and if so, how does it reflect the way the world tells trans women to assimilate? 

Geena Rocero: I made the decision that Dolls would be from the perspective of the young private investigator, Yan. She’s this private investigator who wants to move up the ranks and is tasked with this new case. It asks her to bring out a side of herself that she never thought she’d have to bring to her work. It brings up old feelings and traumas. The film really speaks to the kind of duality that trans people have to exist within to protect themselves. It is so exhausting having to think about what environment you’re in, how you move around those spaces you inhabit, and if you assimilate well, but it’s the reality for a lot of trans people.   

I think “dolls” is one of the words of the year. From Conner Ives ‘Protect the Dolls’ shirt to Glamour’s Women of the Year, trans women cover. There’s also been some discourse about the word ‘dolls’ and the phrase ‘protect the dolls’ – with writers such as Jenn Ives, questioning what ‘dolls’ people are advocating to protect and if it includes ‘trans women who do not ‘pass’ easily’. Were you thinking about any of this when making this film, especially because it also deals with the pressures of assimilation? 

Geena Rocero: The word dolls originates from the ballroom community, particularly from trans people of colour. I think it is a word of affirmation, wherever you come from. It’s a form of reclamation in a world that does not see trans people as beautiful or as worthy of celebration. That’s the origin, but the mainstream media has co-opted it. Using the word “dolls” as the title of my film is in celebration of its origin. We can’t forget the origin of the word. Reclaim it for yourself, however you want. People may say that only certain trans people are positioned in this way – you know, we live in the social media world. However, we can demand our own stories and claim them for ourselves, along with these words. 

You told The Cut last month that Dolls is being expanded into a feature-length film, potentially with Wachowski. Is there anything you can tell us about it?  

Geena Rocero: [Laughs] Yes, I am exploring what the bigger world of Dolls can look like, amongst other things. It’s being expanded… but that’s all I can say!

Dolls does not have a UK release date yet, but it will showcase at the Melbourne Queer Film Festival from November 13 - 23