MAN MADE
MCQUEEN
Four men strive for victory in this intimate documentary about men’s relationships to body and self as they prepare for the Trans FitCon Bodybuilding Competition— the only all-transgender bodybuilding competition in the world. Forty-year-old lightweight Mason, with his perfectly sculpted legs, is the most accomplished and established of the competitors. Middleweight 23-year-old Rese is struggling to balance his housing insecurity and raising a child with an unaccepting family. At age 34, Kennie is just starting to come out as trans in his Arkansas hometown and finds that his physical transition is impacting his relationship with his lesbian girlfriend DJ. And 26-year-old Dominic Chilko is in a whirlwind of a year following last year’s third place finish: getting his top surgery, struggling in his relationship, and seeking out his birth mother. As the men meet each other at the big event and action ramps up, a former winner describes what it takes to win: definition, symmetry, and mass are all vital to victory. But so is stage presence—confidence. This is the element that director T Cooper truly captures. The cameras are there for all of the moments that truly define a person: Rese picking up his son at school, the day Dominic meets his birth mother for the first time, and the little moments between Kennie and DJ that so aptly demonstrate how partnership can change when we change. This is the heart of victory and the heart of the film.
When legendary British designer and couturier Alexander McQueen died by suicide at the age of 40, he left a void that stretched beyond the fashion world, which he had effusively decorated with armadillo heels, dresses spray-painted by robots, and scandalously low-cut “bumster” trousers. In his new documentary, directors Ian Bonhôte and Peter Ettedgui explore the tender yet savage world of McQueen: his obsessions, his passions, his fears. Starting with his debut show, McQueen was labeled an enfant terrible, the bad boy of the fashion scene, refusing to adhere to the tradition of couture and instead reveling in the grotesque and taboo. Iconic style muse Isabella Blow bought out his entire first collection and then took McQueen under her wing, becoming a lifelong friend and mentor and helping propel his vision into the elite fashion world. As McQueen’s star began to rise and he was made Givenchy’s chief designer, the dark side of fame began to take its toll, and drugs and depression came creeping in. Featuring personal archives of the designer extending back to the earliest days of his career, McQueen chronicles the designer’s journey through footage of his increasingly mesmerizing, radical shows, stitching them together with intimate interviews with close family and friends. The film channels the late designer’s energy with his use of provocative imagery and the rich music of composer Michael Nyman (The Cook, the Thief, His Wife & Her Lover; The Piano), whom McQueen used frequently as inspiration in his work. The resulting film is a passionate, moving look at a complicated genius.
DIR T Cooper 2018 USA 93 min
— J. SWEMBA
DIRs Ian Bonhôte & Peter Ettedgui 2018 UK 111 min
— ELLIOTT BREEDEN
MORONI FOR PRESIDENT DIRS Saila Huusko & Jasper Rischen 2017 USA 76 min In English and Diné with English subtitles
Moroni Benally, a young, gay, Mormon university professor, returns home to make a quixotic run for president of Navajo Nation. His scrappy but passionate campaign offers a rare glimpse into Navajo politics, while his idealistic vision for radical change challenges the status quo and, in many ways, reflects the volatile and unpredictable political climate affecting so much of the Western world. Moroni aims to put theory into practice to improve the daily lives of his people. Despite being the largest semiautonomous territory within the U.S., Navajo Nation struggles with intense poverty, a lack of basic resources, and limited sovereignty. Moroni’s success depends on the support of his large family, disenfranchised youth, and others longing for real change on urgent issues. While he is highly educated and fluent in public policy, he cannot convey his political message with subtlety in Diné, the preferred language of many voters. His youth, lack of political experience, and unseasoned approach to traditional Navajo culture make him a risky but intriguing dark horse candidate. Seamlessly interwoven with Moroni’s story are those of two savvy politicos who also happen to be gay. An experienced campaign manager for an establishment politician, Alray Nelson holds his gay identity secondary to being Navajo. Zachariah George, the out young assistant to the sitting president, was raised traditionally to know gay people as sacred blessings. All navigate the constant tension between belonging and being different, between the traditional and the modern, while working to define a new Navajo dream. — CAROL HARADA
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Documentaries 67