film

The intent is not just to shock or provoke (although there’s plenty of that) but to force open a crack of liberating oddity in a paranoid lockstep society.

Galdanova and cinematographer Ruslan Fedotov give Jenna marvelous closeups, highlighting the nuances of her performance, the articulate lines of makeup, and intricate costume designs for a dazzling effect.

A devastating, urgent reminder that art can be dangerous and important and political and powerful — especially in ten-inch heels.

To call Gena a drag artist fails to capture just how subversive and courageous are her public “performances”.

[Gena Marvin] is an inspirational figure in a slightly scattergun documentary from the film-maker Agniia Galdanova that spends far too much time analysing why Marvin’s traditionalist Russian grandfather finds drag a bit off-putting.

I would have liked to hear more about Gena’s late mother and the family history generally, but this is an arresting portrait.

The scenes of performance art executed on the shore of a raging sea or in a muddy quarry pit are breathtaking in composition and framing, and made all the more alluring by Gena’s keen sense of presentation and otherworldly personas.

The film, while somewhat meandering in its episodic structure, illustrates the risks that Gena takes daily while sharing her art

It is a critical reminder of the power of protest; with a genuinely inspiring figure unfazed in leading the charge. Regarding vital documentaries this year, Queendom may snatch the crown.

Unfolding in the heart of Russia, both geographically and ideologically, Agniia Galdanova’s debut documentary feature begins as a profile of an extraordinary individual and becomes a communal howl of protest.