nick94965

Beautifully done story about a gay male hairdresser who can no longer lay claim to his one-time title as "Mr. Pat", the Liberace of Sandusky, Ohio, played with gusto by the brilliant and shining Udo Kier. Udo practically owns the screen here, showing up in every scene and having the time of his life pulling out no stops to bring to life the very 'colorful' hairdresser Mr. Patrick, who spent 33 years taking care of the first lady of Sandusky (in a cameo by none other than the great Linda Evans).

To say that this performance is Oscar-worthy is to not do it justice. As the lead character, Udo projects such inner strength and commitment that encapsulates his many years of playing characters in secondary roles that were beneath his standing. He manages to pull our heartstrings in a dozen different directions while merely staring straight ahead puffing on a strange looking cigarette through most of the scenes.

Other wonderful moments are played by the supporting characters, and everyone performs their special role with grace and class, and transcends the illusion that a small town like Sandusky could ever really have a drag show that can compete with the likes of San Francisco for real talent.

A sweet moment happens when Udo as Patrick returns to the site of his former home, which is now a vacant lot, and talks with the young married couple who are now the owners of the lot, and he projects the loss of his former life with a depth and feeling that many of us can relate to. This is also prevalent in the scene of Mr. Pat honoring his partner who died of AIDS by kneeling before his tombstone.

Every moment in this is priceless, and is one of the best of the year, sadly unnoticed by the lack of open movie theaters, but luckily we are still able to find in the world of streaming. Bravo to the wonderful team that made this bittersweet tale of love and loss, and redemption.

Wow-- this is one earth shattering film. The basic story does not seem to do justice to the execution, which is amazing -- it is clear that the filmmakers are extraordinarily talented, and the acting is superb. Every scene is absolutely realistic, almost documentary, and the settings are gritty, grimy, as the main character, Little, a tiny girl and her mother, Nikki, are two of the tunnel dwellers are forced out of their underground which is condemned. The two have a special bond because the girl has never been Topside, and when they enter the world above, the blinding lights and overwhelming noise of the city almost causes the girl a serious breakdown. When the filmmakers show the point of view of the girl, the lights and sound are overmodulated to give the viewer the same feeling of chaos as the child, above ground probably for the first time, would experience. The story gets harsh as they desperately search for some kind of shelter in the city and the finale is beyond heartbreaking. This is a difficult film to sit through, but the experience is worthwhile and very highly recommended.

This is one outstanding project that is handled with amazing intelligence and sensitivity. It is too bad that the Academy Awards cannot be offered to a series, since it is probably one of the best of the year. However, it would be impossible to tell the story in only 2 hours or less.

The entire series is quite engrossing, without a single missed step or a massive amount of filler material. Each person who is on screen is engaging, in particular the main protagonist, India Oxenberg herself. In showing Keith Raniere's power over the women, there is an amazing amount of insider footage, and some of his speeches are overtly revealing of his sheer unabashed narcissism and sociopathy.

The one wild card that is still unclear is how he was able to coerce Allison Mack into the insider harum and have her carry out most of the insidious trafficking, and the other baffling mystery has to do with the Bronfman Sisters, the heiresses to a multi-billion dollar empire, who willingly gave Keith as much money as he needed to manipulate them. That is one story that would be worth pursuing, if anyone were able to do so.

India Oxenberg, as the daughter of a one-time successful actress, must have had a lack of self confidence that allowed her to become absorbed into the cult just as the women of Charles Manson and several other cult leaders did. The fact that she is intelligent, had a successful mother, and a very noble family lineage did not prepare her to be taken in by what seems like an obvious megalomaniac. Watching her take on the master manipulator and turning the tables on him is more fascinating than any mystery thriller script that Hollywood is churning out. As usual, truth is stranger than fiction and this series has enough plot twists to rival any detective or noir crime series currently out on the airwaves.