The Death and Life of Marsha P. Johnson

From the director of the quite extraordinarily brilliant How To Survive A Plague comes this film.

Marsha P Johnson was a black transvestite/drag queen (there was no 'transgender' then) who hung around Christopher Street in the 60s until her mysterious death when she was pulled out of the Hudson River in the early 90s. As we hear from one person captured on video back then who witnessed her body being recovered there appears to have been some kind of wound on her head. Could there be more to Marsha's death than just the officially held cause being accidental? Was it suicide or homicide?

David France expertly tracks the work of Victoria Cruz in unearthing and unravelling what happened to Marsha whilst celebrating this revolutionaries life. Moments of this documentary are sometimes very shocking. One such is when Ms Cruz telephones a retired member of the NYPD who she asks to meet to discuss the circumstances surrounding Johnson's death. 'Definitely not' he responds to her meeting request. He then warns her 'Don't go playing detective'. Sinister.

This film feels like new unexplored relics and answers from LGBT history being unveiled right before your eyes.

However, there are politics at play regarding the film. Some members of the non-white trans movement are slamming France's work as hes a white cisgender (non-trans) man who is making this film rather than a trans person of colour. There have been accusations of theft of material from another project that was being made by the trans community regarding Johnson. There are also accusations that David France could get funding and distribution because hes white and cisgender. I think these accusations are just a case of sour grapes. If you are a filmmaker who has made films before, have a proven track record and can actually accomplish these projects through to fruition then you will get funding and distribution. How long have we been waiting for the fictionalised short film Happy Birthday, Marsha? I'm amused that its fictionalised- so was Stonewall in 2015. Lets see if there are protests regarding this new film if events are seen to be historically accurate.

Also, does it matter whether the person making the film is trans or cisgender or what their ethnicity is when the film they make is as great as this?

There seems to be a huge emphasis on Marsha and Sylvia Rivera when it comes to LGBT history and the Stonewall Riots. But when anyone else is represented they are lumped together and not given the same kind of detailed analysis or be the centre of attention. I'd love a similar documentary on Danny Garvin, Martin Boyce or the person widely believed to have started the riots- Jackie Hormona (Marsha P Johnson admitted in an interview that when she arrived at the Stonewall Inn on that fateful night in 1969 that the rioting had already started. The interview is here- makinggayhistory.com/podcast/episode-11-johnson-wicker/ She dashed off to Bryant Park to tell Sylvia Rivera who had taken heroin). You don't know who Garvin, Boyce or Garvin are? Thats very telling.

A great documentary. Now lets hear about other Stonewall voices.

10/13/17. A somewhat scattered documentary about the life and death of a transgender person named Marsha P. Johnson in NYC. Not sure if this really gets down to the allegations that s/he was murdered or the motives as to why anyone who do her in. It's a murder mystery that remains a mystery.

This film is an excellent example of the Documentary genre. Expertly researched and edited to allow viewers not familiar with the material to engage with a true story easily and compassionately. It has moments of mystery and a sense of a thriller and ultimately is a simple tale of a legendary activist who fought for truth and justice in a time where the LGBTQ community were only just showing their collective voice.

The death of Marsha P. Johnson was a turning point in holding police and their political string-pullers to account and the rare film clips of Marsha and her friends give the film an extra layer of engagement.

It's not hysterical. It's not over-done. It's not a film that can be dismissed. In its gently unfolding way it tells the story of this incredible personality of the Stonewall Riots.

Highly recommended for all audiences.

A triangular shaped metal sign on a pole near where Marsha Johnson's body was found is titled Queer Spaces and explains who she was and how she died. This sign says a lot about this film--spaces. So many spaces exist where we learn nothing about Marsha's life or spaces where files about her case have gone missing, spaces where we get a glimpse of a person's life in her 20's and then only a glimpse again when she is in much older (true of Sylvia, Victoria, and many others).

The compelling aspect of this documentary is the character study of the unflappable Victoria in her investigation and Sylvia Riviera, who hits the bottom and comes back to be a great activist. Both are more interesting than Marsha herself--at least what we learn of Marsha in this film. The scenes where Victoria shows us photos of herself when she was young on stage and Sylvia getting a job at a church are wonderful.

One big space is the lack of resources put into investigating the violence against trans-gendered people--Victoria's boss notes this toward the end. The spaces are the questions always left unanswered when someone dies without reason.

Basically, the movie's title is misleading. It's not really about Marsha, though she is a part of the larger story. It's about being trans-gendered in New York and how this has changed and not changed in the last 50 years.

I was originally going to say that this should be required viewing for young LGBTQ people, in order for them to have a better understanding of our history. But correct that to say that EVERYONE should watch this in order to better understand a segment of our society that has been brutally mistreated since...well, since forever.

I lived in New York and came out (finally, at age 30) the same week that Marsha was murdered, in July 1992. I can't believe I don't remember this happening. :-(

While this film isn't perfect, it tells an important story and the other people involved (Silvia, Victoria, etc.) are as compelling and worth knowing about as Marsha was. The details of their lives and experiences are compelling.

I'm only sorry I'm discovering all this lo these many years later.