I wrote this for the image+nation catalogue. A little synopsis, limited to 190 words, for the viewing audience. The festival is a 23 year old queer film festival that takes place in Montreal every year in October/November.
Superstarlet A.D.
This black and white and red surrealist film has the makings of cult classic status in the making. Boobs! Guns! Blonds! Brunettes! Redheads! Vintage lingerie! Neanderthals! In this American dystopia, there are three beauty cults: redheads, blonds, and brunettes, chicks who backstab, gossip about and murder each other. The other clique is the Superstarlets who wear all hair colours. The outfits are to die for—think Barbarella meets an inappropriate Jackie-O meets 1950s pin-up kitten Bettie Page. All with a delightful queer edge and high-femme femininity complete with raspy voices and lesbian separatist tendencies. This classic tale weaves science fiction and pop culture into one narrative of eye-popping proportions. Superstarlet A.D. is a wonderful low-budget romp, a ride for the ages that might remind you of Hedwig and the Angry Inch or an early John Waters film. Protagonist Naomi sums up the film nicely with this comment “I pop pills like I pop culture.” Or “I want to kill a man but love a woman.” Despite the kitschy aesthetic, the film manages to make a comment about the days of American perfection and what made that country great in its heyday.
