Starwalker

Starwalker (Star) is a 2-spirited young aboriginal. He was taken from his biological family, and has run away from his foster parents. Cruising in his usual East Vancouver park, he meets Levi, a young white man who is working and living at the House of Borealis, a drag show cabaret. They fall in love, and Star joins the troupe. But House Mother's health is failing, and she abhors doctors and hospitals (and so does Star). As Mother designates Levi to be her successor, backstage jealousies erupt. Levi has to make a decision that is not popular.

This is an interesting mixture of 2-spiritness, drag, music and dance. Star's aboriginal heritage, his being 2-spirited, and his personal history / traumas are an integral part of the story. The drag is a mixture of styles - the MC insists on doing it with a full beard. The songs were good, and they do drive the plot forward, in showing the emotional side of events, even if they may slow down the action. The on-stage dances are choreographed by a former drag performer, who mines various dance styles. The principals do show heat towards each other, though sometimes when singing the chemistry drops as they concentrate on the music.

I saw this at the world premiere at the Inside Out film festival, with a Q+A with the director and crew. There was much care taken in working in both aboriginal culture and what is often a "typical" personal history. I was surprised at how much I enjoyed and was moved by it.