For our final installment of Slamdance, we’re covering a fictional drama about the struggles of Alzheimer’s and a documentary about a New York LGBTQI icon.
Banr (Erica Xia-Hou)
Liu Ximei (Baoqing Li)and her husband Zhang Jianjun (Sui Li) have been together for over forty years. Now, they enter a new and difficult chapter of their lives as Wei’s Alzheimer’s begins to worsen. Everyday is a new challenge, a new struggle as she forgets who her husband is, where she lives, and even where she leaves knives around the house. Their daughter Yun Yun (Erica Xia-Hou) helps out when she can, but much of the time it’s just the two of them, making their way through the day together. I was prepared for this to be a heavy film, but wow. This is a crushing film, in a very, very real way.
By choosing to employ non-professional actors as her stars, writer-director-producer Xia-Hou makes this film feel that much more authentic. Their performances, combined with the tight, handheld camera work, could have convinced me that this was a documentary if anyone had told me otherwise. Both leads are incredibly convincing in their roles, imparting such realism to their emotions ranging from sadness to anger to childlike wonder. Anyone familiar with Alzheimer’s and its effect on families will feel the emotional impact of this film and their performances. Your heart breaks for both of them as she becomes scared in her own home and each gets harder and more stressful for both of them. Through the hard times, though, you never once doubt the love they have for each other, and you can’t help but cheer them on through the good days and bad.
Banr is a devastating drama filled with heart. It’s more of a character study than anything, but that works to its advantage because it allows you the time to learn about, love, and sympathize with the characters all the more. How this premiered at Slamdance with zero awards is beyond me.
The Big Johnson (Lola Rocknrolla)
Musician, stylist, AIDS activist, drag queen, and so much more, “Dean Johnson was, if nothing else, original.” Arriving in New York City in 1979, he attended NYU and quickly became a part of the East Village LGBTQI club scene as both a participant and eventually a performer in different bands, Dean and the Weenies and The Velvet Mafia. Told through archive footage, interviews of those who knew him, and animation of Dean’s own diary entries, The Big Johnson follows his ups and downs as a gay icon until his mysterious and untimely death in Washington, D.C. In telling Dean’s story, we’re also treated to an insider’s view of the club scene in New York from 1979 through the 2000s, the historical context of the Reagan era and the AIDS epidemic, and footage of his live performances at Wigstock and other events.
The Big Johnson is part personal documentary, part music, and part cultural, which is a testament to the impact Dean Johnson had on the world. As someone who was unfamiliar with his work, I enjoyed his aggressive, defiant music and showmanship. It was wild to learn how plugged into the scene he was and the icons he rubbed shoulders with. The videos of wild club nights and AIDS protests, including throwing the ashes of loved ones onto the White House lawn, are at times shocking. The interviews are touching, sometimes funny, intimate anecdotes that are coupled with the clever use of animation to tell a full, uncensored look at a life truly lived to the fullest.
If you have an interest in any of the myriad of intersecting topics covered in this film, from the 80s New York club scene, to LGBTQI history, to underground rock music, The Big Johnson has something for you.
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