The Death and Life of Marsha P. Johnson

I saw this one day strolling through Netflix and my husband and I decided to watch it as we are of course I support of equal rights for everyone.

Martha is and was an amazing person. She was the one who started the fight for transgenders and gay exam rights. This is a must see and I would watch it many more times.

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.

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.

Every young LGBTQ+ person should watch this. A great documentary about a strong woman.

It's heartwarming and devastating at the same time. It's a bit slow and it should be better edited, but it's an enormous lesson on empathy for us cisgender people with a roof above our heads to learn.