Drag is embedded into the mainstream in a way it has never been before. While this can be chalked up to the widespread commercial success of shows like RuPaul’s Drag Race, it’s by no means the only media depiction of the art form. Filmmakers have been documenting queer performance subcultures—from drag to pageantry and ballroom—for decades. Take Frank Simon’s The Queen, or Jennie Livingston’s Paris is Burning, or Sara Jordenö’s Kiki, among many others.
One of the more illuminating and emotional moments in The Queens is when performers discuss getting illegal silicone implants as a means of alleviating gender dysphoria. The film explores the tension between getting a need-based surgery and the harmful routes some people must take in order to achieve it.
Dir. Mark Saxenmeyer, 98 min. Now streaming on Vimeo
