Queendom (2023)

February 9, 2025 4:29 AM

[Trailer] "In defiance of Russia's anti-LGTBQ laws, a queer, 21-year-old artist risks her life performing in surreal costumes throughout Moscow. Jenna Marvin's radical public performances blend artistry and activism in this SXSW documentary." --IMDb

Directed by Agniia Galdanova and starring Jenna Marvin

100% / 60% on Rotten Tomatoes. (I don't know who the other 40% are, if not Putin's army of bots.)

posted by johnofjack (1 comment total)

This film is alternately terrifying, oppressive, and heartening, and the swing ride scene had me howling with laughter. That said, lots of alpha males want a confrontation about Doing Gender Wrong, Marvin's family is ... not particularly supportive (and grandpa can get bent), and there's the ever-present threat of state violence. Nevertheless, there's just something remarkable about watching someone single-handedly try to shove the Overton window over enough for her and all of her friends to be safe.

A few interviews:

• Paste Magazine: Gena Marvin’s Surreal Queer Art Is Protest
• Metro UK: My costumes are my armour - the horrors I saw in Russia are so much scarier
• Polyester: Becoming Gena Marvin: Queendom is navigating leaving behind Russia's illegal drag scene

posted by johnofjack at 4:38 AM on February 9