This Hindi movie is a pretty straightforward slice-of-life story that tries to give a modern look at what it's like to be a single, professional gay man. It dives into how he understands who he is, the chances he missed out on, and the personal choices he’s made along the way. The director used three parallel timelines to tell the story, which honestly didn't make much sense to me. While the core idea was actually pretty interesting, I really feel like this would have worked way better as a short film considering the point it was trying to make. Still, it wasn't a bad watch. The plot centers on Rachit, a city professional, and his friend Shikhar as they hang out for an evening. Rachit is a polished, urban guy, while Shikhar has more of a "small-town" rustic vibe, and you can really see the contrast between them when they talk. As the night goes on, Rachit starts thinking back to some old memories from a long time ago. He remembers being an intern after college in ...
The documentary starts with snippets of interviews with some of the members of the Cockettes group that was an eclectic mix of gay and straight, black and white, men and women.. Story is centered around a NY based actor George Harris, a bearded man, who moves to SF, rarely seen without lavish glitter makeup, facial hair dye and resplendent thrift-shop couture. He moves to commune, gathers bunch of people, adopts the name Hibiscus and starts performing a series of sexual, spiritual, non-rehearsed musicals for audiences. The started to get popular locally and soon were performing for free at the famous Palace Theatre in SF. The were free, liberated and more often than not also nude. Over a period of time, commercialization sets in and Hibiscus decides to leave the group. Based on the high profile attention that they get from press, they are invited to perform in NY. Over confident about their act, their first show is a disaster. It eventually picks up, but they soon realize that they calling belongs in San Francisco. The documentary ends with remembering of the few members who were lost either to drugs or later to AIDS.
The film started off as a little sluggish for me, but very soon I was totally enjoying their world. How a group of 'misfits' in the society rose to fame with their over the top musical numbers and performances, not looking to make money was very interesting. I got to virtually experience a very different side of SF in 70s. The groups rise, fall , their fears, group love etc. are very well captures. It was the time when the first gay rights demonstrations were taking place, hippies were dropping acid on Haight Street and a revolution seemed just around the corner. You meet these people who are now greyer, in sportcoats and settled and what a crazy fun life they have lived. Stories that you only hear of and wish a life that you had lived free of any worries. Its like one of the members say, "We never worried about food or drugs. They both just somehow showed up".
“The Cockettes” is an befitting tribute to the popular hippie acid freak drag queens, who were immensely popular. A real look at people who were allowed to be who they were. (6/10)
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