SXSW Review: Otherworldy Russian Artist Demonstrates the Revolutionary Spirit of Drag Performance in ‘Queendom’

Courtesy of Dmag PR.

In Queendom's opening scenes, the documentary's subject, Russian drag artist Gena Marvin, is photographed in the frigid, desolate surroundings of the former-gulag town of Magadan in the far east of the country. Against an endless background of snow-covered earth and white skies above, Gena is like an alien creature within an empty landscape that continues into infinity, wearing conceptual makeup and an avant-garde outfit transformed from everyday materials. This striking imagery as Queendom begins speaks resolutely to Gena's extraordinary sensibilities as a visual artist - their work is greatly informed by and rebels against the normative expectations of what life is like in contemporary Russia, a place simultaneously influenced by its complicated past and its current despotic leader where the Queer community is increasingly under attack. Directed by Agniia Galdanova, Queendom was shot between 2019 and 2023 and follows Gena's life in the increasing turmoil of Russia during the lead-up to Vladimir Putin's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Galdanova powerfully platforms Gena's experience as an isolated Queer figure within their society and the politically revolutionary elements of their artistry.

Gena (whose pronouns during the filming of the documentary were they/them) is just 20 years old at the start of Queendom, visiting their hometown in the conservative village of Magadan. Orphaned at an early age and raised by their traditionalist grandparents, Gena is loved by their family, even though they struggle to understand Gena's nonbinary identity and aspirations with their drag persona - preferring instead to urge Gena to find a wife and a "normal" career, maybe through joining the Russian military. Gena's more-authentic life exists over 6000 miles away, in Moscow, where they attend cosmetology school and find community in the increasingly underground Queer culture of the country's capital. Gena's edgy, abstract performances reflect their position as an outsider in society. They are often exhibited in bustling shared spaces - challenging public opinions and directly defying Russia's crippling laws against "gay propaganda." As the 2021 protests erupted in support of Alexei Navalny, Gena takes to the streets in full drag, joining the marches in an unforgettable look made of red, white, and blue duct tape resembling Russia's flag. Tension acceleratingly builds as Gena's education and connections with their family are frayed and jeopardized by the protest performances - culminating with Russia's invasion of Ukraine - which ultimately motivates Gena to find a way to avoid the military draft and flee the country.

@genamarvin on Instagram.

When Galdanova first began to conceptualize a documentary series focusing on drag artists in contemporary Russia, she wanted to feature several drag queens, but this idea quickly shifted when the filmmaker became captivated with Gena's vision after their first meetings. Queendom works to great lengths to showcase the subjectivity of Gena's unique experience as a Queer artist who has grown up in post-Communism, Putin-Era Russia. While most of the documentary concentrates on Gena's day-to-day hardships, it notably highlights their drag performances through many transitional scenes that help structure a narrative arc while excavating the inherently dark, idiosyncratic nature of Gena's work. For example, one of these performance scenes shows Gena struggling to free themself from a suffocating cocoon of plastic, while another depicts Gena steeping in an impenetrable mud pit. The cruel, severe facets of these performances echo Gena's marginalized experiences as a Queer person on the fringes of a society where the acceptance of individual identity has changed dramatically under Russia's authoritative leadership. In addition, Gena's visual aesthetic speaks significantly to the transformative powers of their subversive art - combining bizarre, reptilian-like shapes with Alexander McQueen-esque makeup to construct a moving image of immense strength and autonomy.

Although Gena's strife as a Queer person in Russia is a dilemma many in the Western world cannot fully comprehend, Queendom still upholds pieces of LGBTQ+ culture that are quite universal. Particularly with Gena's uneasy family dynamics, Galdanova takes tremendous respect in portraying the nuance of their relationship. While Gena's grandmother is much more tolerant and less orthodox than their grandfather, both elderly figures still greatly misunderstand Gena's life choices, which clearly frustrates and disappoints Gena, as the documentary exhibits. Nevertheless, Gena still loves their conservative grandparents, and it is evident that they love Gena too, even if their guidance is misinformed and adverse to Gena's blossoming identity. These precarious connections with family speak largely to the experience many Queer individuals face as they navigate their self-identity. Gena's empowerment in their drag persona deeply taps into the passion and emancipation they feel within their artistic world, allowing them to live freely and honestly within their own truths. This unapologetic confidence transmitted by Gena is a heroic act of authenticity and tremendously empowers audiences to feel it in Queendom. To quote Gena from the documentary, "I just live."

@genamarvin on Instagram.

The filmmaking techniques used by Galdanova and her team on Queedom give a fantastic insight into Gena's world without ever becoming overly convoluted. The careful framing of Gena within public spaces onscreen is often shown in wide shots, creating painterly images in connection with the artist’s work. In addition, Queendom never falls victim to "talking head" interviews relied on by many documentaries, instead leaning into the verité power of allowing Gena's interactions with society to convey the intricacies of their experience. Although Galdanova could not have been fully aware of the rising escalation during filming that culminated with the invasion of Ukraine, the real-life conflict creates an anxiety-building tension that strongly serves the ultimate tonal arc of Queendom.

With Queendom, documentarian Galdanova manages to shape a powerful portrait of a wholly unique Queer figure revolting against a system set out to disenfranchise all marginalized people. This daring act of creating the documentary pushes the boundaries of filmmaking to bring real-world atrocities to the silver screen, platforming the persecution of the LGBTQ+ community in Russia today. Gena Marvin's virtuosity blurs the lines between protest and performance and communicates with the rebellious origins of drag culture, which have challenged repressive constructs of power for many decades now. Queendom has its official World Premiere at this year's SXSW Film Festival in the Documentary Feature Competition and will also screen at the Copenhagen International Documentary Festival, which runs March 15 - 26. At the time of this publishing, Queendom is still seeking distribution. 

5/5

For more information about Queendom, visit the documentary's website.