Goodbye Horses: Las muchas vidas de Q Lazzarus

This is the best documentary I have seen in a long while. Can't stop thinking about it! Not only is Q an unforgettable human being but Eva Aridjis Fuentes handles her story with utmost delicacy and respect. Tremendously executed, really. Everyone should watch this. Not sure why it hasn't gone viral by now.

This really is one of the best documentaries I've seen in a long time. Superbly handled with care and grace by the director (Eva Aridjis-Fuentes), it depicts the life - and what a life at that - of an amazingly talented - and impossible to pigeon-hole - woman, 'Q Lazzarus', who was subject to a crazy combination of cosmic fate mixed with misfortune. I found myself shaking my head at the absurdity of it all. The director allows Q to tell, and show, her story, explaining struggles with the music industry. Essentially a symptom of wider societal obstacles that black women faced (and still face) resulting in a kind of stolen destiny. There are heart warming moments amongst the bleakness. Simple human things like seeing the happy faces as she reconnects with her old drummer, or when the church sisters see her for the first time in years. Her loving husband too. I don't want to accidentally add any spoilers so I'll stop here. The director has absolutely gifted us with this film, giving the artist her chance to shine at last. I'm now going to go listen to her music, it's the least I can do.

Goodbye Horses: The Many Lives of Q Lazzarus is a gift to biographical independent cinema and the women's movement plus the cause for diversity and community. It's truly a global music film on top of being a story of one person or many- her family, friends, her colleagues, the director plays a part- oh- It's fresh in my mind but honestly it's such a wild experience which spans the 20th and 21st centuries and there is so much music and pathos packed into it. I would simply say that each part or scene tells a unique story and then all fit together and form a sensible narrative that makes a compelling portrait of someone we just discovered.

Goodbye Horses is a must watch for deep music heads and fans of documentaries on underground and "outsider" arts. Eva Aridjis Fuentes did a fantastic job of capturing Q (Diane Luckey) and her work. Q was a fascinating singer / songwriter who combined hard rock, soul, and new wave in her songs and focused it all through her powerful, sublime voice (think Tina Turner on the Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome soundtrack.) The film follows Diane / Q from her youthful explosion of musical creativity through a series of heartbreaking tribulations and "almost" moments. An equally beautiful and painful paean to dreams and survival.

Making a documentary about a woman so mysterious is no easy feat. Diane Luckey, better known as Q Lazzarus, disappeared from the public eye for over 25 years. She gained fans all over the world that she didn't know about. Fans she would never meet. Fans who would not know her presence at all. Conveying anyone's personality can be tricky, but I feel like Eva did it wonderfully. In this documentary, you can pick up on Diane's humor. You can pick up on her passion. You can pick up on her strength. Hell, you can even pick up on her parenting style at one point in the movie! The way this was edited is phenomenal, and once again, editing this was no easy task. Eva has said that (and I'm just paraphrasing here) she felt like she had 2 completely different films. One about a rock star and one about a woman's struggle (especially with substance abuse). That being said, I think Eva was able to make this one coherent story. I applaud Eva for all the hard work and dedication she needed take on the difficult task of speaking for a woman who can no longer speak for herself. We miss you, Q.

So what did I think of this film I was so excited to see? I adored it. I still have questions about Q, that may or may never be answered, but I think that's okay! I have never cried so hard at a movie like I did with this documentary. The world can feel so incredibly cruel sometimes.

Diane, you deserved better. I hope you're feeling all this love and success that's coming from this documentary. I hope more people are able to hear, learn from, and maybe even resonate with your story.