March 12, 2024
FILM: GLITTER & DOOM
DIRECTED BY: TOM GUSTAFSON
STARRING: ALEX DIAZ, ALAN CAMMISH, MING-NA WEN
RATING: 3 ½ out of 4 stars
By Dan Pal
I think there is always a place for romantic musicals. Yes, they’ve been done to death on film for almost a century but Glitter & Doom takes the genre into the modern world with two young gay men and lots of deep, introspective songs. The fact that the music is all written by Indigo Girls, Amy Ray and Emily Saliers, is one of its greatest strengths. These are songs that have been around for decades that have been re-imagined in a very satisfying and contemporary way.
The title refers to the two main characters, Glitter and Doom. Because the narrative is steeped in the fantasies associated with musicals, the names are more than anything symbolic of the darkness and light that follows all young people around trying to find their way to their dreams. Glitter is the optimistic, lighter of the two characters. His goal is to develop his craft as an amateur clown at a circus school in France. He wears very colorful clothes and has a generally sunny and adventurous disposition. Doom is, of course, the more introspective and serious of the two. Wearing mostly dark shirts and a leather coat, he sings songs about scars, love, and anger. He also tends to be associated with the darker elements of the film’s scenic design. It is Glitter that brings him to life.
The early development of their relationship is handled briskly and without a lot of exposition to really tell us who these characters are. Some of that comes out through the songs but a bit more dialogue and details about their lives would have strengthened our understanding of each young man. But that is not much the point as we are expected to be (and are) taken away by their romance and their generally grounded sense of what they want to do with their lives.
Of course, the “Glitter & Doom” metaphor is just one part of the many dichotomies that are represented here. Glitter is associated with levity while Doom is gravity. Glitter’s role in the relationship is to pull Doom up and expose him to the rising spirit that must certainly exist within him. Doom helps to bring Glitter back to reality at times, down from performing and right brain creative messiness. More than once in the film there is a reference to “feeding the soul vs. feeding rent.” Both characters need to find a balance between being who they are artistically while living in a world which requires money for shelter.
The production design and cinematography are both used beautifully here. Director Tom Gustafson creates a perfect balance between the sparkling soul and the darker realities of life. This is not your grandmother’s musical with high-key lighting and perky two-tapping numbers. All of it is much more complex and carefully constructed to reflect a more 21st Century view of work, dreams, love, and relationships. As such, even though many of the production numbers might feel like music videos at times, there is a more complete set of ideas being depicted here using a very entertaining visual style.
The two male leads, Alex Glitter as Glitter and Alan Cammish as Doom, have the charm and good looks to make them appealing to the film’s target audience. They’re also very good singers. Of course, it helps that the songs are rich and highly melodic. It’s great to see the Indigo Girls themselves here in small roles seemingly passing on their music torches to these two young lads. Since the women are both queer, one might assume the story would make more sense if this was a female rather than male relationship story. Surprisingly, it really works though. This suggests quite a bit about the universality of the Indigo Girls’s music and lyrics that could be applied to a new generation of young gay men.
Glitter & Doom is a tribute to the Indigo Girls as well as the many other queer artists that appear for cameos in the film: Lea DeLaria, Tig Notaro, Peppermint, and The B-52s’ Kate Pierson. T-shirts worn by the actors pay homage to others such as Pansy Division, Tegan & Sara, and R.E.M. All of these are artists that paved the way for a no holds barred gay musical like Glitter & Doom.
Fans of musicals, theatre, and television shows like Glee and Heartstopper will likely swoon over this film.
Glitter & Doom is now playing in limited release with more theatrical runs to begin this Friday.
FILM: GLITTER & DOOM
DIRECTED BY: TOM GUSTAFSON
STARRING: ALEX DIAZ, ALAN CAMMISH, MING-NA WEN
RATING: 3 ½ out of 4 stars
By Dan Pal
I think there is always a place for romantic musicals. Yes, they’ve been done to death on film for almost a century but Glitter & Doom takes the genre into the modern world with two young gay men and lots of deep, introspective songs. The fact that the music is all written by Indigo Girls, Amy Ray and Emily Saliers, is one of its greatest strengths. These are songs that have been around for decades that have been re-imagined in a very satisfying and contemporary way.
The title refers to the two main characters, Glitter and Doom. Because the narrative is steeped in the fantasies associated with musicals, the names are more than anything symbolic of the darkness and light that follows all young people around trying to find their way to their dreams. Glitter is the optimistic, lighter of the two characters. His goal is to develop his craft as an amateur clown at a circus school in France. He wears very colorful clothes and has a generally sunny and adventurous disposition. Doom is, of course, the more introspective and serious of the two. Wearing mostly dark shirts and a leather coat, he sings songs about scars, love, and anger. He also tends to be associated with the darker elements of the film’s scenic design. It is Glitter that brings him to life.
The early development of their relationship is handled briskly and without a lot of exposition to really tell us who these characters are. Some of that comes out through the songs but a bit more dialogue and details about their lives would have strengthened our understanding of each young man. But that is not much the point as we are expected to be (and are) taken away by their romance and their generally grounded sense of what they want to do with their lives.
Of course, the “Glitter & Doom” metaphor is just one part of the many dichotomies that are represented here. Glitter is associated with levity while Doom is gravity. Glitter’s role in the relationship is to pull Doom up and expose him to the rising spirit that must certainly exist within him. Doom helps to bring Glitter back to reality at times, down from performing and right brain creative messiness. More than once in the film there is a reference to “feeding the soul vs. feeding rent.” Both characters need to find a balance between being who they are artistically while living in a world which requires money for shelter.
The production design and cinematography are both used beautifully here. Director Tom Gustafson creates a perfect balance between the sparkling soul and the darker realities of life. This is not your grandmother’s musical with high-key lighting and perky two-tapping numbers. All of it is much more complex and carefully constructed to reflect a more 21st Century view of work, dreams, love, and relationships. As such, even though many of the production numbers might feel like music videos at times, there is a more complete set of ideas being depicted here using a very entertaining visual style.
The two male leads, Alex Glitter as Glitter and Alan Cammish as Doom, have the charm and good looks to make them appealing to the film’s target audience. They’re also very good singers. Of course, it helps that the songs are rich and highly melodic. It’s great to see the Indigo Girls themselves here in small roles seemingly passing on their music torches to these two young lads. Since the women are both queer, one might assume the story would make more sense if this was a female rather than male relationship story. Surprisingly, it really works though. This suggests quite a bit about the universality of the Indigo Girls’s music and lyrics that could be applied to a new generation of young gay men.
Glitter & Doom is a tribute to the Indigo Girls as well as the many other queer artists that appear for cameos in the film: Lea DeLaria, Tig Notaro, Peppermint, and The B-52s’ Kate Pierson. T-shirts worn by the actors pay homage to others such as Pansy Division, Tegan & Sara, and R.E.M. All of these are artists that paved the way for a no holds barred gay musical like Glitter & Doom.
Fans of musicals, theatre, and television shows like Glee and Heartstopper will likely swoon over this film.
Glitter & Doom is now playing in limited release with more theatrical runs to begin this Friday.