Counting Cards with My Father

Australia, 2007. Introverted tomboy Lisa Wu (15, she/they) has just moved into residential care aka “resi” — a home for those who are no longer fit for foster care. There, they meet Morgan (21, she/they), a nightclub hostess and aspiring DJ. Morgan attempts to befriend Lisa, but Lisa has a higher purpose: to find their estranged father Sammy (59, he/him). For the past year, Lisa has been honing their poker skills and stalking Sammy’s online poker profile, where they can see his casino visits and his winnings. They approach him after his winning streak at the Crown, but Sammy rejects their offer to connect as soon as he realises who they are. Dejected, Lisa allows Morgan to transform Lisa into a femme and soon gets a job as a shot girl at Morgan’s nightclub. To celebrate, Lisa gets a dragon tattoo and posts their feminized photo on Facebook. As Lisa begins to develop independence, Sammy arrives on their doorstep in a cowboy hat. Morgan smells heartbreak, but Lisa falls further in love with the idea of having a dad — the promise of becoming a real family seems close, especially when it seems like they might have a shot at winning the upcoming poker tournament by working as a team. Ultimately, however, Lisa must learn that winning comes down to knowing when to walk away.