Change Your Image
thomabecker
Reviews
Queens of Heart: Community Therapists in Drag (2006)
Unique take on drag and why people watch
I have never seen a documentary like this, particularly in how it probes ways of looking at erotic performances. It's set in a famous drag club in the Pacific Northwest, and captures the feel of a mill town along the Willamette River where lead performer Darcelle was raised. The film explores Darcelle's childhood--not in search of the tragedy or trauma that led him to become a drag performer, but to explain how he learned to be such a keen observer of human behavior. The community therapist theme is not taken too far, and is particularly convincing as various audience reactions are "diagnosed." Director Haaken skillfully turns the camera from the performers (why they do drag) to the audience members (why they watch). Unlike Paris is Burning, which also explores the lives of men in a drag club, Queens of Heart draws out the intelligence and warmth of the characters. They all draw boundaries with where and how to be touched, and are as wide a range of types as any group of everyday guys.