June is the month to celebrate Pride for the LGBTQA+ Community and I wanted to honor that and celebrate all the unique varieties of this community. My first movie this month is The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert because I wanted to start off with something fun and bold. It's a story of two drag queens and a transgender woman (a woman who had to alter her appearance to fit the person she was inside, for those who haven't figure out how to remember what wording to use) who take a bus ride through the desert to do drag shows across the country. I've heard of this movie for years and have been meaning to watch it, but haven't gotten around to it yet. I am watching it today because I am a staunch supporter of the drag community, following some of my favorite performers to their varying shows and functions and being introduced to new performers at every event. They are amazing people who put so much effort into every performance and invest so much of themselves and their money into their craft and it blows my mind every time. If you've never been to a drag show, just send me a message. I have some great people you need to see and I can tell you where to go to see them. I am excited to watch this movie today because it looks like loads of fun, but I can only imagine the struggles they go through on this journey.
The lead three actors are from things I recognize, so to see them from 25 years ago, before some of their most notable films, is blowing my mind. Terrence Stamp I know best from Yes Man as the Guru who gets Jim Carrey to say "Yes!" to life and it was a great role for him. I know Guy Pearce most from The Time Machine and Memento, so seeing him a decade earlier than those movies in such a different role definitely throws you off for a second. The most iconic actor in this film, Hugo Weaving, is the one that I am most shocked to see. This movie was released two years before The Matrix, where he played Agent Smith. Then, to see him take on roles as Lord Elrond in Lord of the Rings and V in V for Vendetta really leaves this man's face and voice seared into your brain. I swear, all I can hear is "Mr. Anderson" when I see his face. I know you heard it, too. I can't wait to see how they step into these roles and give them life. So, without further ado, let's watch the movie!
This was a fun and entertaining movie. Travelling through back country areas trying to get across to a four-week stint of performances, the trio seem to learn a lot about themselves and each other. The lead character, Tick/Mitzi, played by Hugo Weaving, is called by his wife to do her a favor. In exchange, they get a four week gig at her casino. He enlists the help of his two friends to come with him for this act and, unknowingly, for support since he's dreading the trip. As the inevitable becomes more of a reality with Tick, he slowly gets comfortable enough to tell his companions part of the reason for going, but never gets to tell them the full truth. Along the way, they find ups and downs of fun and close-minded behavior that drives their evolution into stronger people.
I loved each of the actors' performances for these characters. Terrence Stamp was impeccable as Bernadette. There were so many little things that he added to his performance to show true grace and elegance, even femininely graceful movements that wasn't a blatant, overdone attempt at pretending to be a woman. Instead, truly stepping into the mind of a woman, he showed a softness and quietness that a mature woman would have after a lifetime of lessons learned and experiences lived. It was perfection. Guy Pearce was the iconic over-the-top persona that you think of first when you think of drag queens. There were even two moments where she dolled herself up into the most dramatic outfits so she could sit on the top of the bus while singing her favorite songs. It was perfectly dramatic and visually stunning. It felt wasted with no one to see it, but that was the point. This wasn't a performance for an audience or practice. This was for the pure joy of dressing up to the nines and living their best life their own way. It was utterly brilliant. He was fun and outlandish and lived for the moment. Then there was Hugo Weaving. He did great to show the varying emotions that Tick was experiencing throughout the journey. Especially the struggle of doubt he was going through when trying to come to terms with the fact that he was going to have to finally take on the role of "father" to his son.
Each character experienced growth through their experiences on their journey. Bernadette had a run-in with a back-country town local in a bar where the woman was trying to make it clear that they were unwanted in the town. Bernadette calmly shut the woman down with some beautifully crafted cut-downs and the entire room erupted into laughter, breaking the tension and allowing the trio to enjoy their evening with the townsfolk. Bernadette even drank that woman under the table which impressed the locals. She definitely held her liquor well, too, just looking a bit bleary eyed even after all of those shots. As they were leaving, one of the guys in the bar complimented her on her ability to drink the woman under the table, especially since no one had done it yet. He used a nickname for her and she corrected him, but drunken Francine (Pearce) decided to deadname her. That was a breaking point for Bernadette and I didn't blame her one bit for the beating she gave Francine when they got back to their hotel room. If someone has transitioned to another gender and changed their name, their previous name is dead. Even if you're referring to them in the past, you still use the present name. It's impolite and sometimes rude to force them to stick with a persona that was forced upon them to fit in with whatever societal norm was expected of them. Who they choose to be is who you should refer to always. If your family decided that you were going to follow one career path, but that wasn't where your heart led you, then you wouldn't want everyone to keep trying to force you into their profession of choice. That's about the closest analogy I can come up with to describe what you do to someone when you don't allow them to evolve into the person they connect with in their heart. This movie showed a lot of those moments. Moments where society decides who they should be, but can't see past their own prejudices to see that they are perfectly happy with who they are and aren't hurting anyone by being themselves.
There's another town they're in and Francine decides to take some drugs and go out into the town to have some fun. The problem is, this town doesn't know what to make of a woman that has features too akin to a male and she eventually gets chased down and beat on a bit. Luckily, one of the men stopped it before it could go too far and Bernadette shows up and shuts down the lead guy who was stoking everyone's anger. The gentleman that came to Francine's rescue was actually the mechanic that they picked up in another town and helped them keep the bus running. He truly enjoyed their style of performance art and saw them for who they were, not who society labelled them as. He and Bernadette actually started hitting it off a bit and in the end, Bernadette decided that she had to see if there was something that could grow between them. She had been married, but it wasn't a marriage of deep love. It was more superficial, but she thought that was the best she could get. Bob, on the other hand, truly saw her and she felt that there could be a chance for a real relationship with him. Sometimes taking a chance with your heart is the hardest thing to do. We all fear being hurt by those we care about and taking a chance on something good could also be the thing that brings us pain. Personally, I feel that a chance for happiness is worth the risk, but that isn't something everyone feels. I also usually think that the good times are worth the bad you might have to live through to have those positive experiences in life. If we fear pain to the point that we refuse opportunities, then we wind up not truly living our lives and we just exist. Life is for living and doing it your own way.
When they finally reach their destination and Tick is faced with dealing with the reality of being a father, he's terrified he's going to mess it up. He's unsure how to act around his son because he thinks he's supposed to hide who he is and be what a kid would expect a father to be. He even faints when he realizes that Benjamin had been watching the whole show. He didn't seem to care that his kid was cheering loudly for the performance because his own doubts and fears overwhelmed him. He shouldn't have feared so much, though, because his wife raised him to be accepting of same sex partners since she was a lesbian. It's funny how we can have some incredible fears that are completely irrational, but we hold onto them like we don't know how to live without them. It's a human trait that we all have, though our fears are different. He eventually figures out that his son doesn't judge him for his lifestyle and he finally finds happiness in that acceptance.
This is a movie that is well worth a watch if you haven't seen it yet. Some of it is downright fun and some of it is lessons you can take into your own life. Primarily, it shows that you should accept yourself for who you are, find support in those that care for you and don't let the haters get you down. It's your life to live, not theirs. Figure out what your dream is and follow it. It may not be easy, but it will be worth it in the end.
Next week I will be watching Boys Don't Cry with Hillary Swank. It's streaming on multiple services, but not for free anywhere that I've seen. Enjoy your Pride Month! I'll see you again next week.
For more movie love, check out my other blog, "You're Watching That Again?!"
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