I just finished watching Queerstralia , which is a three-part documentary about the hidden history of LGBTQIA+ people in Australia. It’s hosted by a comedian named Zoe Coombs Marr. To be honest, I didn't know who she was before this, so it took me a little while to get used to her specific style of joking around. The show covers a huge amount of time, starting from when Australia was a prison colony for the British all the way to famous movies like Priscilla, Queen of the Desert . It looks at how being gay was treated as a crime, the stories of trans pioneers, and even "bushrangers" (outlaws) who dressed in clothes of the opposite sex. It also goes into the history of the Mardi Gras festival, drag culture, and how gay marriage finally became legal there. The host starts the show by jokingly saying, "I’m a comedian, I’m not qualified," which tells you right away it's not going to be a stiff or boring history lesson. Over three episodes that are an hour long...
My first reaction after I came out of the theatre watching this film was that the film was alright. The problem was that sometimes too many subplots spoil a film and in my opinion this is what happened in the case of this film. Had the script focussed more on Violet and less on all the sub plots, it could have been a better movie. too many plots in this movie gave it an episodic feeling which I personally didn't quite as much as I would generally have. Violet, a 40 something fag hag is the life of every party. She is a successful PR executive for an NYC-based fashion line and has everything except she realizes that all men in her life are gay and she need someone to love her too. By way of comfort, co-worker Riley reminds her that you're surrounded by men who love you, so he and his novelist partner, Markus (director Caspar Andreas), volunteer to find her a fag stag, a heterosexual who prefers the company of homosexuals, though her roommate, Luke (writer Jesse Archer, reprising his role inA Four Letter Word ), suspects that they're an urban legend. While Violet goes on a series of blind dates, Riley struggles with Markus's desire to adopt a child; party planner Luke tries to win back stylist Darian; and HIV positive go-go boy Zeus looks for a love of his own. When her dates don't pan out, Violet turns to house model Salome who offers advice from the perspective of an impossibly gorgeous woman, like act disinterested. She meets an architect whom she thinks she can love. Slowly but unknowingly she starts to change to accommodate herself in the new man's life thereby distancing her friends but soon realizes that this is not what she is. Finally she finds the love of her life right next to her in the go-go boy who was actually the man who was always close to him but was a straight closet case.
The acting was very good by Violet but everyone else was strictly alright. Luke, her roommate was kinda actually annoying and Markus' character just after kids didn't seem realistic. Although both their respective men were super hot (not so much in the acting department). The film was funny in parts but overall left a lot to be desired. Characters could have been built a little more or just completely taken away. The only funny parts were 2 girls in the office who actually had not much to do but their minimal scenes cracked me up.
Just decent watch. The writer and director lost a wonderful opportunity they had in their hands. (6/10)
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