Writer-director Stacie Passon’s Concussion is a bold and outstanding debut feature film: authentic, beautifully shot, and filled with complex characters, pitch-perfect performances, and intense sexuality— all driven by a razor-sharp script laced with brilliant comedic moments.

Upper-middle-class lesbian housewife Abby (Robin Weigert from Deadwood) is living in a constant state of suburban malaise. She is in a caring but monotonous marriage with her wife, Kate, a successful divorce attorney in New York City. Abby is the stay-at-home mom in the ’burbs, whose days are filled with repetitive chores and ongoing workout routines reflecting her life. After Abby is hit in the head with a baseball, her resulting concussion jolts her awake from the life she’s been leading. She suddenly approaches a loft-renovation project she’s had in the city with fervor; then she rewards herself by doing something far beyond her regular routine: paying for sex. Soon it happens again. Upping the ante each time, she starts turning female tricks herself. This is not just a midlife crisis, and Abby is more than just a horny thrill-seeker; she is seeking intimacy, a connection, and the ability to truly feel something.

Her impeccably decorated pied-à-terre loft becomes the perfect excuse for leading her double life. But her former, humdrum world soon collides with her self-renovation project. What follows is a captivating study of relationship sustainability and striving for self-fulfillment, whatever the cost. Lead actress Robin Weigert’s Oscar-worthy performance shines as a brave and raw portrait of one woman’s introspective journey. Concussion, winner of the Special Jury Award at this year’s Berlin Film Festival’s Teddy Awards, was also nominated for Sundance’s Grand Jury Prize.

Produced by Rose Troche (director of Go Fish and the 2004 Frameline Award honoree), Concussion is a sexy and sensual work of art that takes cinema to an entirely new level, engaging us to ponder the complications faced in long-term relationships, gay or straight.