Drag and performance art have long been used to express identity and resilience, often with a touch of rebellion. The world of drag is exhilarating to those within it but often misunderstood and stereotyped to those outside of it. These are 3 beautifully candid films and documentaries that show drag as not just performance but as an assertion of individuality and strength.
Femme (2023)
‘If you’ve been starving for LGBTQ characters behaving badly on screen, then Femme is here to feed you.’
-Reads the bold text punched out in time with tense dance music in the trailer for Femme.
Sam H. Freeman and Ng Choon Ping’s film tells a gripping story of survival and desire. Jules, a London drag queen, encounters one of his homophobic attackers in an unexpected setting. While initially seeking revenge, he’s drawn into a strange mix of tension and attraction.
Femme portrays drag as both a form of armour and a way to reclaim power, showing how identity can be a tool for both revenge and attraction. It’s a film that goes where many others wouldn’t dare, being unafraid to explore, with beautiful nuance, how eroticism can arise from complex situations.
Paris is Burning (1990)
‘The essential documentary of the end of the “Golden Age” of New York City drag balls.’
Unlike Femme’s tense atmosphere, Paris is Burning (1990) offers a direct look at New York’s ballroom scene in the 1980s. Directed by Jennie Livingston, the documentary captures Black and Latinx LGBTQ+ performers strutting, voguing, and competing in the city’s underground drag balls. These performances aren’t just for show; they’re also a form of personal expression, challenging the norms around race, gender, and sexuality.
The ballroom culture celebrates drag as a bold art form where people find strength, beauty, and a sense of family. Through its mix of grit and glamour, Paris is Burning shows drag as a defiant act of self-love.
The Queen (1968)
‘The groundbreaking documentary that introduced audiences to world of competitive drag.’
In The Queen, Frank Simon captures a drag pageant from a time when drag was still largely underground. This documentary film follows contestants in the 1967 Miss All-America Camp Beauty Pageant, giving viewers a candid look at their ambitions and the community’s spirit. The most striking scene features Crystal LaBeija, who openly challenges the pageant’s bias, calling attention to racial injustices within the drag community itself.
The Queen presents drag as a way of claiming a voice and space in a world that often pushes people to the margins. It’s a revealing look at a revolutionary time for drag culture.
Together, Femme, Paris is Burning, and The Queen show how that under the appearances and amusement, drag is about the drive to be seen, the search for self-expression, and the ability to turn hardship into strength.
Iso
Iso is a writer and filmmaker based in East London. She is passionate about all things erotic and leads a sexy, shame-free life in hope that she can inspire others to do the same. Originally from a Northern seaside town, she is naturally drawn to the best things in life: candyfloss, trashy karaoke bars and heart-shaped sunglasses.
