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Posted 1 Comment on Slamdance: Workhorse Queen Documentaries

Slamdance: Workhorse Queen

With the worldwide popularity of RuPaul’s Drag Race,  drag queens are having a renaissance. For Ed Popil (aka Mrs. Kasha Davis) getting on to the show was the ultimate dream. It would give him the fame and opportunity to take his career to the next level.

After years of trying to conform to the heteronormative ideal imposed on him by his parents and community, Ed Popil left it all behind in order to go on a journey of self-discovery. He landed in Rochester, New York to start afresh. It was there he developed his drag queen persona, Mrs. Kasha Davis, a sassy ’60s housewife who loves a good cocktail. He became part of the local drag community and with the help of his husband became a personality. But can Ed take his Mrs. Kasha Davis persona to the next level?

Directed by Angela Washko, Workhorse Queen is an intimate portrait of a drag queen’s personal and professional transformation. It documents the ups and downs of Ed Popil’s life and career. It’s themes of being true to yourself and achieving your dreams will resonate with audiences. The film has a positive vibe but avoids being a puff piece by demonstrating the struggles along with the triumphs. A must see for fans of RuPauls’ Drag Race.

Workhorse Queen  premiered at the virtual 2021 Slamdance Film Festival.

Posted BIPOC

Slamdance: CODE NAME: Nagasaki

CODE NAME: Nagasaki is one of the most refreshingly unique documentaries I’ve seen in a long time. The film focuses on Marius K. Lunde, a Japanese Norwegian man as he searches for his mother. When he was five years old, his mother left for her home country of Japan, cut off communication with the family and he never heard from her again. Years later he embarks on a quest to find her and reconnect. Along with his friend, filmmaker Fredrik S. Hana, the two make a documentary about his journey. The film is presented in chapters. Each of these have their own titles as though they were short films stitched together making one feature film. It combines documentary footage along with reenactments and imaginings. These vignettes are a beautiful combination of film noir and Japanese horror and are played out by Marius. He plays the dual roles of film noir detective and the demon that has haunted him for years. Fredrik and Marius travel to Japan to find her and scenes that could not be filmed (or were chosen not to be filmed) are presented with animation.

CODE NAME: Nagasaki is an ingenious documentary. I loved the combination of filmmaking styles. None of it felt gimmicky. Instead, it felt authentic and the film just had this organic flow to it. Highly recommended.

CODE NAME: Nagasaki premiered at the virtual 2021 Slamdance Film Festival

Posted BIPOC

Slamdance: A Brixton Tale

Youtuber Leah (Lily Newmark) is making a film about the London district of Brixton. In her search for the perfect subject she discovers Benji (Ola Orebiyi), a shy young man caught up with the wrong crowd. As their bond grows, Benji neglects his best friend Archie (Craige Middleburg) to spend time Leah. These two are from completely different worlds. Leah is a white woman who lives a life of privilege in her upper class neighborhood. Benji is a black man who lives with his mom in a poorer neighborhood. Leah is fascinated with Benji. Their attraction grows but so does her infatuation with his world. When the manager at the art gallery wants grittier content for Leah’s exhibition, she starts to push boundaries at Benji’s expense.

Directed by Darragh Carey and Bertrand Desrochers, A Brixton Tale is a provocative film about class, race and our societal obsession with documenting everything on video. Newmark and Orebiyi are perfection as the bored rich girl and the shy teen who gets caught in her web. I also enjoyed Middleburg’s performance as the young crack addict whose life is spiraling out of control. The viewer will find themselves fully engrossed in this world. Captivating!

A Brixton Tale had its world premiere at the virtual 2021 Slamdance Film Festival

Posted Film Festivals

Sundance: John and the Hole

John (Charlie Shotwell) has his family trapped in a hole. Why? Because he’s tired of being a kid and craves the freedom adults have. And his family simply gets in the way. So one by one he drugs his dad Brad (Michael C. Hall), his mom Anna (Jennifer Ehle) and his sister Laurie (Taissa Farmiga) and drags them to an abandoned cement foundation on the property. The hole is deep enough to prevent the family members from climbing out and secluded enough that no one will hear their screams for help. John occasionally visits them to leave them food, water and some other items. Otherwise he’s content with having the family mansion, car and bank account all to himself. Just how long will John be able to keep this up before something happens?

DIrected by Pascual Sisto and written by Nicolás Giacobone, John and the Hole is an enthralling thriller that offers plenty of suspense. The biggest disconnect for me was feeling sympathy for the characters. This is clearly a rich white family who enjoys a lot of privilege. I might have felt more connected had the story been about relatable characters. However, maybe that was the intent. Maybe the audience was meant to enjoy seeing these characters tormented.

John and the Hole is a captivating feature debut by director Pascual Sisto and I would recommend it for its slow build and unique concept.

John and the Hole premiered at the virtual 2021 Sundance Film Festival as part of their U.S. Dramatic Competition.

Update: John and the Hole releases in theaters and  on digital on August 6th.

Posted Film Festivals

Sundance: Mass

Years after their tragic loss, Jay (Jason Isaacs) and Gail (Martha Plimpton) are ready to confront the parents of their young son’s killer. Richard (Reed Birney) and Linda (Ann Dowd) agree to meet the two in a private room at an Episcopalian church. Everything has been set up so they can have a safe space to confront the situation head on. What Jay and Gail want is to learn more about the villain they have come to paint as true evil in their minds. They’re frustrated when Richard and Linda don’t have ready answers for their probing questions. As their conversation unfolds, we learn more about the circumstances of the tragedy, the history of the troubled boy turned killer and how both couples have handled their very different types of mourning.

Mass is Fran Kranz’ writing and directorial debut. It’s a gripping drama that takes on the difficult job of exploring both sides of this kind of tragedy which unfortunately is now a regular part of American society. The film locks its audience in a confined space so they can fully experience the tension as it builds. The majority of the action happens in the one room. And while the dialogue driven drama works to some extent I wish flashback scenes were incorporated. Mass would make for a great stage play but it underutilized film as a visual medium. With that said, I believe  we’ll see more films like this in the future as quarantine, lockdowns and social distancing will put pressure on filmmakers to tell stories with small casts.

Mass premiered at the virtual 2021 Sundance Film Festival.

UPDATE: Mass hits theaters October 2021.

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