June 10, 2024
FILM: QUEEN TUT
DIRECTED BY: REEM MORSI
STARRING: ALEXANDRA BILLINGS, RYAN ALI, DANI JAZZAR
RATING: 3 out of 4 stars
By Dan Pal
Pride month continues with a film that showcases members of the community that do not get near the amount of attention they should. Ryan Ali stars as Nabil, a man from Egypt who comes to live in Toronto with his father after his supportive mother passes away. Rather quickly Nabil finds himself a friend in Malibu, played by Alexandra Billings (Transparent.) Malibu is attempting to save her beloved club Mandy’s which is being threatened by potential demolition and residential development. By coincidence it is the firm that Nabil’s father (Dani Jazzar) works for that is leading the charge to close down the club. We’ve seen such stories before but this one has as its unique angle with Nabil’s own coming out as a gay drag performer and Malibu’s own perseverance as a fighting member of the community.
It is revealed through flashbacks that Nabil’s mother liked to create flamboyant dresses which she would let Nabil try on. Clearly he had a propensity for wearing the outfits whether he was gay or not. It is the flashy clothes initially worn by Malibu that brings the characters together. Their association allows Nabil to fully express himself as one who enjoys cross dressing and is in need of finding the appropriate community to make that happen. There’s not a lot of background to Nabil’s story though and we never really find out what his life was like in Egypt prior to his arrival in Canada. Yet we can assume there were limitations to his freedom of expression.
The character of Malibu is an interesting one in that she is far from stereotypical in her portrayal by Billings. Rather she is a multi-layered creation that has had her own share of struggles when transitioning earlier in life and is now at a point where she is the mother hen to a bunch of young drag performers. This is especially important to Nabil given the loss of his own mother. But Billings is skilled enough to not inhabit some version of this character that has been played many times before. Rather Billings’ own history as a drag performer and then transgender woman makes her embody something far more truthful to her own experiences. Malibu is fierce yet tender. She has history and holds on to that history, perhaps a bit too much. Yet she moves on and remains a survivor. This is the kind of role Billings was born to play and is sadly not given enough opportunities to do so. She even gets her own “I won’t break” solo number ala Cher’s “You Haven’t Seen the Last of Me Yet” from Burlesque.
The production design stands out very well here. The costumes created for Nabil and the other drag performers in the film are quite exquisite and reflect personal aspects of the characters. The flashiness of the club stands in sharp contrast to the drab home that Nabil shares with his father. Clearly, finding his own sense of self-expression is visually highlighted throughout the film if the narrative itself is a bit predictable.
Ultimately though this is a film about the continued need for the LGBTQ+ community to stick together in the face of outside forces attempting to overtake them with other social and political concerns. It emphasizes that the fight continues for equal rights and that it remains important to stay true to who you are and have the freedom to be whomever that is.
Queen Tut arrives on DVD and VOD, including AppleTV and Amazon Prime, beginning June 11th.
FILM: QUEEN TUT
DIRECTED BY: REEM MORSI
STARRING: ALEXANDRA BILLINGS, RYAN ALI, DANI JAZZAR
RATING: 3 out of 4 stars
By Dan Pal
Pride month continues with a film that showcases members of the community that do not get near the amount of attention they should. Ryan Ali stars as Nabil, a man from Egypt who comes to live in Toronto with his father after his supportive mother passes away. Rather quickly Nabil finds himself a friend in Malibu, played by Alexandra Billings (Transparent.) Malibu is attempting to save her beloved club Mandy’s which is being threatened by potential demolition and residential development. By coincidence it is the firm that Nabil’s father (Dani Jazzar) works for that is leading the charge to close down the club. We’ve seen such stories before but this one has as its unique angle with Nabil’s own coming out as a gay drag performer and Malibu’s own perseverance as a fighting member of the community.
It is revealed through flashbacks that Nabil’s mother liked to create flamboyant dresses which she would let Nabil try on. Clearly he had a propensity for wearing the outfits whether he was gay or not. It is the flashy clothes initially worn by Malibu that brings the characters together. Their association allows Nabil to fully express himself as one who enjoys cross dressing and is in need of finding the appropriate community to make that happen. There’s not a lot of background to Nabil’s story though and we never really find out what his life was like in Egypt prior to his arrival in Canada. Yet we can assume there were limitations to his freedom of expression.
The character of Malibu is an interesting one in that she is far from stereotypical in her portrayal by Billings. Rather she is a multi-layered creation that has had her own share of struggles when transitioning earlier in life and is now at a point where she is the mother hen to a bunch of young drag performers. This is especially important to Nabil given the loss of his own mother. But Billings is skilled enough to not inhabit some version of this character that has been played many times before. Rather Billings’ own history as a drag performer and then transgender woman makes her embody something far more truthful to her own experiences. Malibu is fierce yet tender. She has history and holds on to that history, perhaps a bit too much. Yet she moves on and remains a survivor. This is the kind of role Billings was born to play and is sadly not given enough opportunities to do so. She even gets her own “I won’t break” solo number ala Cher’s “You Haven’t Seen the Last of Me Yet” from Burlesque.
The production design stands out very well here. The costumes created for Nabil and the other drag performers in the film are quite exquisite and reflect personal aspects of the characters. The flashiness of the club stands in sharp contrast to the drab home that Nabil shares with his father. Clearly, finding his own sense of self-expression is visually highlighted throughout the film if the narrative itself is a bit predictable.
Ultimately though this is a film about the continued need for the LGBTQ+ community to stick together in the face of outside forces attempting to overtake them with other social and political concerns. It emphasizes that the fight continues for equal rights and that it remains important to stay true to who you are and have the freedom to be whomever that is.
Queen Tut arrives on DVD and VOD, including AppleTV and Amazon Prime, beginning June 11th.