Moviecut—Drag Becomes Him

source: Drag Becomes Him

This documentary, while depicting the life and career of Jinkx Monsoon aka Jerick Hoffer, did an amazing job of portraying the drag scene of Seattle as a whole. I feel that not only drag queens and entertainers from all genres but anyone who has felt a passion and a calling for something can relate to Jinkx's story. I feel that the heard of this documentary was the interviews with Jinkx's family members, as we saw a lot of vulnerability and emotion there. While certain audiences familiar with Jinkx through Rupaul's Drag Race Season 5 have heard Jinkx talk about her family (and especially mom) before, Drag Becomes Him dives into those delicate relationships like never before. The intimate and authentic documentation of events pre-Drag Race and post-Drag Race were captured in a raw, unfiltered manner that allowed the audiences to feel closer to Jinkx and her group of friends. I feel excited to be a part of the drag movement spreading to mainstream media and capturing the attention of larger audiences. Drag performance as an art form has touched the lives of many, and Jinkx Monsoon is a perfect example of that. The art of drag deserves the recognition and respect on a larger scale more than ever. This personal story depicted in Drag Becomes Him represents pursuing your passion against all odds on a universal level. Very touching and inspiring story that had several light-hearted moments that left the audience with a smile on their faces.

A gorgeous (thanks to the cinematography of director Alex Berry) portrait of Jinkx Monsoon (Jerick Hoffer). This film expands the web series and follows Jinkx long before she became 'America's next drag superstar'. This film also shows how greatly Seattle has influenced Jinkx and the drag world, changing it for the better. RuPaul's Drag Race will never be the same because of Jinkx. An intimate and fascinating look into a true, insanely talented performer. "Every time a drag queen gets to pee in the middle of the night, a fairy gets its wings." That is a Jinkx quote from the film in the bathroom at PONY queer bar in Seattle. The title of the film comes from one of Jinkx's favorite films growing up, Death Becomes Her, which she memorized and quoted dialogue constantly to family. And if you have seen that film, this film is definitely not 'flaaaaacid!'

Genius pure genius amazing performer when I saw jinx monsoon in the first episode on RuPaul's drag race for his season, I said to myself he should be on Broadway. And then he was. The next time I saw Jake's monsoon was on a cruise ship set up by Al &I Chuck Travel, there were 39 other queens from RuPaul's drag race on-board. Jinx brought along his Broadway show and performed in front of 3000 of RuPaul drag queen fans to standing ovation and a couple of encores. If he is performing near you be sure to catch his act.

From a young queen in Portland Oregon, to a Seattle queen, to Americas next drag super star and beyond! It has been a pleasure to watch these events from a distance being part of the community in Portland. Jinx is an amazing artist all around. This film is a beautiful look at who he is at the heart of it all. The honest interviews with his family shine a light on the struggles faced by many and give hope for overcoming some of those struggles. There is a bright future ahead of this amazing artist and getting an intimate look and how he had gotten to this point is a gift that he had given us by opening and sharing his world for all to see.

Such an interesting story about one of the forefront drag queens who really doesn't get enough credit. I saw this doc at Inside Out film festival and really enjoyed the insight to the hard work and dedication Jinkx has put in to become the international performer she is today. It reminded me why I loved Jinx in the first place. It was an honest portrayal of a boy who performs in girls clothes. We so often put queens on a pedestal in the LGBT community (and rightly so) but it is nice to learn a little more about the boy and the thought processes beneath all that make up and corsets. Not to diminish drag race but it was great to get a more personable side to the story of this truly talented team, with out the sensationalist editing.

I was blessed to be in the audience at the premiere in Seattle with Jerick Hoffer, his family and his extended drag family. I watched it again yesterday for the second time. It's an amazing, honest, revealing documentary on how Jinkx Monsoon was born. Jerick was already a star before Rupaul's Drag Race but winning America's Next Drag Superstar brought him to a bigger audience. I loved the early film footage of his early drag performances. It's great to see the wonderful relationship and the loving support that he has with his family. Alex Berry and Basil Shadid have done a brilliant job and thank you for allowing us to see behind the curtain of this multi-talented drag performer's life. It's a must see documentary!! I feel like I know Jinkx Monsoon a lot more intimately than I did before!

Fascinating documentary. It's mesmerizing the process by which the drag persona comes to life from her artistic creator. It's like the construction of an entity who is very different and have a life on her own but it's still part of the artist who conceptualized her. I also found this documentary very personal and really touching, showing the family dynamics and the interpersonal relationships that evolved with (and influenced, perhaps?) the creation process of Jinkx Monsoon. In the world of entertainment, there are many fascinating ways to engage audiences with suspended disbelief; I think that drag queens and female impersonators take it to the next level, by bringing to life characters that are part of their creator, and part of multiple movie and multimedia influences, and also products of intensive research in social issues that affect GLBT community. Female impersonation is still taboo in many ways in our society, and this documentary helps to break such boundaries and inform the audience.

If you like gay film, or any quality documentary style look inside of a story based on the evolution of a drag queen who went from a confused child to a confident world-traveling superstar, then this one is for you. I loved it, and it was very well done. You can't be afraid of imagery that may challenge your, perhaps, limited view of life and society and culture. It's honest, loving, and I recommend that you check it out.