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A sociopath. A scam. A scandal. How Hollywood clamoured to fall for the literary hoax of the decade.
When Marjorie Sturm (an interviewer and cinematographer for the 99% – Occupy Wall Street Collaborative Film, MIFF 2013) began filming JT LeRoy in 2002, the explosive young voice of the seedy San Francisco streets had already bewitched the literary world with two semi-autobiographical books brimming with prostitution, addiction and sorrow.
Celebrities flocked around this tight-lipped androgyne who cowered under giant sunglasses and a blonde wig. Sandra Bernhard and Lou Reed performed in costume at readings. Asia Argento adapted The Heart is Deceitful Above All Things and supposedly carried his baby. JT LeRoy was an enigma, but nobody dared guess what would happen next.
Originally seduced by LeRoy's story and becoming part of his inner circle, Sturm was there through it all and has crafted an enthralling firsthand account (or "ethical Rorschach test", as she calls it) of the bizarre, decade-long hoax that shamed the publishing industry and Hollywood.
"An utterly fascinating look at identity, gender, role-playing, fraud and deception." – Indiewire