Films and TV shows often offer the viewer a new perspective (pun intended) every day. From portraying that there’s beauty in the mundane and that there’s more to the world than what meets the eye. In this piece, three films will be reviewed: a short film named ‘Cactus’, ‘Monkey Man’, and ‘The Adventures of Priscilla: Queen of the Desert’.
Poster for the short film Cactus
‘Cactus’
Milena Bennett’s short film, ‘Cactus’, follows the story of two souls in their lonely lives, forging an unlikely friendship. The two main characters, Grace and Mr Rodrigues, go from being bickering neighbours to becoming unlikely friends from getting to know each other and understanding one another. Bennett was able to show the viewer that there can be beauty within the mundane through portraying Grace ad Mr. Rodrigues’s progression in their blossoming friendship.
In the start of the film, Grace is shown to be annoyed by Mr. Rodriguez, right from the first day she moves into Marrickville. After a while of not seeing him for a while, however, she grows worried from his absence and went to check in on him, fearing the worst, and accidentally awoke him from his slumber. The two then have a chat and bond over their own experiences, slowly becoming fond of one another.
Milena Bennett’s ability to use less to portray a lot about the characters was impressive, as it did not feel so confusing and convoluted. Within the 17-minute run time of the film, Bennett was able to tell a simple and heartbreakingly beautiful story, make the film flow and easy to watch, and was able to elicit tears of joy and sadness, as well as laughter and smiles.
Read the full interview with Milena Bennett here
‘Monkey Man’
Dev Patel’s directorial debut, ‘Monkey Man’, is a spectacularly poetic and violent story about vengeance. It follo
Poster for the film Monkey Man
ws a young man, Patel’s ‘Kid’, who earns a scant living in an underground fight club where he’s beaten bloody to a pulp, night after night. After years of biding his time and supressing his rage stemming from childhood, he sets out to settle the score with the people that took everything from him.
There is great representation of The Hijra Community and queerness. Halfway through the movie, ‘Kid’ is taken in by The Hijras after being severely injured from attacking his enemy, Sikandar Kher’s ‘Rana Singh’.
‘Kid’ then meets Vipin Sharma’s ‘Alpha’, the keeper of the temple, and sees the statue of Ardhanarishvara, a symbol of gender fluidity and inclusiveness. Ardhanarishvara is a deity in Hinduism who embodies the unified form of Shiva (the god of destruction), and Parvathi (the goddess of devotion), who is depicted as having both masculine and feminine aspects in its form.
The portrayal of the Ardhanarishvara, and with the Hijras becoming ‘Kid’s’ army in the final acts of the movie, was beautiful and powerful as it represented their will to fight against the unjust status quo. This representation can not only allow queer individuals feel seen and empowered but show people that there is more to the world than what meets the eye.
‘The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert’
Poster for the film The Adventures of Priscilla Queen of the Desert
‘The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert’ follows two drag queens, Mitzi Del Bara, and Felicia Jollygoodfellow, and a transgender woman named Bernadette Bassenger, as they embark on a journey from Sydney to Alice Springs in a bus named ‘Priscilla’. As they travel across the Australian Outback, the three protagonists experience hilarious and heartwarming moments as they perform their drag and meet various kinds of individuals along the way.
The writers were able to grab the viewers’ attention and, in doing so, balance the comedy and drama, with the soundtrack and the characters exuding their vibrant light in their drag. This movie also did a great job of fleshing out the characters through flashbacks, showing their backstory to the audience. An example of this is when Bernadette, as a child, switched out her sister’s Christmas gift with hers. The film also portrays how the characters know each other, and their history, through the dialogue between them.
Throughout its 1 hour and 44 minutes runtime, ‘Priscilla’ delves into themes of friendship, budding romance, drama, identity, and acceptance of oneself and others.
This film is not only a fun flick to watch for all, but it also allows viewers from the LGBTQ+ community to feel empowered and represented.
Read this article in New Perspectives, WSUP’s Magazine Print edition
