The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert

A “gay friendly” film with some qualities, but which seems unfinished in some important aspects.

This has been one of the most beloved films among the transsexual community, even though it seems obvious to me that being a transvestite and transsexual are not identical things. A transvestite is anyone who wears clothing belonging to the opposite sex to look like that. A transsexual is anyone who believes that they should have been born with the opposite sex to the one they have, and who, not infrequently, begins to undergo medical treatments in order to achieve the physical appearance they desire. What do they have in common? Both are minorities of little expression within the “gay” movement and, despite being visible, they have demands that sometimes contradict those of the homosexual movement, leading to some internal friction.

None of this really matters, but it helps to understand why the group keeps this film on their favorites list. Filmed in Australia, it shows us the bumpy journey of a troupe of transvestites through the Australian desert to a remote town, where they are supposed to have some shows. The film has an intelligent script, where the adventures and misadventures of the trio intersect with other caricatured characters and, of course, with the intolerance and homophobia of isolated rural communities, where the “gay friendly” film takes the opportunity to make certain criticisms of these attitudes. Unfortunately, the film doesn't give us more than this, the characters are poorly developed and the feeling that remains is that of a project made to please a niche audience and not to tell a good story.

The cast has three strong names at the front who ensure consistent protagonism: Terence Stamp, Hugo Weaving and Guy Pearce. The three actors are solid bets and do a very decent job with the material received, with Pearce, more extravagant and bizarre, being the one who least satisfies me. The character he offered us is a caricature and not a credible human figure. He is the one who purchases the tourist bus that will be used on the trip, and which he bizarrely names Priscilla, Queen of the Desert.

On a technical level, the film does not present great quality scores, for which it deserves special praise. With a couple of exceptions: the first is the design of the costumes worn in the film by the trio of main actors, full of bizarre details that allude to the world of the show; The second is the cinematography, very well conceived and crafted, and to which the exquisite choice of desert filming locations and, also, the good filming and lighting work largely contributed.