This is an affectionate portrait of a middle-aged man who is a Department of Labor official by day and a Drag Queen who dreams of being royalty at night.
Daniel Hays
may reside in Washington DC these days but he still loves his Southern upbringing so hence his alter-ego Muffy Blake Stephyns loves to wear her hair the way the ladies did back home : so tall they all reaching out to God.
Muffy is a member of the DC Chapter of the Imperial Court which is one of the oldest LGBT organizations in the world. All the members have a fancy title starting at the bottom with a mere Lady right up to Emperor and Empress at the top and all adorn themselves with elaborate fancy outfits and either a crown or tiara . This grassroots organization’s main focus is to raise money for charity, which they do with a fair amount of success, and when they always dressed up in their regalia.
Be warned the whole hierarchy is elaborate and complicated ad not always explained well.
This debut documentary from Josh Davidsburg follows Muffy for one whole year when she aspires to get elected to be the next Empress whose reign of power lasts a year. The Court serves as one of Muffy’s chosen families, the other being formed by her Drag mother, and like so many gay men and women, they act as a substitute for her ow missing biological family.
Muffy says that her entire life consists of sleep, work and drag. And sometimes it’s just sleep, drag and more drag. Suffering from epilepsy which also gives her some bouts of severe depression, Muffy relies heavily on her two ‘families’ to provide the support that as single gay man she would otherwise lack..
Surprisingly Muffy’s only 42 years old but her style of drag , and that of her friends, is decidedly old-fashioned . So it appears is the whole Imperial Court System and the lack of involvement of younger generations in the film was very evident indeed. DC had already lost another similar old gay organisation when ite membership dwindled and though there is no sign of that with the Court yet, it very sadly looks so dated in today’s LGBTQ culture.
This relatively gentle lifestyle of Muffy and her friends may not survive beyond their generation, but at the moment it gives them all a purpose and a source of personal happiness, so let’s hope it keeps being fun whilst it lasts..
