Gurl

Directed by Mika X.

Infamous Māori Drag Queen Carmen "Gurl" finally accepts her true-self when she falls in love with a fading rugby star on an ill-fated night in New Zealand 1975.
Few films could get away with this much glitter, fantasy and theatrical excess without losing the person at the centre. Gurl does because Mika X approaches the world of Carmen Rupe with affection rather than museum-piece reverence. The New Zealand short film is rough around the edges and proudly so; what it lacks in polish, it replaces with personality, queer history and a genuine sense of performance as survival.

Gurl

Directed by Mika X.

Infamous Māori Drag Queen Carmen "Gurl" finally accepts her true-self when she falls in love with a fading rugby star on an ill-fated night in New Zealand 1975.

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Our Review

Few films could get away with this much glitter, fantasy and theatrical excess without losing the person at the centre. Gurl does because Mika X approaches the world of Carmen Rupe with affection rather than museum-piece reverence. The New Zealand short film is rough around the edges and proudly so; what it lacks in polish, it replaces with personality, queer history and a genuine sense of performance as survival.