Review of The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert (1994) by Peter F — 26 Jan 2017
The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert is a charming film about 2 drag queens and one transgender woman who are crossing the Australian outback. The characters are well established, and each one gets their own moments to shine.
My favorite aspect of the movie is how it constantly defies a lot of cliches or stereotypes of gay/trans people. Unfortunately, there is some cliche when it comes to one character. For a movie that is so progressive in certain characterizations, it is ridiculously antiquated in the way it portrays Cynthia.
She is a Filipino who is presented as little more than a shrill, gold-digging, and sexually promiscuous woman. Aside from her, I greatly enjoy all the people in this movie, especially the 3 lead characters.
However, one of the best characters is introduced late in the film. Without giving away too much there is a young boy brought in who is "too good to be true" when it comes to accepting everyone.
While it seems like a fantasy character, this boy serves as a mirror that reflects back to the audience all their own prejudices and forces people to ask why they have problems with something a child can accept so readily.
It's deftly handled without being heavy-handed which is the way I prefer my topical films.
This review of The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert (1994) was written by Peter F on 26 Jan 2017.
The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert has generally received very positive reviews.
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