Fabulae de Electrum

i adore letterboxd but cannot bring myself to write a long and detailed review on there. this will be simply for films i want to discuss at a greater length and will leave space for you to comment. disagree with me at your own risk.

The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert (1994)

riddled with racism and a cis man playing a trans woman. and yet it is one of the most beautiful celebrations of LGBTq expression i have seen. my parents described it as a classic and look back fondly at when it was first released. according to a brief google search, i found that it had an overwhelmingly positive reception at cannes and won an oscar for costumes, which it quite obviously deserved. i thought it was a triumph.

i fear these girls would eat rupauls drag race up, although i found their actual performances to be deeply lacking in the coordination and detail departments. despite this, the joy and pain in this film are palpable which i always feel is the sign of a good watch.

a debate i have been having internally is this: would this have such a positive reception if it was released now? on one hand, in the last 30 years LGBTQ acceptance has come leaps and bounds. On the other, conservatism is on the rise and hate is constantly pouring from every digtal orifice imaginable.

either way, i cannot wait until my memory of these costumes and abba renditions becomes hazy, as i will then be rewatching immediately. i would recommend.

Pieces of April (2003)

i have just added this to my top four on letterboxd, which hasn’t been changed in a year. its been quite a while since a film has genuinely reached into my chest and ripped my heart out. this was one of the most simple and truthful portrayals of mothers and their imperfect eldest daughters. what a film to watch when ive just started living with my mother for the first time in 5 years. that resentment and feeling of rejection and judgement and coldness that permeates everything…but there is love and warmth as well its just hidden. we also have to take a minute for the dad and the sister and brother because they were brilliant as well. this film is so honest it hurts.

i thought it was shot brilliantly and the home camera vibe made every scene feel intimate and warm. i never felt like i was being walked through the plot with the dialogue, which always annoys me (i dont need you to signpost every plot point it should unfold naturally!!) and this film was nothing if not natural and chilled out. the side characters were simple but effective, heartwarming and weird. i like katie holmes (first daughter <3) and thought this was a raw and authentic performance from her and i loved it. if this paragraph doesnt make sense its because i am trying to be critical of the different aspects of this film rather than just projecting my feelings onto the characters 🙂

pieces of april walked so that ladybird could run. or maybe pieces of april ran and ladybird followed suit. either way, please watch this is you have a mother xx