If it took Albin as long to apply his make-up in the 'A Little More Mascara' number in "La Cage Aux Folles" as it does the guy at the beginning of Camila Jose Donoso's documentary "Casa Roshell" then the show might have gone on all night. Although only 71 minutes long "Casa Roshell" is a film that takes its time. The title refers to the small club where men of all ages come to transform themselves into the ideal woman of their dreams, a little oasis from the world outside. It's not quite a drag club nor a gay bar but a bit of both, a totally non-judgemental little haven where men who like to think of themselves as women, some just in drag, some totally transexual, can act out a role as if they were in a play or a film.
The club itself is hardly glamourous; it's actually rather seedy but it is also a place of illusion where neon lights and loud music become their props in a journey to another world. The approach taken is pretty rough and sometimes staged; these men and the gay and bisexual men who come to pick them up, are often acting our scenarios for Donoso's camera, making the film neither fish nor fowl and slightly diminishing its effect. Nevertheless, it is still an interesting addition to LGBT cinema.
The club itself is hardly glamourous; it's actually rather seedy but it is also a place of illusion where neon lights and loud music become their props in a journey to another world. The approach taken is pretty rough and sometimes staged; these men and the gay and bisexual men who come to pick them up, are often acting our scenarios for Donoso's camera, making the film neither fish nor fowl and slightly diminishing its effect. Nevertheless, it is still an interesting addition to LGBT cinema.
