Malcolm Talks Movies:
Paris is Burning
Directed by: Jennie Livingston
Cinematography By: Paul Gibson
"Released in the early 90s, Paris is Burning is more easily defined as an intimate and tragic portrait than a traditional documentary. Examining the burgeoning NYC drag scene of the Mid-80s, it is primarily driven by interviews with various founders of the movement. Although the film starts as an explanation of the New York Ball scene, defining terms such as "Voguing" and "Houses", it quickly becomes an intimate portrait of the figures who helped to define the drag movement as a whole.
Beginning almost exclusively in the “Ball Competitions” where various Queens participate in specific categories we quickly move into their homes, and increasingly intimate spaces of their lives.
You’ll never find a conventional interview in this documentary. From young hustlers on the streets of 1980s New York, to leaders of “Houses” casually perched on a sofa as if they were talking to an old friend. This intimate tone makes the social issues tackled all the more poignant, and heartbreaking.
Paris is Burning is decades ahead of its time in its portrayal of the complexities of gender, the callous cultural attitude towards the AIDs epidemic, and the struggles LGBTQ community members underwent during this time period simply trying to embrace their identity. But beyond all of that, there is a breathless beauty. Beyond all this hardship, all this pain, these individuals are finding a space where they can celebrate who they are with a wild, burning abandon.
The films unflinching focus on the issues of wealth, class and race and how they impact the LGBTQ community are to this day relevant and hard to watch. The delicacy with which the lens this film examines the African American and Latino community members of the drag scene is deeply inspiring. They are not victimized, nor glorified. They are shown as they truly are. Beautiful, flawed, kind and most of all deeply human.
I find it an increasingly rare feat that a Documentary filmmaker is capable of exercising the restraint it takes to show subjects how they truly are. The temptation to create drama, to turn a subject into a hero or villain, is so great. In this regard, Jennie Livingston creates an instantaneous classic. The subjects here are so honestly depicted. Jennie does not shy away from the ugliness of her subjects nor does she unnecessarily focus on the beauty. It's all here in equal measure, and ultimately that is what renders this documentary such a success. It isn't focused on creating a riveting plot out of reality, because, frankly, reality is rarely riveting. It is interested in showing us a moment in time, as truthfully as possible.
Jennie Livingston was going to film school in New York when she saw a group of men dancing in the park one night. Their poised, staccato movements caused her to gravitate like a moth to the flame.
Simply by taking a walk in the park, Livingston discovered the subject of her iconic documentary that went on to collect 16 film festival wins, including one for Best Documentary at Sundance. And that is this weeks lesson: inspiration is always around you, you just need to keep your eyes open."
This week's reviewed, Paris is Burning, is available to stream on NETFLIX