By Hook or by Crook

By Hook or by Crook is a 2001 buddy drama film written, directed by, and starring Harry Dodge and Silas Howard. The story follows two unlikely friends as they commit petty crimes and figure out their places in the world. The film premiered at the 2001 Frameline Film Festival and went on to screen at the 2002 Sundance Film Festival. It won multiple awards on the film festival circuit, including the Audience Award for Best Narrative Feature at the 2002 SXSW Film Festival. Plot Shy, a transgender man, leaves his small town in Kansas for San Francisco after the death of his father. Along the way, he encounters Valentine, a quirky adoptee in search of his birth mother. An immediate kinship is sparked between the two men and they become partners in crime with Val’s lover Billie to stay financially afloat. The duo faces money troubles, emotional problems, and physical confrontations as they learn to trust and support each other in pursuit of their goals. Cast Silas Howard as Shy Harry Dodge as Valentine (as Harriet Dodge) Stanya Kahn as Billie Carina Gia as Isabelle James Cotner as Attacker Joan Jett as News interviewee Kris Kovic as Crazy nut in park Maia Lorian as Parisol girl Tina Marie Murray as Ms. Red Aldo Pisano as Driver Nancy Stone as Waitress