What's in a Name (2009)

Overview

Jon Cory, a body art performer from New York, stops at nothing when preparing for his bare-all performances. "Gender terrorism" is what he calls his sexually ambivalent, explicit performances. He aims to ambush the audience: the quicker you hit them, the friendly-sounding Cory explains, the more their brains get overstimulated and go into shock. The audience always wants more: spitting and pretending to urinate on the audience just draws more applause. Since deciding to have breast implants to boost his image as a gender terrorist, Jon has had to get used to a new identity. His mother has no problem with his new breasts, but he himself is troubled by the question of whether to call himself Rose or Jon. Documentary filmmaker Eva Küpper follows him both before and after the operation, throughout his painstaking preparation for his performances, and during the performances themselves, capturing him as he seeks out the limits of intimacy.